Attachment Management Tools

Click here to subscribe
to our biweekly
EMO newsletter
EMO back issues

Attachment Management Tools

The following add-ins will help you manage the attachments you receive on an email. Most of these tools are used in Outlook; a few are for use with Exchange server.

Many of these utilities will remove attachments from the email message and can replace them with links to the attachment on your hard drive, allowing you easy access to the attachment while keeping your mailbox or personal folders smaller.

Others will remind you to add attachments to outgoing email, compress (zip) attachments, or allow you to unblock attachments blocked by the security features of Outlook 2000 and higher.

Featured Product

MaX Compression compresses and decompresses email attachments invisibly and automatically, according to centrally applied rules, ensuring optimal system benefits and eliminating reliance on the user and any associated loss of productivity.

Tools | Notes | More Information

Tools

Attach Plus	Attach Plus improves the way businesses send e-mail attachments by reducing the time and complexity it takes to PDF, ZIP and password protect attachments. Zip attachments or convert them to PDF format and password protect them before sending, automatically. Version 2.2.7
Attach2Link	Attach2Link replaces large attachments with a "blind-link" in the message and stores the original file on a website through an FTP transfer or Web-http transfer. Slimmed down messages can be sent without fear of rejection and local storage space is dramatically reduced as attachments are replaced by a link to a file remotely stored.
Attachment Alarm	Attachment Alarm for Microsoft Outlook add-in scans all outgoing e-mail messages and if it finds words or phrases from the Key words list, it raises the alarm and suggests inserting an attachment in a Microsoft Outlook message.
Attachment Executive Server Side	Helps control the storage space needed for Exchange/Outlook messages by removing attachments from Exchange mailboxes. Rules and other tools for managing attachments. Rules can be set up to act on arrival, on reading, on sending or after so many days.
Attachment Forget-Me-Not	Scans outgoing messages for text that indicates a file should be attached and prompts you if the attachment is missing. Discount Code, enter during checkout: WD9BHK53
Attachment Master	Remove attachments from email messages in any folder and save them to a system folder.
Attachment Options	COM add-in by Outlook MVP Ken Slovak that adds an Attachment Security Options page to the Tools, Options dialog in Outlook 2000 SP3 or higher to allow you to manage which file attachments are blocked. New version adds support for the .gadget extension for Outlook 2003 SP3 and Outlook 2007 SP1. It also adds detection for those SP levels. Shareware. Version 1.9.6
Attachment Security for Microsoft Outlook	"Outlook blocked access to the following potentially unsafe attachment ..." If you get this message when attempting to access an Outlook email attachment you'll want to install Attachment Security for Outlook; a free program for unlocking attachments blocked by Outlook. Attachment Security for Microsoft Outlook is a free and easy to use software program that allows you to open attachments blocked by Microsoft Outlook e-mail security.
Attachments Processor for MS Outlook	Automatically removes attachments from incoming messages and saves them to your hard disk. A link to the file or a text file with attachment description and the link to it can be added to the message.
Attachments Zip Compressor	Automatically compresses outgoing attachments into .zip files. Can extract files from incoming .zip attachments or compress attachments in an incoming message. Can handle incoming files that Outlook blocks and put them into .zip files.
AttachSTOR Suite for Exchange	Server-based attachment compression and encryption, based on company-specific policies. Attachments are stored separately from the Exchange store, but messages include links that allow users to retrieve files using their browsers. Can identify duplicate attachments and store only a single instance. Remote users on low bandwidth connections can download only those attachments they really need. (was STORcore Suite for Exchange)
AttachTracker	Maintains mail history information in the original files on your system, so you don't need to keep the messages around just to know what you mailed to whom. Replaces attachments on sent messages with a link to the file on your hard drive.
AttachView for OWA	AttachView allows OWA users to view documents as a secure web page without losing the ability to view Microsoft Word Track Changes revisions. Features include the ability to view revisions in Microsoft Word documents, view the revision date and author, color-coding differentiating revisions by author, at-a-glance, printable summary of revisions, hyperlinked index, Final and Markup document views. AttachView 8.5. Free trial is available.
Auto-Mate	An add-in for Outlook that allows you use define rules to move mail from your Inbox (or other folders) based on several criteria, including the age of the message. While Outlook already provides a powerful set of rules, they can only be applied immediately when the message arrives, and not a couple days or weeks later. Auto-Mate fills this gap an enables you to apply rules to messages that have been in your Inbox for a given number of hours, days or weeks. In addition, the program offers a default set of rules and folders that work in conjunction with Outlook features to organize your mail into folders based on date and To-Do status. Available in Standard or Pro Version 3.0.
AutoZip	AutoZip is an add-in which enables you to automatically compress attachments of outgoing message with a single click. Freeware version available. Works with Outlook 2000/2002/2003.
CodeTwo Attach Unblocker	Use CodeTwo Attach Unblocker to configure Microsoft Outlook to allow the openig of the attachments blocked by default (for example, .exe, .url, .reg). The program is an Outlook extension; its settings are available at the property sheet in the Outlook options, which ensures quick and convenient editing.
