Sending email attachments via UWP EmailManager not working

Question

Sending an attachment from a universal app with the following code is not working, why?

        Dim emailMessage As New EmailMessage()
        emailMessage.[To].Add(New EmailRecipient("a@b.com"))
        emailMessage.Subject = "Test"
        emailMessage.Body = "Hello World"

        Dim localAppFolder = Windows.Storage.ApplicationData.Current.LocalFolder
        Dim file = Await localAppFolder.CreateFileAsync("SomeFile.txt", Windows.Storage.CreationCollisionOption.ReplaceExisting)
        Await Windows.Storage.FileIO.WriteTextAsync(file, "aaaa")
        Dim fileRef = RandomAccessStreamReference.CreateFromFile(file)
        emailMessage.Attachments.Add(New EmailAttachment(file.Name, fileRef))
        Await EmailManager.ShowComposeNewEmailAsync(emailMessage)

To, subject and body show fine in Outlook, but the attachment is missing: Outlook screenshot

Is anybody able to send email attachment from UWP apps? – tcctest Oct 16 '15 at 19:06 — tcctest, Oct 16 '15 at 19:06

score 10 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 22 '15 at 16:39

10

I believe it is because the Outlook is a Desktop app. As I understood, the EmailManager.ShowComposeNewEmailAsync uses mailto: protocal to launch mail client app and use share to provide the email content.

If you choose the mail store app when the select default app dialog launches, you will be able to see the attachment as following:

If you have previously chosen Desktop Outlook app as the default as for mailto protocol, you have to change the default app for the mailto: protocol association in control panel .

Previously, the ShowComposeNewEmailAsync only works for windows phone runtime app. And it is not up-to-date in the document, because it doesn't include the win 10 support.

On Windows 10 mobile, it works well without any problem. But on Windows Desktop, you have to choose a store app.

answered Oct 22 '15 at 16:39

Alan Yao - MSFT

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Has there been any progress in resolving this shortcoming? – Taylor Buchanan Jun 08 '17 at 16:32
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Answered in 2015 still happening in 2017. I have corporate clients that cannot change to their whole email system to the `mail` app to get round this bug. Any work or word from Microsoft on this? – JKennedy Jul 06 '17 at 16:22
Same problem...so if Outlook is default there is no way to attach? – ShrimpCrackers Aug 25 '17 at 05:01
@user1 it is called UWP/MS land of sadness – pixel Oct 03 '17 at 16:20
This is a known issue for 2 years already and MS is silent, not even latest documentation updated just cpl months ago mentions this serious limitation. – pixel Oct 03 '17 at 17:16

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 25 '19 at 19:27

This is still an issue in 2019, but I have found a workaround for my project. I simply assemble an *.msg file with recipients, subject, body, attachments etc. and save it to the apps local cache folder. It can then be launched using Launcher.LaunchFileAsync

As *.msg files are associated with outlook, it will most likely be the default app to open this kind of file. You can create such a file using MsgKit

I have prepared a demo project at: https://github.com/Moolt/UniversialWindowsPlatform.LaunchOutlook

Sending email attachments via UWP EmailManager not working

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