# Open and preview attachments

To open an attachment, click **(N) Attachments** in the bar at the bottom of an open mail and click a file card. PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files open in a new browser tab, photos open in a full-window viewer, and calendar invites and contact cards can be added straight to Calendar or Contacts.

## How to open and preview attachments

1. Open a mail that has attachments.
2. Click **(N) Attachments** in the bar at the bottom of the mail. A panel of file cards opens.
3. Click a card to view the file, or turn on **Show large preview** to see bigger thumbnails.
4. To keep files in your cloud storage, click **Copy To Virtual Storage**, tick the files, pick a folder and confirm.

## When to use it

> Rohit, a manager at acme.in, is on a shared computer at a branch office. He opens the budget spreadsheet attached to Anita's mail in the browser viewer, reads it, and closes the tab, without saving the file on that computer.

## What each type of attachment does

| Attachment | What happens when you click it |
|---|---|
| PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, CSV | Opens in the built-in viewer in a new browser tab. |
| Photos (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP) | Opens in a full-window viewer. Use the arrows to step through all photos in the mail. |
| Attached mail (.eml) | Opens in a window where you can read it, and reply to or forward it. |
| Calendar invite (.ics) | Shows the event, its date, time and attendees, with **Add To Calendar** and a download option. |
| Contact card (.vcf) | Offers to add the contact or contacts to your address book, optionally into a group, or to download the file. |

## Save attachments to Virtual Storage

**Copy To Virtual Storage** in the panel header copies the files you tick into a folder of your choice in Storage. The attachment also stays in the mail. XgenPlus tells you if a file with the same name already exists in that folder.

## Good to know

- An .ics file with several events shows a list so you can pick the event to add. Events you have already added can be removed from your calendar from the same window.
- Adding a contact card checks your contact limit first and tells you if the contact already exists.

## Common questions

**Do I need Microsoft Office to open a Word or Excel attachment?**

No. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, text and CSV files open in XgenPlus's built-in viewer in a new browser tab, so nothing is saved on the computer you use.

**Why can't I copy an attachment to Virtual Storage?**

The file must fit in the space left in your storage. If your storage is full or the file is larger than the free space, XgenPlus stops the copy and tells you why.


Source: https://docs.xgenplus.com/mail/open-and-preview-attachments/