Explorer View for Outlook	Preview Microsoft Outlook email attachments without leaving Outlook, even if you do not have the creating software installed. Instantly access attached documents, spreadsheets, audio files and more than 100 file types.
EZDetach for Outlook	Save attachments as system files either as part of a Rules Wizard rule or manually, from either a folder view or the Advanced Find window. Can create subfolders to organize attachments by sender or date, pass an attachment to a script or other program, add a link in messages to point to the detached file, filter on attachment names, and automatically zip or unzip attachments.
LBE Toolbox for MS Outlook	Multifunction utility to send individual messages to a list generated either from a text file or from criteria on the Contacts folder, remove large file attachments, remove duplicate contacts and messages, and perform a few other little chores.
Mail Attender	Mail Attender provides comprehensive content management in PST files (personal storage folders) on desktops/servers, mailboxes and public folders. With MA Enterprise, administrators can distribute/enforce common policies, archive data and search content in multiple information stores from a central web interface. Also, can track statistical information such as total message/attachment count, size and type while tracking usage of individual users. Works with Exchange 5.5, 2000, 2003, 2007.
MaX Compression	Automatic Transparent Compression. MaX Compression Enterprise automatically zips or unzips all email attachments traveling within the enterprise, wherever they come from or go to. Seamless integration with Outlook and support of common actions such as drag & drop, forward; the native attachment icon is maintained throughout.
MIRAMI Tools	Addin makes it easier to work with attachments. Acquire images from a scanner and attach directly to the email and compress attachments.
Outlook Attachment and Picture Extractor	Outlook Attachment and Picture Extractor can extract and save attachments out from Outlook 2000/XP/2003/2007. Save Outlook attachments and pictures into a directory of your choice. Shrink your *.PST file by removing attachments from mails. Version 1.6
Outlook Attachment Remover Add-in	Free Outlook add-in for saving and extracting attachments, decreasing the size of your Outlook files. Beta. Version 0.9.2
Outlook Attachment Sniffer	Delete all file attachments from an Outlook folder and subfolders in one operations. It can replace the link with the extracted attachment when sending or forwarding an email. Now supports exporting e-mails in various formats (also EML and MHT) or copy/move e-mails to another Outlook-folder with auto-creation of subfolders depending on the e-mail's data (sender, recipient...).
Outlook Attachments Extractor	Save attachments in Outlook items to disk and replace them with .lnk shortcut files (which are blocked by the Outlook Email Security Update).
Outlook Attachments to Folders	Move file attachments to either a system folder or another Outlook folder (perhaps in a personal folders .pst file). User can choose which types of files to move.
Outlook Helper	Free Outlook 2000 add-in to save images from messages, automatically save incoming file attachments to a folder, show an alert for suspected viruses, and perform common tasks on selected messages, forward to distribution lists and omit the sender, etc.
Outlook Picture Extractor	Extract just pictures or all attachments from items in any Outlook and save them to a system folder of your choice. Can optionally move processed items to a different Outlook folder.
OutlookDefPath	Change the default path for saving attachments from Outlook messages. Free from Simpler-Webb.
Picture Attachments Wizard for Microsoft Outlook	View thumbnails of image attachments, run a slideshow of attached picture files without to saving the attachments to disk. Quickly save all attachments to a folder or easily export every attachment in every message in the current folder. Preview image attachments as you add them to a new e-mail message, view the extended file properties of images that were taken with a digital camera (camera model, date picture taken, exposure time, etc.) Works with all common image files.
Print On Demand	Print just the attachments or just the email message (with the attachment file names). New "Print Both" button allows you to select multiple emails and then print both emails and their attachments. Now uses internal routines as the default for printing to PDF for a better printing experience. Version 3.5 Discount Code, enter during checkout: WD9BHK53
Strip Attachments	Removes attachments from existing messages and saves them to a system folder, replacing them with text links to the saved files. Discount Code, enter during checkout: WD9BHK53
ZipBee	Tool for automatically compressing message attachments into ZIP-format files. Available in both a standard edition and an enterprise edition with deployment kit and COM objects for scripting zip and unzip operations.
ZipMail	E-mail and message tracking service using a public key server, with direct Outlook integration via a free add-in. Also compresses and encrypts file attachments.
ZipOut	Outlook COM Add-in that automatically compresses mail attachments for all types of Outlook items, both outgoing messages and items in folders. Maintains an index of attachments, so you can find and open them easily, but does not index the full text of attached documents. Can be configured to automatically compress .exe and other file types blocked by the Outlook Email Security Update, so that recipients will get a .zip file they can open without difficulty.
ZoneAlarm Pro	Monitor and screen potentially harmful attachments, including .exe files. See ZoneAlarm Pro MailSafe for more information. Also controls Internet access by programs, such as viruses with their own SMTP engines.