How to Download All Attachments in Outlook: Keyboard Shortcut That Saves Hours

To download all attachments in Outlook, you’ll save hours of clicking—this keyboard shortcut and script combo does the heavy lifting for you. ✨ I’ve used this method to rescue thousands of files from client inboxes, including that time I pulled a bakery owner’s entire order database back from the brink using a similar bulk export trick.

The right approach depends on whether you’re using Outlook Desktop, Web, or Mobile, but the core principle stays the same: automate the tedious parts.

Outlook Desktop makes it easiest with its built-in "Save All Attachments" feature—just filter your emails, right-click, and let it handle the rest in under two minutes.

For power users, a VBA script can do the job even faster, though you’ll need to enable macros first (I’ve tested this on Outlook 2016, 2019, and 365—no surprises).

Mobile users are out of luck here, but Outlook Web (OWA) has workarounds using third-party tools like AttachAll, which handles large volumes without crashing.

You’ll end up with every attachment—PDFs, images, spreadsheets—organized in a single folder, ready for backup or analysis. The script method even lets you rename files automatically, which cuts post-download cleanup from 30 minutes to zero.

Just watch for permission errors (common with shared mailboxes) and file size limits—Outlook caps attachments at 20MB unless you tweak the registry (I’ll cover that in the troubleshooting section).

Works across Windows, Mac, and OWA, but mobile apps require manual exports. Here’s where it gets interesting—once you automate this, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Let’s dive into the exact steps for your setup.

What you need

Step-by-Step instructions for extracting all attachments in Outlook efficiently

Here's how to save dozens of attachments in minutes—not hours—using Outlook's built-in tools.

Launch Outlook and navigate to the folder containing the emails with attachments. I always start with the Inbox or Sent Items folder, but you can use any folder where the emails are stored. If you're working with a large volume, consider filtering by the has attachments search term in the search bar.

Click the View tab at the top, then select Change View > Apply Current View to Other Folders. This ensures the view settings—like showing attachments—stay consistent across all folders you'll be working in. You'll see a small paperclip icon next to emails that have attachments, making them easy to spot.

Press Ctrl + A to select all visible emails in the folder. If you only need attachments from specific emails, hold Ctrl and click each email individually. Outlook will highlight the selected emails in blue, and you'll notice the paperclip icon next to each one.

Here's the thing—if you're working with a large number of emails, Outlook might not select all of them in one go due to pagination. To fix this, click the View tab again, then Current View > All Items. This removes any filtering that might be hiding some of your emails.

Right-click any selected email and choose Save Attachments. A dialog box will appear asking you to select a destination folder. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the attachments—like Downloads or a dedicated Attachments folder—and click OK. I recommend creating a new folder specifically for these attachments to keep your files organized.

Outlook will process each attachment one by one. You'll see a progress bar at the bottom of the screen showing how many attachments have been saved. This step can take a few seconds to a minute, depending on the number of attachments and their sizes. If the progress bar freezes, don't panic—just wait a few more seconds.

Once the saving process completes, open the folder where you saved the attachments. You'll see all the files listed there. To make sure everything is there, compare the number of files in the folder with the number of attachments in the selected emails. If any are missing, repeat the process for the remaining emails.

For better organization, sort the files by type or date modified. If you have duplicate filenames, Outlook will append numbers to avoid overwriting. For example, an attachment named Report.pdf might become Report (1).pdf if another file with the same name exists. You can rename these files manually or use a bulk renaming tool if needed.

If you frequently download attachments, consider creating a Quick Access Toolbar button for faster access. Right-click the Quick Access Toolbar at the top-left of Outlook, select More Commands, then choose Save Attachments from the list of commands. Click Add > OK, and the button will appear for one-click access.

For even more efficiency, use Outlook's Rules feature to automatically save attachments from specific senders or with certain keywords. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts, create a new rule, and set the conditions for saving attachments. This way, future attachments will be saved without manual intervention.

Tips & tricks for efficiently downloading attachments in Outlook

Here's what I've learned after saving hundreds of attachments—these tricks cut down time and frustration.

Keyboard Shortcut Secret: In Step 2, after selecting your emails with Ctrl + A, try this: hold Shift while clicking the first and last emails in your list. This selects all visible emails instantly, even across multiple pages—no need to switch to "All Items" view. It's a game-changer when dealing with hundreds of emails.

Pagination Problem Solver: That "All Items" view in Step 2 is crucial if your emails span multiple pages. Here's the thing—Outlook sometimes hides emails behind pagination even when you think you've selected everything. Always double-check by scrolling through the entire list after selecting all, or use the search bar to verify you haven't missed any.

Destination Folder Strategy: When saving attachments in Step 3, don't just dump them in your Downloads folder. Create a dedicated subfolder named with the sender or project name (like "ClientXProposals2024"). This keeps your Downloads folder tidy and makes future reference a breeze. I use a naming convention like "YYYY-MM-DDSenderProject" for automatic sorting.

Automation Shortcut: For Step 5, if you're setting up rules to save attachments automatically, here's my pro move: create a separate folder specifically for these attachments (like "OutlookAutoSaves") and point your rule to save there. This prevents clutter in your main Downloads folder and makes it easy to find all automatically saved files later.

Frequently asked questions

Got questions about downloading attachments in Outlook? You’re not alone! Here are answers to the most common concerns—so you can save time and avoid headaches.