Save Attachments from Multiple Emails in Outlook – Best 4 Ways Explained

Summary: With Microsoft Outlook, it seems very easy to attach images, files, emails, and other items to an email message. Whenever users receive an email with several attachments, they open it and start saving Outlook attachments individually. But, saving each one separately is very time-consuming and tiresome. Sometimes ‘Save all Outlook attachments’ feature also doesn’t work. In such situations, users start their search for a common query i.e., how to bulk save attachments from multiple emails in Outlook. Just like the following user:

I have upgraded from Office 2013 to Office 2016 and after that, I am unable to extract all attachment from Outlook. I’ve tried the following:

• Right-click on an Outlook attachment >> Save As but, nothing happened. The window explorer that saves an attachment doesn’t appear.

• If I am trying to use the ‘Save all the attachments’ option to extract attachments from multiple emails Outlook 2016 and it lists entire available attachments and when I am hitting the OK button, ‘The server is not available. Contact administrator’ error prompts. This is happening with all types of accounts like POP, Exchange etc., while I am trying to save Outlook attachments

However, I still can drag and drop them to save Outlook attachments to desktop. Well, doing this with every single message is a tedious task and I have tried to repair Office but, nothing seems to have changed. Can I download attachments from multiple emails in Outlook 2016 and so then, how to save multiple Outlook attachments at once. Please help!”

Immediate Solution

If you are tired from the manual method and seeking for the one-click solution, then try SysTools Outlook Attachment Extractor toolkit. It is the software that has the capability to save bulk attachments from Outlook all version in just a few minutes.

Download Now Purchase Now

Hence, today we have come up with effective reasons for downloading your attachments & some amazing techniques to save an attachment from emails in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and 2003. So, let’s start with the reasons section first!

Why to Download Attachments from Multiple Emails in Outlook?

There are following points described for you to understand why we need to save attachments from multiple emails in Outlook. Just see them once to know whether it’s effective or not.

• Firstly, it will eventually create extra space in your mailbox for further incoming emails.
• When you extract & retain attachments externally, the Outlook PST/OST files will be smaller and perform better.
• Storing attachments in folders outside of Outlook allows users to better categorize, rename, and organize their files by project, client, date, or document type.
• The important files in your mailbox like your invoices, contracts, or reports, are often sent as email attachments.
• It helps ensure these important documents are backed up in a secure location and in one location.
• If your Outlook is corrupted, or you have accidentally deleted emails. You can ensure your extracted attachments are safe within the Outlook environment.
• For people shifting to a new system, archiving data, attachments can either be exported or stored separately.
• This is particularly done to have quick access and less clutter in email.
• Lastly, many sectors require data in structured manner because of compliance. 

Also Read: Why Do Attachments Disappear in Outlook Emails? Ultimate Guide

Save Attachments From Multiple Emails in Outlook Manually

Following are some of the native methods which allow to download attachments from multiple emails in Outlook. Use them precisely to manage your mailbox space.

Approach-1: Save All Attachments from an Outlook Email

Users who simply want to save the attachments from some Outlook emails, then they can use the built-in Save All Attachments function. Hence, they will be able to download all the attachments from a particular email into a local folder on the computer.

1. Firstly, launch Outlook and find the email messages with attachments
2. Tap the drop-down arrow to the right of the attachment to see the options
3. Choose Save All Attachments

4. Now, select the folder you want your files to go to
5. Tap Save or OK button to finish the process

For new Outlook, the feature is called Download all, while Classic Outlook has the Save All Attachments. This is an effective process for individual messages. But, remember you need to follow these same steps for every email.

Can You Save Attachments from Multiple Emails in Outlook at Once?

Outlook app provides the option to save attachments from a single email, but has a disadvantage when it comes to downloading attachments from multiple emails in Outlook. The Save All Attachments feature will only save the attachments that are part of the active message.

When you have a few emails, then you can go through them one by one and save attachments. However, as the number of messages increases, it becomes a difficult task. There is another method which is VBA in Classic Outlook that can automate this process with selected emails. But, it is also time-consuming for a large number of emails along with attachments, if you don’t use our professional tool.

Approach-2: Use VBA Method to Download Attachments from Outlook Emails

With the use of VBA, users can save email attachments in Classic Outlook in case they want to work with several selected emails together. The macro can analyze selected messages to check whether they have attachments and save them to a particular folder.

