How to open email attachment previews in reading pane instead of a new window?

TGD 0 Reputation points
2026-10-05T23:50:07.8933333+00:00

In New Outlook, how can I open an attachment preview in the reading pane instead of a new window like I could in Classic Outlook? I work for a large government agency and handle an extremely large volume of emails each day with PDF attachments. Being forced to open and close a new window for each one instead of just handling it in the reading pane has slowed my work significantly, which is not a good use of taxpayer dollars. If this is not a feature of New Outlook, please please please please PLEASE add it so I can go back to doing my job efficiently! (Using Outlook on the web is not an option.) Thank you.

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business
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  1. Teddie Dang 1,365 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-06T00:38:28.7066667+00:00

    Hi @TGD

    Unfortunately, New Outlook currently does not provide the same attachment-preview experience as Classic Outlook, where supported attachments such as PDFs can be previewed directly within the Reading Pane.

    In New Outlook, selecting the attachment, or clicking the drop-down arrow next to the attachment and selecting Preview, can open the attachment in a separate preview window rather than within the existing Reading Pane. There does not appear to be a setting available to change this behavior and keep the attachment preview embedded in the Reading Pane.

    Since this significantly affects your workflow, I recommend submitting feedback directly from New Outlook by going to Help > Feedback > Make a suggestion and requesting the ability to preview attachments directly within the existing Reading Pane, as in Classic Outlook.

    Alternatively, you can submit your suggestion through the Outlook · Community. If you share the link to your feedback here, other community members can vote for it, potentially increasing its visibility to the Outlook product team.

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