How to show missing attachment bar/box in message header in Outlook?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2025-03-17

Sometimes, when composing or receiving emails in Outlook, the Attachment Bar (or Attachment Box) may disappear, causing attachments to appear inside the email body instead. If you prefer the standard attachment layout, where files are displayed in the Attachment Bar, you can easily restore it using the solutions below.

Show Missing Attachment Bar When Composing Emails in Outlook

Show Missing Attachment Bar in Received Emails in Outlook

Show Missing Attachment Bar When Composing Emails in Outlook

If the Attachment Bar disappears while composing an email in Outlook, follow these steps to restore it:

1. Open the new email or reply/forward a message where the attachment bar is missing.

2. Navigate to the Format Text tab on the ribbon. Then click HTML to switch the message format.
doc-attachment-box-bar-missing-1

✨ Result: The Attachment Bar will immediately reappear, and all attachments will be moved out of the email body and placed in the Attachment Bar as expected.

⚡ Tip: The Attachment Bar disappears only when the email format is set to Rich Text. If you want attachments to appear in the Attachment Bar instead of inside the message body, switch to HTML format.

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Show Missing Attachment Bar in Received Emails in Outlook

If the Attachment Bar is missing in a received email, follow these steps to bring it back:

1. Open the email where the Attachment Bar is missing by double-clicking it in your inbox.

2. Click Message > Actions > Edit Message to make the email editable.
doc-attachment-box-bar-missing-2

3. Go to the Format Text tab and select HTML.
doc-attachment-box-bar-missing-3

✨ Result: The missing Attachment Bar will reappear, and all attachments will be moved from the email body back into the bar automatically.

4. Click Save & Close to keep the changes.

⚡ Tip: If the sender formatted the email as Rich Text, attachments would appear inside the message body instead of the Attachment Bar. Switching the format to HTML will move them back to the standard Attachment Bar.

Insert attachments in the body of email message in Outlook