This method is perfect for people who feel comfortable using macros in Outlook. However, it requires the user’s configuration which can be done either by macro security settings or Outlook version upgrades.

Note: VBA applies to Classic Outlook only. The new Outlook for Windows does not support VBA in the same manner.

• Open MS Outlook and hit “Alt+F11” keys as to open VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) Editor
• Copy the below VBA Macro Code

Public Sub Download_Attachments()
‘If execute in excel, for sample.
‘ADD ‘Tools > References… Microsoft Outlook 16.0 Object Library
On Error GoTo Err_Control
Dim OutlookOpened As Boolean
Dim outApp As Outlook.Application
Dim outNs As Outlook.Namespace
Dim outFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder
Dim outAttachment As Outlook.Attachment
Dim outItem As Object
Dim DestinationFolderName As String
Dim saveFolder As String
Dim outMailItem As Outlook.MailItem
Dim inputDate As String, subjectFilter As String, sFolderName As String
Dim FSO As Object
Dim SourceFileName As String, DestinFileName As String
Set FSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)

sFolderName = Format(Now, “yyyyMMdd”)
sMailName = Format(Now, “dd/MM/yyyy”)

DestinationFolderName = “C:\Users\agonzalezp\Documents\Automatizaciones”

saveFolder = DestinationFolderName & “\” & sFolderName

subjectFilter = “NUEVA” & ” ” & sMailName ‘REPLACE WORD SUBJECT TO FIND

OutlookOpened = False
On Error Resume Next
Set outApp = GetObject(, “Outlook.Application”)
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
Set outApp = New Outlook.Application
OutlookOpened = True
End If
On Error GoTo Err_Control

If outApp Is Nothing Then
MsgBox “Cannot start Outlook.”, vbExclamation
Exit Sub
End If

Set outNs = outApp.GetNamespace(“MAPI”)
Set outFolder = outNs.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox)

If Not outFolder Is Nothing Then
For Each outItem In outFolder.Items
If outItem.Class = Outlook.OlObjectClass.olMail Then
Set outMailItem = outItem
If InStr(1, outMailItem.Subject, subjectFilter) > 0 Then ‘removed the quotes around subjectFilter
For Each outAttachment In outMailItem.Attachments
If Dir(saveFolder, vbDirectory) = “” Then FSO.CreateFolder (saveFolder)
outAttachment.SaveAsFile saveFolder & ” – ” & outAttachment.fileName
Set outAttachment = Nothing
Next
End If
End If
Next
End If

SourceFileName = “C:\Users\agonzalezp\Documents\Automatizaciones\*.xlsx”
DestinFileName = saveFolder

FSO.MoveFile SourceFileName, DestinFileName

If OutlookOpened Then outApp.Quit
Set outApp = Nothing
Err_Control:
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
‘MsgBox Err.Description
End If
End Sub

Note: VBA Macros Code Source stackoverflow.com

• Once the code is done, compile the project by clicking on Debug and then Compile Project.
• After this choose the email that contains attachments.
• Under VBA Editor, navigate to File>>Import File>> select the saved mAttachmentSaver.bas file>> click Open 

• After that, select the required email messages from which the attachments are to be removed.
•  Then, hit “Alt+F8” keys to launch Macro wizard. Ensure to enable All Macros to bulk save attachments from multiple PST emails.

• Now, select Execute Saving >> click Run >> Browse For Folder and specify the location wherein the attachments will be saved.

 

At the end of this method, you will be in the position to extract attachments from Outlook emails.

Limitations of Manual Methods

These steps are effective when you are looking to save the attachments of certain messages. But, it creates problems when the number of emails is large.

• You need to follow the same steps for every email
• The Save All Attachments feature downloads attachments for individual emails
• Users require knowledge of VBA in order to create macros
• If you have a lot of messages in your mailbox, it can be hard to find the desired emails
• Does not provide any filter options such as date, size, or file type
• The process to save attachments from multiple emails in Outlook is not something that you would normally do.

For one-time downloads, you can use Outlook’s built-in features. But if you need to save more messages, it is recommended to use our dedicated software which is described below.

