A commonly reported issue with Outlook Web App is that users are unable to download file attachments. The reasons could be many, including browser issues, ISP restrictions, suspicious sender, low bandwidth, etc.
Unable to download attachments from Outlook Web App
Make sure you have a good internet connection, and that the file is from a trusted sender. Once this is done, troubleshoot the issue using the following solutions:
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- Run Outlook Web App on a different browser
- Download the file as a ZIP
- Save the attachment to OneDrive
- Use Outlook.com light version
- Use the old Outlook Web App
- Open in the Edit in browser mode and then download it
- Use Outlook client
Run Outlook Web App on a different browser
Since the issue might be with corrupted cache and cookie files, a good way to isolate the cause would be to run Outlook Web App on a different browser. If you have difficulty downloading the file while running Outlook Web App on a different browser, try clearing the browser cache and cookies.
Download the file as a ZIP
Since some systems and browsers won’t let you download certain types of file formats, try downloading the attachments as a ZIP file. That should be accepted by the system. Once downloaded, you can extract the contents from your system.
To download the attachments as a ZIP file, locate the option to “Download all” as shown in the screenshot. Then click on it to download the bunch of attachments as a ZIP file. The limitation of this procedure is that you will have to download the attachments in bulk. You can neither download a single attachment, nor a bunch.
Save the attachment to OneDrive
If you cannot download the attachment directly, consider saving it to OneDrive. If OneDrive is connected to your system, you will be able to access it directly from File Explorer.
Click on the downward-pointing arrow associated with the attachment and select “Save to OneDrive.” This is helpful for accessing individual files on your system.
Use Outlook.com light version
Use the OWA light version and see.
To use the OWA light version, add “?layout=light” to the URL of the additional mailbox, eg:
https://owa.contoso.com/owa/SharedMbx@abcd.com/?layout=light
Use the old Outlook Web App
Although the newer version of the Outlook Web App has many amazing features, it also has some drawbacks. These add-ons can make the application heavy and cause glitches, such as being unable to download attachments.
So, you can consider using the old Outlook Web App to overcome this problem.
Open in the Edit in browser mode and then download it
Some file formats, like those supported by MS Office online, can be opened through the browser itself. To open the file, click on the downward-pointing arrow next to the file.
If you find the Edit in Browser option (usually with MS Office-related files), click on it. Once the file opens in the browser, download it from Microsoft Online.
Use Outlook client
Open the Microsoft Outlook client and open or download attachments from additional mailboxes.
Do you know of any other methods which could help us improve our view? Please let us know in the comments section.
Hello, My name is Shari & I am a writer for the ‘Outlook AppIns’ blog. I’m a CSIT graduate & I’ve been working in the IT industry for 3 years.