If you use Gmail, you can put a picture right in the middle of your email, where the person reading it sees it straight away, instead of sending it as an attachment they have to open.
In this guide I’ll show you how to insert a picture into Gmail from your computer or Google Photos, resize it and line it up, send lots of photos at once, and add a picture or logo to your email signature. Plus what to do on a phone, and what to check if a picture won’t show.
The Short Version
- Click Compose and write your email.
- Click the Insert photo icon at the bottom of the window.
- Choose your picture, make sure Inline is selected, and click Insert.
- Click the picture to resize it, then click Send.
How to Add a Picture in Gmail
Sign in to Gmail on your computer and click Compose to start a new email. Fill in the address, subject and your message as normal, and click where you want the picture to go.
Then click the Insert photo icon in the row of buttons at the bottom of the window.
Choose a Picture From Google Photos or Your Computer
The Insert photo window opens. If the picture is already in your Google Photos, click it once to select it and then either click Add as Attachment or Insert.
If it’s on your computer, click the Upload tab. Then either drag the picture onto the window, or click Browse and find it on your computer.
Inline or As Attachment?
At the bottom right of the Insert photo window there are two choices:
- Inline puts the picture in the body of the email, where it’s seen straight away. This is what most people want.
- As attachment adds it as a file at the bottom, which the other person has to open.
Quicker Ways: Paste or Drag a Picture In
You don’t always need the Insert photo button:
- Copy and paste. Copy a picture (right-click it and choose Copy image, or take a screenshot), click in your email and press Ctrl + V.
- Drag and drop. Drag a picture from File Explorer straight into the message area of your email.
Either way, the picture goes in the body of the email.
How to Resize the Image
Pictures from phones and cameras are often far too big when they first go in. Click once on the picture and a small toolbar appears underneath it with these options:
- Small
- Best fit (usually the default)
- Original size
- Remove, to take the picture out again
You might need to scroll down a little to see the toolbar on a big picture.
Manually Resizing an Inserted Picture
For a size in between, click the picture once. Small squares (handles) appear at its corners. Point at one and the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow. Hold down the left mouse button and drag inwards to make the picture smaller, or outwards to make it bigger, then let go.
Image Alignment
Just like text, a picture can sit on the left (the default), in the centre, or on the right. Click the picture, then click the More formatting options arrow at the bottom of the window.
Click the Align icon and choose left, centre or right.
Sending Lots of Photos (and the 25MB Limit)
To add several pictures at once, click each one you want in the Insert photo window before clicking Insert. When you’re choosing from your computer, hold down Ctrl while you click them. There’s no limit on the number, but there is on the size.
A Gmail email can be up to 25MB in total, including every picture and attachment. A handful of phone photos can easily go over that. If you add attachments that take it over 25MB, Gmail puts them in your Google Drive and adds a link to the email instead. The other person clicks the link to see them.
Sending a Whole Album?
For dozens of photos, sharing an album from Google Photos is easier than an email. Or put them in a folder, zip it, and attach that. How to Email a Folder shows you how.
How to Add a Picture in the Gmail App
On an Android phone or iPhone, start a new email, tap the Attach icon (a paperclip) at the top, and choose the photo.
In the app, pictures go as attachments rather than in the body of the email. That’s rarely a problem, because most email apps show photo attachments as pictures anyway. If you need the picture in a particular place in the text, use Gmail on a computer.
How to Add a Picture to Your Gmail Signature
Want your photo or a logo at the bottom of every email? Add it to your signature:
- Click the Settings icon (the gear wheel), then See all settings.
- On the General tab, scroll down to Signature. Click Create new and give it a name, or click an existing signature.
- Click in the signature box where you want the picture, then click the Insert image icon. On small screens you may have to click the Hide Side Panel button in order to see the Insert Image icon.
- Choose the picture from My Drive, Upload it from your computer, or paste a Web address (URL), then click Select.
- Click the picture and choose Small, Medium or Large.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save changes.
Keep it small. A signature picture counts towards Gmail’s 10,000-character limit for signatures, and a big one will be refused.
Troubleshooting
My Picture Went as an Attachment, Not in the Email
In the Insert photo window, check Inline is chosen before you click Insert. Pictures added with the paperclip (Attach) button always go as attachments.
Pictures Aren’t Showing in Emails I Receive
Gmail may be set to ask before showing pictures. Click Display images below in the email. To show them every time, go to Settings, See all settings, General, and under Images choose Always display external images.
The Person I Sent It To Can’t See the Picture
Their email program may be blocking pictures until they allow them, the same as above. If it’s urgent, send the picture as an attachment as well.
The Picture Is Too Big to Send
Use the Small or Best fit option, send fewer pictures in each email, or let Gmail send them as a Google Drive link.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I insert a picture into the body of a Gmail email?
A: Click the Insert photo icon at the bottom of the email, choose your picture, make sure Inline is selected and click Insert. You can also paste or drag a picture straight in.
Q: What’s the difference between inline and attachment in Gmail?
A: Inline puts the picture in the email itself, where it’s seen straight away. As attachment adds it as a file at the bottom, which has to be opened.
Q: How do I make a picture smaller in Gmail?
A: Click the picture and choose Small or Best fit from the toolbar underneath, or drag one of its corner handles inwards.
Q: How many pictures can I send in one Gmail?
A: As many as you like, as long as the whole email stays under 25MB. Over that, Gmail sends attachments as a Google Drive link.
Q: How do I add a picture to an email in the Gmail app?
A: Start a new email, tap the paperclip (Attach) icon and choose the photo. In the app, pictures go as attachments.
Q: How do I add a picture or logo to my Gmail signature?
A: Go to Settings, See all settings, General, then Signature. Click Insert image in the signature box, choose the picture, pick a size and click Save changes.
Q: Why aren’t pictures showing in my Gmail?
A: Gmail may be set to ask before showing pictures. Click Display images below, or set Images to Always display external images in Settings.
Q: Can I insert a picture from Google Photos into Gmail?
A: Yes. The Insert photo window shows your Google Photos, so you can pick one without downloading it first.
Summary
Putting a picture in a Gmail email takes a few clicks: Insert photo, choose Inline, then resize it to suit. You can add as many as you like, as long as the email stays under 25MB.
For a picture on every email, add it to your signature instead. And on a phone, pictures go as attachments, which most people will see just the same.
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You can find this and other related step by step guides in – At Home Computer Gmail Guides
Written by Jeff Porter. I’ve been fixing Windows PCs since 2010 and I’m CompTIA Network+ certified. More about me