Approach-3: Find Emails with Attachments Using Outlook Search Method

You can use built-in Outlook Search to help filter emails that contain attachments for you to save in bulk:

1. In Outlook, go to your Inbox or folder you would like to search.
2. Enter in the Search bar: hasattachments:yes.
3. Now, you will have filtered only emails that contain attachments. In that case, select all emails or press Ctrl + A to do the same.
4. You can then move each email to a separate new folder for official use.
5. Now open and save all attachments by using Save all Attachments.

Advice: You can use this method for both VBA or professional solution to increase efficiency between batch of emails.

Save Attachments in New Outlook vs Classic Outlook

Depending on the type of the Outlook that you use, the options for saving attachments may vary.

• For new Outlook: Simply open the desired message, click on the attachments option and select Download for one attachment or Download all, if you want to save everything from that specific message.
  
  
• Classic Outlook: Open your email, click at “Attach,” and from there choose either “Save As” for one file or “Save All Attachments” for all attachments.

The process to save attachments from multiple emails in Outlook is different when it comes to built-in options provided for the current email. Users of Classic Outlook can use VBA for selecting emails. On the other hand, you can use our expert solution to process the data in the supported version of Outlook files directly.

Troubleshooting Solution For “Save All Attachments” Not Working Problem

To find out if Outlook is preventing you from saving and downloading attachments. The first step is to check whether the issue is for one or more emails and check whether you are using New Outlook or Classic Outlook.

If you want to download only one attachment from an email, consider using the built-in Download or Save All Attachments option. If you need to extract attachments across multiple messages, then go with our dedicated software rather than trying to troubleshoot the save action in individual messages.

• Temporarily disconnect the Antivirus program and then check again.
• Running Outlook in Safe Mode to see if there’s any bad add-in present.
• Create a new Outlook profile if the old one is corrupted.
• Updating office with the latest patch since certain builds may just cause UI bugs in the Save dialog box.

Bulk Save Attachments from Multiple Emails in Outlook Automatically

• For Windows User
• For Mac User

It can be very hard to download attachments from multiple emails in Outlook, especially when you have to do it one email at a time. However, SysTools Outlook Attachment Extractor Software will allow users for bulk download of attachments. It supports multiple formats such as PST, OST, MSG, OLK, and OLM in order to extract attachments from them. You can even process multiple emails in one go.

You can also filter attachments by date, file type, size, or folder. After selecting the required files, choose a folder to save the extracted attachments.

The software also allows the inclusion or exclusion of the attachment file type from the software panel. The best part is that it is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Outlook and  both Windows & Mac OS.

Download Now Purchase Now

Detailed Steps to Save Attachments From Multiple Emails in Outlook (Windows)

Follow these simple tool steps to download attachments from multiple emails in Outlook. Read the instruction carefully and go one by one.

• First, download and launch the software on any version of your Windows system.
• Select the PST/OST radio button and then click the Next button.
  
  
• Click on the Add File(s) or Add Folder option to add the Outlook data files.
  
  
• Under the Filter dialog box, you can use variousfilters such as selective item types extraction, date filter, extract in terms of file size, addition or removal of attachment file types, multiple naming convention patterns, etc.
  
  
• After that you apply all those customized settings, simply click Extract and get your attachments extracted at the mentioned folder location.
  
  

That’s all, you’re done! Isn’t it easy enough to extract attachments from Outlook via this software?

Steps to Save Attachments From Multiple Emails in Outlook (Mac)

First, Install and run the software on Mac, then follow the steps to extract attachments from multiple emails in Outlook.

Download Now Purchase Now

1. Download and Launch the Mac attachment extractor tool on your Mac machine.

2. Choose Auto Location options to detect Outlook /Office 365 Profiles.

3. You can choose maintain folder hierarchy and naming convention option as per your needs. Also select the destination path to save attachments.

4. Click on the Export button to start the process of downloading attachments from multiple emails in Outlook.

Manual Vs Automated Solution – Comparison Table

This section is made for users to save their time and who don’t know which method to opt for. 

After reading this difference, you will know which is better to go with and efficiently download attachments from multiple emails in Outlook.

Final Words

This article comprises two different techniques to bulk save attachments from multiple emails in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and the below versions. Also, we have added reasons part before you go with manual & automated solution. Now, users can opt for any solution as per their technical requirement, and preferences to extract attachments from multiple emails in MS Outlook.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Also Read: How to Save Multiple Outlook Emails as MSG With/Without Outlook? – Explained