Cannot attach zip file in Outlook [Quick & Easy Solution]

Cannot attach zip file in Outlook or if you are failing to attach a Zip (Compressed file) to your Emails in Outlook, here’s how to quickly fix the problem?

Outlook email client can make a lot of things easier for a heavy email user that a web-based client cannot. But there are times when with Outlook’s great functionality comes a few exceptions that can be annoying and it might not be easy to find the solution for. One of those issues is failing to attach a *.zip file to emails.

Cannot attach zip file in Outlook

This problem, along with other minor annoyances, can be especially frustrating because it is hard to go to the source of the problem. Sometimes, the fault lies outside of Outlook itself, like with your computer, operating system, or with the file itself that you want to attach.

An error while attaching a zip file can be more frustrating because often a user is trying to send a zip file because of the large size of the file before compression. If you have a large file that you are trying to send via email, you can reduce the size by compressing it into a zip file. But then if Outlook fails to attach even then, it might not be easy to find the solution.

Also, a bonus side tip:

Even if you are attaching a zip file, it might still be over the allowed limit by your email provider. So, make sure the size isn’t too big based on your email service.

It’s not always that Outlook will show you an error while attaching the file. But when you try to browse for the ZIP file you want to attach from inside the Outlook, you might not see the file itself, and thus cannot attach it. This is a specific problem of Windows system sometimes treating the zip file as normal folders, which doesn’t help with Outlook when trying to insert it.

Whatever the specific issue is, the below recommended solution will help.

The main reason for issues with zip files as attachment is often with the registry of your Windows operating system. If the Windows does not have the Zip format properly registered, you might face problem while attaching the zip file in emails with Outlook.

So, here’s a simple way to fix it:

• Press ctrl + R to bring up the “Run” command box.
• Type or copy “regsvr32 zipfldr.dll” into the box and hit enter.

This will fix the registry issues with the WinZip software.

If the recipient is seeing the zip attached file within the message body and not on the email headers, it’s because Outlook is configured to compose emails in rich text.

To fix this, simply change the format to compose messages from rich text to either HTML or plain text. Go to Outlook Options à Mail à Compose messages and change it from here.

Some other common solutions that might work for you:

• Also, check if the ZIP file is not corrupted.
• Make sure the file is not password protected
• Some internet email providers do not allow ZIP format to be sent as attachment at all. In those cases, you need to save the compressed file in other formats than *.zip and also let your recipients know about the format.

We hope the article above has been of help to you and you are now being able to send Zip files in Outlook as attachments without any issues.