How to Mention an Attachment in an Email: Examples

Mention an attachment by naming the document and explaining what the reader should do with it. For example: “I’ve attached the workshop schedule. Please check your session time and tell me if it conflicts with another meeting.”

The first sentence identifies the file. The second gives the reader a task. If you are sharing information without asking for work, say that instead: “I’ve attached the final schedule for your reference. No reply is needed.”

This guide uses fictional workplace examples to practice that distinction, including an email with two attachments and a link to a shared document.

Identify the document before explaining the task

“Please see attached” gives very little information on its own. The reader may understand it in a familiar conversation, but a document name helps when the message is forwarded or contains several files.

Compare these openings:

Please see attached.

I’ve attached the room plan for the November training event. It shows the final room assignments for both sessions.

The second version tells the recipient what they will find. A short explanation can also help someone decide whether they need to open the attachment now. SUNY Oswego’s accessible-email guidance recommends explaining an attachment’s contents in the message body.

Use the exact filename when it prevents confusion:

Please use Room-plan-November.pdf for the final room assignments. The draft plan from our earlier email is no longer current.

You do not need to repeat a long filename throughout the email. Once you have identified it, “the room plan” may be enough. Mention the file format when it helps the reader choose or use the document, such as distinguishing a PDF reference copy from an editable checklist.

If you have already sent an incorrect document, use the guide to correcting information by email to explain the replacement clearly.

Separate files for reference from files needing action

An attachment does not tell the reader whether you expect a review, a decision, or simply awareness. State the purpose for each document when those purposes differ.

For reference:

I’ve attached the final room plan for your reference. No changes are needed to this document.

For a limited review:

I’ve also attached the session checklist. Please check only the equipment column and let me know if anything is missing.

The room plan is settled; the equipment list still needs attention. Putting those instructions together as “Please review the attachments” would ask for a broader task than intended.

The British Council’s lesson on sending and receiving emails similarly separates a reference to a file from a request for feedback. In your own email, make the requested response specific enough for the recipient to act.

If timing matters, give the review deadline and its reason:

Please send any equipment corrections by 3 p.m. Paris time on 18 November so I can confirm the order.

Use a deadline because the work needs one. If the document is only for information, do not add a review request just to make the email sound more complete.

For help forming the request, compare could you please and would you mind. You can keep the request short while still identifying the file and the part that needs attention.

Make shared-document links easy to recognize

When you share a link to a document, tell the recipient what the link opens. For example:

The latest attendee numbers are in the shared attendee list.

In a real message, make “shared attendee list” the link text. That label gives more context than “click here.” The same SUNY Oswego guidance recommends descriptive link text so readers, including people using screen readers, can identify the destination.

For an email containing both files and links, distinguish where each item is available:

• Attached room plan: the final room assignments.
• Attached session checklist: the equipment column to review.
• Linked attendee list: the latest participant numbers.

This wording helps the reader look in the right place. Email tools may use different labels for shared files; you do not need to explain the software’s terminology in your message.

Check that the intended recipient can open the shared document. A well-described link is still unhelpful if the necessary access has not been granted.

If you are replying to a shared document, practice acknowledging the email and stating the next step. Confirming that a link arrived is different from confirming that you can open it or have reviewed its contents.

Practice: explain three documents in one short email

Imagine you are organizing a training event. Your colleague Noor already knows which event you are discussing. You need to send:

1. Room-plan-November.pdf: the final room plan, for reference only.
2. Session-checklist.docx: Noor should review only the equipment column and reply by 3 p.m. Paris time on 18 November, giving any corrections or confirming that none are needed. You need the answer to confirm the equipment order.
3. A link to the shared attendee list, where Noor can find the latest participant numbers. This is background information, not another review task.

Write your email before reading the example. Give each document a clear purpose without turning the message into three long explanations. Include the actual task and deadline.

Here is one possible version. The bracketed link placeholder is intentional; replace it with the correct shared-document link in a real email.

Subject: Equipment check for the November training event

Hi Noor,

I’ve attached two documents:

• Room-plan-November.pdf is the final room plan, for your reference. No changes are needed.
• Session-checklist.docx needs your review of the equipment column only.

Please reply by 3 p.m. Paris time on 18 November with any equipment corrections, or confirm that none are needed, so I can confirm the order.

For background, you can find the latest attendee numbers in [link to the shared attendee list].

Thanks, Alex

The sample connects each filename with a different purpose. The requested work belongs to the checklist, and the deadline applies to Noor’s reply whether corrections are needed or not. Noor does not have to infer those details from the documents themselves.

Compare your draft with the example by asking:

• Can Noor identify which file needs a response?
• Is the review limited to the equipment column?
• Are the deadline and its reason clear?
• Can Noor distinguish the shared link from the two attached files?

Now change the situation: the equipment order has already been confirmed, and all three documents are for reference. Revise your email to remove the review request and deadline. Do not leave an old instruction in the message after its purpose has changed.

Check the wording against what you are sending

Before sending, compare your message with the actual files and links. Check the document names, versions, requested action, and recipient access. If you mention two attachments, make sure both are present and are the intended versions.

For the surrounding structure, see the professional email format guide. For more write-first tasks, try the professional email writing exercises.

To build a regular practice habit, start practicing for free. EmailBetter sends workplace scenarios tailored to your profile to your inbox. You write your own reply in your usual email app, then review AI feedback in your dashboard.