In an email you received
- Open the email. Attachments appear as cards at the bottom of the message.
- Click the card (not the download arrow that appears on hover).
- Gmail opens a full-screen preview for common types (PDF, JPG, TXT, HEIC and more). Nothing goes to Downloads. Use the arrows to move between attachments; press Esc to close.
Not working? See Gmail PDF preview not working.
In a message you are writing
Attached files show as chips under your draft. Clicking a chip downloads the file; Gmail has no native compose preview. To look at a PDF or image there without downloading and without leaving your draft, use the extension below.
With Attachment Preview (free extension)
Attachment Preview adds its own buttons in both places:
- Install it from the Chrome Web Store.
- In Gmail, look under any attachment:
- Preview on PDFs and images (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP)
- Open in new tab on other files
- Click Preview. The file opens in a viewer on top of Gmail (overlay, page counter); your inbox or draft stays as it was.
- Press Esc or click the close button. Focus goes back where you were.
The Preview button is a real button with a clear label, so it works with the keyboard and screen readers.
Where it works
Gmail on the web (mail.google.com) in Chrome on Windows, Mac and Chromebook. Not in the Gmail mobile apps.
Related: Preview attachments before sending · View attachments without downloading · Attachment Preview vs Gmail's built-in preview · Chromebook guide