Snipping tool no longer drops in Outlook email body

Travis Rittenbach 5 Reputation points
2026-08-13T17:18:08.2033333+00:00

When I use the screen snipping tool and drop it into Outlook emails, it has changed. They are now attachments. I want them in the body of the email. How do I get this back?

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business
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Travis Rittenbach 5 Reputation points
2026-08-17T14:33:19.4333333+00:00

Found the culprit. The new Adobe Express update is hijacking the shortcut keys. When I went into settings, I could turn that hotkey off, and then it went back to the Windows Snipping Tool. Express puts it in the Pictures folder as an attachment. I couldn't find a setting to push it into the body of emails.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-13T17:18:19.57+00:00

    In classic Outlook, this usually happens because the message is using Rich Text Format (RTF) or Plain Text instead of HTML.

    To get the snip to appear in the body of the email, switch the message format to HTML:

    1. Open the email message.
    2. Check the message format in the title bar, or change it from the message format controls.
    3. If the message is set to Rich Text or Plain Text, change it to HTML.
    4. Insert or paste the screen snip again.

    Relevant behavior in classic Outlook:

    • In RTF, attached files show up in the message body as attachment icons.
    • In Plain Text, attachments show up below the subject line.
    • To work with screenshots directly in the email body, use HTML format.

    If the goal is to place a screenshot directly into the message body, Outlook also supports inserting it from the ribbon:

    1. Click in the email body.
    2. Go to Insert > Screenshot.
    3. Choose an open window, or select Screen Clipping to capture part of a window.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Chris-D 1,260 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-13T17:38:02.68+00:00

    Hi Travis,

    Good day. Thank you for sharing what happened.

    I understand that when you use the screen snipping tool and place the screenshot into an Outlook email, it now appears as an attachment instead of displaying directly in the body of the email.

    This behavior can happen after an Outlook update, if the message format is set to Plain Text, or if the paste/insert picture setting has changed.

    You can try the steps below:

    1. Open a new email in Outlook.
    2. Go to Format Text and make sure the message format is set to HTML.
    3. User's image
    4. Go to File > Options > Mail > Editor Options > Advanced.
    5. Under Insert/paste pictures as, select In line with text.
    6. User's image
    7. Click OK, restart Outlook, then test again by using Windows + Shift + S and pressing Ctrl + V in the email body.

    If the issue continues, you can use Insert > Pictures or Insert > Screenshot as a workaround to place the image directly in the message body.

    I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to share them in the comment below. I'm very happy to help.  

    I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. 

    If the answer is helpful, please click 'Yes' and kindly upvote it.

    Note: Please follow the steps in the forum documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.  

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  3. Chris-D 1,260 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-13T22:15:50.8533333+00:00

    Hi Travis,

    I would like to follow up and check whether the previous steps helped resolve the issue. If the issue is still not resolved, you can try the additional troubleshooting steps below:

    1/ Test Outlook in Safe Mode

    • Close Outlook completely.
    • Press Windows + R.
    • Type outlook.exe /safe.
    • Click OK.
    • Open a new email and try using the screen snipping tool again.
    • Paste the screenshot into the email body using Ctrl + V.

    If Outlook works as expected in Safe Mode, please try disabling the Outlook add-ins one at a time to identify if a specific add-in is causing the issue:

    • Go to File > Options > Add-ins > Manage: COM Add-ins > Go.
    • Then uncheck one add-in at a time, restart Outlook, and test again.

    2/ Test whether the issue happens with all insertion methods

    Please check the following:

    • Does the issue happen when using Ctrl + V?
    • Does the issue happen when dragging and dropping the snip?
    • Does Insert > Pictures insert the image into the email body correctly?
    • Does Insert > Screenshot insert the image into the body correctly?

    This will help confirm whether only paste/drop is affected, or whether all inline image insertion methods are affected.

    3/ Check for Office updates

    • Open Outlook.
    • Go to File > Office Account.
    • Select Update Options > Update Now.
    • Restart Outlook after the update completes and test again.

    If the issue persists after trying these steps, please let me know in the comment and share any details about the results of your testing. Once I have that information, I can help investigate further and determine the next best step.

    I’m looking forward to your update.

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  4. Travis Rittenbach 5 Reputation points
    2026-08-17T15:35:35.88+00:00

    All good. Apprecieate the assist.

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