How to Forward an Email as an Attachment

When investigating spam, phishing, or suspicious email activity, the Noiz support team will often ask you to forward the original message as an attachment rather than as an ordinary forward. This article explains why that matters and how to do it in the most common email clients.

Last reviewed: 27 July 2026. Email client interfaces change often, and Microsoft in particular is moving Windows users from the classic Outlook desktop app to the new Outlook. Menu names may shift between versions, so where a menu item has moved, the drag-into-a-new-message method described below works reliably in every modern client.

Where to Send It

Forward the message as an attachment to [email protected]. If you would prefer to work through a ticket, you can instead save the message as an .eml file and attach it to a support ticket in your Noiz client area. Either route preserves the original message intact.

Why Forward as an Attachment?

Every email carries a set of hidden technical details called headers. Headers record the full path the message took to reach you, the sending server, authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), the originating IP address, and other forensic data that helps Noiz support identify the sender and improve spam filtering.

When you use the standard Forward button, your email client strips the original headers and replaces them with your own. This means the support team can see only that you forwarded the message, not where it actually came from. Useful investigation becomes impossible.

Forwarding the email as an attachment preserves the original message intact, headers and all. This allows Noiz support to:

• Trace the message back to its true origin.
• Submit accurate samples to the spam filter for training.
• Block the sender or sending server at the mail-system level if appropriate.
• Investigate phishing campaigns and report them upstream.

Screenshots and PDF copies of emails are not a substitute. They lose the headers in the same way an ordinary forward does.

Outlook (Classic Desktop, Windows)

1. Open Outlook and locate the email you want to forward.
2. Single-click to select the message in your inbox (do not open it in a separate window).
3. On the Home tab of the ribbon, in the Respond group, click More (a small drop-down arrow next to the Reply and Forward buttons).
4. Select Forward as Attachment.
5. A new message window opens with the original email attached as an Outlook item (.msg).
6. Address the message to [email protected] and click Send.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + F

Outlook (New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the Web)

The new Outlook for Windows and the Outlook web app share the same interface. Most recent Windows installs default to the new Outlook, so if your app does not look like the classic desktop version above, follow these steps instead.

1. Open Outlook in your browser, or launch the new Outlook desktop app.
2. Open the email you want to forward.
3. Click the three-dot menu (More actions) on the message toolbar, usually at the upper right of the message.
4. Depending on your build, click Forward as attachment directly, or hover over Other reply actions (also labelled Advanced actions in some versions) and then click Forward as attachment.
5. A new message window opens with the original email attached.
6. Address the message to [email protected] and click Send.

If the menu option is missing or silently fails: this is a known and long-running inconsistency in the new Outlook, where the option is absent on some accounts or does nothing when clicked. The reliable workaround is to open a new blank email, then drag the original message from your inbox list directly into the body of the new email. It attaches as an .eml file, which preserves the headers in exactly the same way.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook and select the email you want to forward.
2. From the menu bar, click Message.
3. Select Forward as Attachment.
4. A new message opens with the original attached.
5. Address it to [email protected] and click Send.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift + Command + J

Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird and locate the email in your inbox.
2. Right-click the message.
3. Hover over Forward As.
4. Click Attachment.
5. A new compose window opens with the original message attached as an .eml file.
6. Address the message to [email protected] and click Send.

You can also set Attachment as the default forwarding behaviour under Settings → Composition → Forward messages.

Apple Mail (macOS)

1. Open Mail and select the email you want to forward.
2. From the menu bar, click Message.
3. Select Forward as Attachment.
4. A new message opens with the original attached as an .eml file.
5. Address it to [email protected] and click Send.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift + Command + F

Apple Mail (iOS and iPadOS)

The native Mail app on iPhone and iPad does not have a direct Forward as Attachment option, and there is no fully reliable on-device workaround that preserves headers. If you have access to a desktop, Mac, or web browser, forwarding from there is the best option.

1. Open the same mailbox in webmail (see the Roundcube section below) on a desktop or mobile browser, where forwarding as an attachment is supported natively.
2. Alternatively, open the message on a Mac or PC using any of the clients above and forward it as an attachment from there.

Gmail (Web)

1. Open Gmail in your browser and locate the email you want to forward.
2. Click Compose in the top left to open a separate new message.
3. Return to your inbox in another browser tab, or by clicking back.
4. Find the email you want to attach and drag it from the message list directly into the body of your new compose window.
5. The email attaches as an .eml file, preserving all original headers.
6. Address the message to [email protected] and click Send.

Alternatively, tick the checkbox next to one or more messages in the inbox list, click the three-dot menu at the top of the inbox, and select Forward as attachment. A new compose window opens with the selected messages attached.

Roundcube Webmail (Noiz Webmail)

If you access your Noiz mailbox through webmail (Roundcube), forwarding as an attachment is supported natively and is the most reliable option when your desktop or mobile client is uncooperative.

1. Log in to webmail at the address provided by Noiz, typically https://webmail.yourdomain.com (replace yourdomain.com with your own domain) or via a link in your control panel.
2. Open the email you want to forward.
3. Click the Forward button at the top of the message.
4. From the drop-down arrow next to Forward, select Forward as attachment.
5. A new compose window opens with the original email attached as an .eml file.
6. Address the message to [email protected] and click Send.

After You Send It

Once the email has been forwarded as an attachment, Noiz support can extract the headers and investigate. Include a brief note describing the issue (for example, "This message bypassed the spam filter" or "I believe this is a phishing attempt"), along with any relevant context such as the date received, whether the sender claims to be someone you know, and whether you clicked any links or opened any attachments.

If you are unsure whether your client is forwarding correctly, send a test message to yourself first. Open the forwarded copy and check that the attachment is an email file (.eml or an Outlook item) and not just inline quoted text. If you see only quoted text, the message has been forwarded as an ordinary forward and the headers will have been stripped.

If you are still stuck, contact the Noiz support team and someone will walk you through the process for your specific email client. See How to Contact Noiz for Support for all the ways to reach the team.