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Updated June 7, 2025
Videos are a great way to provide visual information to colleagues or clients. Video attachments can serve as a visual aid to your emails, and they allow you to provide more extensive information about a topic. Learning how to send a video through email may help you further engage an email’s recipients and explore the functionalities of clients with whom you communicate via email.
In this article, we discuss the steps that you can take to send a video through email in two different ways, along with a list of helpful tips to consider.
Why send videos through email?
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It’s common to send a video through email to convey information visually, rather than writing information
within a message. For example, management may include a video in an email to employees that outlines human resources standards and regulations. Sending this information as a video file rather than a written document may keep the information engaging.
Here are some examples of when you may need to send a video through email:
- To provide information about a specific topic to colleagues
- To update colleagues on recent changes
- To train colleagues on a technique, standard or regulation
- To engage customers to interact with your workplace
Related: 12 Steps To Improve Learning in the Workplace (Plus Benefits)
What are the benefits of sending a video through email?
Here are some benefits you may encounter when sending a video through email:
- Better understand information: The email’s recipient may better understand the information shared in a video if they’re a visual learner. It may be more challenging for individuals to read through a long email that contains complex information.
- Engage recipients: You may also send a video through email to help the content appear more engaging to viewers. Videos may contain visual elements, like pictures, vibrant text or music, which can interest viewers and keep their attention for a longer period of time.
- Provide more information: Including a video in your email may also help you convey a larger amount of information quickly and effectively. Often, you can fit an extensive amount of details into a shorter video, while it may take longer to explain the same amount of information in a written document.
How to send a video through email using a URL
A URL is a website’s address. If you send a video as a URL, the email redirects the recipient to the video’s original page, rather than playing the video within the email. Here are the steps to take when sending a video through email:
1. Find or upload the video that you want to share
The first step involves finding the video that you want to share. Try looking at common video-sharing websites, then review several videos that include the information that you want to convey. For example, if you want to send a video that explains how to create a resume, then you may watch several resume-related videos to find the one that best fits your needs.
If you’re sending a video that you created yourself, be sure to upload the video to a video-sharing platform before sending it in an email. By uploading the video online, you can generate a URL for your video, which you can attach in your email.
2. Create your message
Before attaching the video, first craft the 
of your email. Be sure to include relevant information about the video. You may include the video creator’s name or provide context about the video by stating the creator made the video.
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3. Insert your URL
When you’re finished writing your email, attach the video’s URL. Most emails have an attachment button that allows you to insert a link or attach a file. This button likely has a paperclip symbol over it. Click on it to insert the URL from the video that you want to include. Once you attach the link, the video appears at the bottom of your email.
4. Include a thumbnail of the video
A thumbnail is an image that gives a preview of the video. It may include the video’s name or an image that relates to the content of the video. The thumbnail allows recipients to have a brief insight into the purpose of the video prior to watching it. Most videos input a thumbnail upon attaching the URL to an email. If your video doesn’t input a thumbnail, you can take a screenshot of the video on your device and upload the picture to your email by using the attachment button and uploading a photo instead of a link.
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5. Send the email
Before sending the email, be sure to look it over and ensure that the email contains the video URL. Choose the recipients of the email. When you’re ready to deliver the email, hit the “Send” button.
Related: How To Write a Welcome Email to a New Client (With Examples)
How to send a video through email as an attachment
An attachment is a file that you can send as part of an email. By sending a video as an attachment, recipients can play the video within the email, instead of being redirected to a different page. Here are the steps that you can take to send a video through email as an attachment:
1. Download the video to your computer
Begin by downloading the video that you want to send to your computer. Some websites allow you to download a video from their website into your files. It’s common for websites to require you to use video downloading software to save the video as a file on your computer. Try saving the video under a file name that’s easy to recognize so that you can find the video when attaching the file.
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2. Create your email
Compose your email and include information that’s relevant to the video. Provide details like the name of the video and the date of the video’s creation. It’s important to provide context to the recipient so that they can better understand the information within the attachment.
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3. Attach the video
Once you’re done writing the email, attach the video file. Click on the attachment button, then select the button that says, “Download file from computer.” Then, select the video file that you want to include. After attaching it, the video may display at the bottom of the email. Typically, a thumbnail displays automatically when attaching a file to an email.
Related: How To Format a Letter or Email With an Attachment
4. Send the email
Confirm that you have the correct file attached to the email. Then, read through the email to ensure that the formatting and thumbnail are correct. When you’re done checking your message, you can send the email to your chosen recipients.
Related: 16 Best Practices for Email Etiquette in the Workplace
