How to Save Pictures from Emails on an iPhone + Quick Fixes

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Easily move pictures from an email to your iPhone gallery
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Do you want to save a picture that was emailed to you? Whether you're using Apple's Mail app, Gmail, or another mail app, you can easily download the email attachment to your Camera Roll. Here's how to save pictures from emails on an iPhone.

Downloading Email Image Attachments on iPhone

To save pictures from an email to your Camera Roll, tap and hold the picture. Select Save Image or Save to Files . You can find saved images in the Photos app. [1]

Section 1 of 2:

Saving Pictures

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  1. This will open it fully. You should see the picture within the email body.
    • This method will work in iOS' Mail app, Gmail app, or another email app.
    • If you don't see the picture in the Mail app, make sure you don't have Privacy Protection turned on.
      • To check, open Settings → Mail → Privacy Protection → toggle off Protect Mail Activity . [2]
  2. A pop-up menu will open. [3]
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  3. You can find this in the pop-up menu, under Markup and Reply . [4]
    • The picture will be saved to your iPhone. You can find it in the Photos app.
    • Alternatively, you can select Save to Files to save the picture to the Files app or iCloud .
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Section 2 of 2:

Troubleshooting

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  1. If you can't save a picture to your Camera Roll, it may have protections enabled or it's in a file that can't be saved. In this case, you can screenshot the picture . Keep in mind this will affect the size and resolution of the image. [5]
    • On iPhones without a Home button: press the lock button and top volume button at the same time.
    • On iPhones with a Home button, press the lock button and Home button at the same time.
  2. If you don't have enough storage space on your iPhone, you may be unable to save new pictures. Consider using a cloud service such as iCloud or Google Drive to store media. [6]
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    On new iPhone SE when try to save a photo from email by holding finger on image doesn't give option "save image" other than 1 in 20 attempts. Get "download" option but doesn't save to camera roll
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    If you have 3D touch (which does come with the 2nd generation of SE), then you touch the image once, don't let go (it will fit the screen so you can see the entire image), press down harder and the image will open in a page for itself. Only after that will you see the download icon. Tap the icon, then select 'Save Image'. You can then find the downloaded image by opening your iPhone's Gallery App, tap albums, and navigate to Downloads. (also, if you're looking for an app called the Camera Roll, you won't find it. Photos is the new app that contains your camera roll as well as other photos that you've downloaded or screenshotted)
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1
  • Question
    How do I transfer an emailed photo on my iPhone to my iPhone photo gallery?
    Community Answer
    Press and hold the attachment until the menu comes up at the bottom of the phone offering options to move photos to applications, social media (e.g., attach to Message, Mail, Facebook), etc. Select "Save Image" - second row of icons. The photo will automatically be saved to your photo gallery.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 19 Helpful 7
  • Question
    How do I get "save" image when trying to save a photo from an email on my iPhone when the option won't come up when I tap and hold the image?
    Community Answer
    If you tap and hold the image, it should give you a few options such as "copy photo", "save photo" "print", and some other things. If it does not give you the option of saving the photo on your phone, then either you cannot save the photo, or you may be out of storage space.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 29 Helpful 3
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/download-email-attachments-iph7fe7a50a7/ios
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-mail-privacy-protection-iphf084865c7/ios
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/download-email-attachments-iph7fe7a50a7/ios
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/download-email-attachments-iph7fe7a50a7/ios
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102616
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108429

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open Mail.
      2. Tap a message.
      3. Tap and hold a photo.
      4. If necessary, tap the Share icon.
      5. Tap Save Image .

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