Copy a photo from my email to my computer

Roger Blair 365 Reputation points
2026-09-09T18:59:12.37+00:00

Someone emailed me a photo that I need to copy to my computer. I've "down-arrowed" and right-clicked the picture and clicked on "Copy" both times, but there's nothing to paste.. What am I doing wrong, and how do I do it so I can paste the photo either into a file or into a photo editor?

Windows for home | Other | Music, photos, and video
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Answer accepted by question author
John Jefferson Doyon 86,635 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-09-09T20:00:34.38+00:00

Hi, @Roger Blair

Instead of using "Copy," try saving the photo to your computer first.

  • Open the email and click the photo.
  • Look for the "Download" or down-arrow icon.
  • Save the photo to your "Downloads" or "Pictures" folder.
  • Then open that folder and double-click the photo, or open your photo editor and select the saved file.

If the issue still persists, to help narrow down the issue:

  1. Which email are you using, such as Outlook, Gmail, or another service?
  2. Are you viewing the email in a web browser or in an email app?
  3. When you click the down-arrow, does it ask where you want to save the photo, or does nothing happen?

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Thanks!

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AI answer

2026-09-09T18:59:27.4533333+00:00

In Outlook, Copy puts the image on the clipboard, but that does not save it as a file on the computer. If nothing is available to paste, the more reliable method is to save the picture first, then open or paste that saved file where needed.

Use this method:

  1. Open the email that contains the picture.
  2. Right-click the picture.
  3. Select Save as Picture.
  4. Choose a folder on the computer and save it.
  5. Then open that saved image in a photo editor, or insert/attach it from that folder.

If the goal is to put the picture into an Outlook on the web message, attaching from the computer is supported:

  1. Create or reply to a message.
  2. Select Attach > Browse this computer.
  3. Choose the saved picture and select Open.

If a screenshot is needed instead of the original image:

  1. Press Windows logo key + Shift + S.
  2. Select the area to capture.
  3. The screenshot is copied to the clipboard.
  4. Paste it with Ctrl+V into a document, email, or image editor.

If a saved image appears blank or cannot be opened, the file may have saved without an extension. Renaming it and adding .jpg or .png can make it recognizable as an image file.

References:

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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