Most attachments can be read without saving a copy. What works depends on the file type and whether you are reading a received email or writing one.
The quick table (received mail)
| File type | Gmail's preview (click the card) | Attachment Preview extension |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, full-screen preview; nothing to Downloads (prompts for a password if protected) | Preview overlay inside Gmail, page counter; password form in version 1.1 and later | |
| PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP | Yes | Preview overlay, sized to fit |
| HEIC (iPhone photos) | Yes, Gmail previews HEIC | Not in Preview (Chrome cannot display HEIC); use Gmail's card click |
| Text (.txt) | Yes | Open in new tab shows them, no download |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Yes, Gmail's viewer | Open in new tab downloads them (Chrome cannot display these); use Gmail's preview |
| ZIP | No preview | Downloads; open it on your computer |
Compose, reply and forward
Clicking an attachment chip downloads the file. Gmail has no native compose preview. Attachment Preview's Preview button on PDFs and images is how you check those files before sending without downloading.
Gmail's built-in preview
- Open the email.
- Click the middle of the attachment card, not the download arrow.
- Press Esc to close.
Chrome's built-in viewers
Chrome can display PDFs, images, plain text and some audio and video in a tab. For PDFs, make sure chrome://settings/content/pdfDocuments is set to Open PDFs in Chrome.
Attachment Preview: stay in the thread
Attachment Preview is a free Chrome extension:
- Preview on PDFs and images opens them in a viewer over your inbox. Nothing is saved; the file is discarded when you close it.
- Open in new tab on everything else opens it in a tab where Chrome can display it.
- Works in compose, reply and forward, so you can check files before you send them without Gmail downloading the chip click.
- Runs in your browser only. No account, no tracking. Privacy policy.
Questions
Does previewing an attachment save it to my computer?
Gmail's preview for received mail and Attachment Preview's viewer show the file without saving it to your Downloads folder. Your browser may keep temporary data while the page is open, as it does for any web page.
What about password-protected PDFs?
Gmail's native viewer prompts for a password. In version 1.1 and later, Attachment Preview does too, in the overlay, so you stay in the thread. The password is used only to open that file and is never stored, logged or transmitted.
Why does a Word file still download from Open in new tab?
Chrome has no built-in Word or Excel viewer, so a new tab cannot show it. Click the attachment card to use Gmail's viewer instead.
Related: Open a PDF in Gmail without downloading · Gmail attachments download instead of opening