Hi Stephen It can depend on the file type for when it does this. (Or sometimes even the file itself). It’s to do with what is referred to as “an embedded file”. So when it display the file, it will try and be helpful to show you the contents of the file in the email - to save you from having to then double click a file to open it up - so it display it “inline” so you see all the contents. Normally it does this as default for a PDF or a jpg/jpeg image file. Sometimes though, you a) don’t want it like this or b) Windows users don’t know how to work with an inline/embedded file. - you get the “oh, I can’t work with that file as it’s in the email so I can’t open it” :)
There are a couple of ways to “change it”. 1. You can either right click on the file itself when it’s showing as the image in the email and choose “View as Icon” - and it will go back to being an attached file like you’re used. (You can swap back and forwards between these setting by right clicking and choosing “View as Icon” and then “View In Place”. - it will then swap between a file and the embedded image). 2. You can run a Terminal command that will always make files show as icons (well, 99% of the time. Sometimes it will just override it anyway). I do this for when I send out things - I have used the Terminal command to make all my attachments default to “icon” - so it means people can get them easier. There are steps on how to do it here - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254671378?sortBy=rank However,…note that this can now “sometimes” cause an issue with people on Microsoft Exchange It can also depend on “how” you send emails as well - if always sending them as Rich Text emails or Plain Text emails. (Again, I always have Apple Mail and iPhone mail set to use plain text emails rather than formatted “Rich Text” emails - as I find it again cuts down any issues). --- Something not really related below ---- Attachments also opens up a whole other “can of worms” that you may or may not realise…..so for those following,…bear with me….. When you get an attachment in an email, it saved inside Apple Mail. HOWEVER, if you click on the attachment to view it you’ll generally find this attachment then gets saved onto the computer in a hidden folder before it show you that attachment. So you end up with hundreds/thousands of email attachment stored in an invisible folder on your computer. If you then go back weeks or months later, look up the same email and double click on the attachment, you then download another copy of it to your computer again. So this “Saved downloads” folder can quite often end up with thousands of files saved into it. (Each within a “weird looking” folder name (it’s ascii text or some code relating to a date/email string I believe) - taking up GB’s of space on computers. You can find it by the following - Go to Finder, then go to the Go menu and choose “Go To Folder,,,” Then paste in the following - ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail Downloads/ (This can vary depending on the version of macOS, but it’s generally in the same location for recent versions). You’ll then see hundred/thousands of folders with just one file in them. If I want those attachments, I either then move them off to my own folders to keep, or if I don’t need them anymore I delete all the folders and empty out the Mail Downloads folder on a regular basis. I made a short cut to this folder and saved it into my normal “Documents” folder or Downloads, or somewhere else so I can find it easily. Then just regularly clear it out to save space. I also delete attachments from emails as well once I’ve dealt with them, to also free up space in the Apple Mail database as well. But yeh..that folder can grow to be very large over time. And one of the house keeping things I do for a lot of clients who might be limited on space or not aware of all the space that folder uses. Not really pertaining to your original question,..but just a useful piece of info as a “side subject”,… :) Hope the above info helps. Kind regards Daniel --- Daniel Kerr MacWizardry p : 0414 795 960 e : <daniel AT macwizardry.com.au> w : <http://www.macwizardry.com.au> **For everything Apple** NOTE: Any information provided in this email may be my personal opinion and as such should be taken accordingly, and may not be the views of MacWizardry. Any information provided does not offer or warrant any form of warranty or accept liability. It would be appreciated that if any information in this email is to be disseminated, distributed or copied, that permission by the author be requested. > On 21 Aug 2024, at 4:20 PM, STEPHEN CHAPE via WAMUG > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi folks. > > I have had this happening for some time. > > But my daughter has just noticed it on her Mac. > > When sending an email most attachments appear as a file icon (which is > normal). > > But others appear as though they are open in the body of the email. > > Why is this so … and can it be formalised in some way ? > I have had a couple of others ask why my attachments sometimes appear > like that. > > Regards, > Stephen Chape > Mac by choice > Windows because my employer knew no better > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Settings & Unsubscribe - > <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Settings & Unsubscribe - <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug>
