Microsoft Excel comes with a built-in feature of sharing a spreadsheet as an attachment right from the application. Usually, when we send out a file via E-mail, we open up our E-mail service and attach the file from there. But with Excel, you can directly share a spreadsheet by choosing the option “Send as Attachment”, and the file will be attached to an e-mail, and it will be ready to send.
But recently many users are complaining that they are unable to use this feature. Whenever they click on Send as Attachment, they get an error that reads “General Mail failure”. The file just won’t get attached to any mailing service such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Outlook. This is a known bug, and here in this article, we will take a look at several solutions that you can try to fix this problem.
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How to fix the Excel file not attaching to the E-mail?
There are a few things that you can try for fixing this error that you get when you try to attach the file from the program itself.
Disable Antivirus:
One of the known causes behind an Excel file not attaching to an E-mail client is the Antivirus or the security application running in the PC. Some Antivirus and firewall program has a built-in feature to block suspicious activity, and they end up evaluating the attachment feature of Excel as a suspicious activity. So you will have to run off your Antivirus shield while using the Send as attachment feature on Excel. Every Antivirus has the feature to turn off the protection temporarily. Just open up the antivirus program, and you will find the toggle to turn the safety on or off temporarily.
Use a different security program:
As mentioned above, some antivirus programs block this activity while some don’t. So rather than turning off the Antivirus, again and again, you can try switching over to a different antivirus program entirely. Many antivirus programs are free and also provide a decent bit of protection. Just keep the antivirus database up to date, and you will be okay with any antivirus that you choose.
Default E-mail client:
To use the built-in feature of sending an attachment over to an E-mail client right from the Excel program, you need to set up that required E-mail client as your default E-mail client.
- Click on the search bar and enter the keywords “Default apps”.
- Once it shows up in the results, click on the Open button.
- Now in the default apps window, click on the option below E-mail.
- Then choose the E-mail client application through which you want to attach and send the Excel file.
Once that is done, try using the Send as attachment feature again and see if it works now. Suppose it does not then move on to the next solution.
Uninstall duplicate Microsoft Office programs:
Having multiple office programs on the same system can sometimes be the cause of particular office program features not working correctly. So for some reason, if you have the Excel application from two different editions of Microsoft Office then uninstall one of them right away. That should fix your General mail failure error.
If you are still facing the same issue after uninstallation, or if you have don’t have multiple Microsoft office programs at all, then move on to the next potential solution.
Reinstall Microsoft Office:
If there is anything wrong with the files in the Microsoft Office, then try reinstalling the Office all over again. That should get rid of any temporary file errors in your Microsoft Office.
- Click on the search bar and enter the keywords “Control panel”.
- Once it shows up in the results, click on the Open button.
- Now click on Programs.
- Then click on Programs and features.
- From the list of applications and programs that show up, look for the Microsoft Office. Once you find it, select it and click on the Uninstall button.
- After the uninstallation, restart your computer.
- Then install the Office all over again using the product key that you used previously during installation.
After the reinstallation check whether you can attach an Excel file to an E-mail client directly from the program or not, and if you still see the general mail failure error, then try the final fix mentioned below.
Delete the MSMAPI32.DLL file:
There is a particular system file that might be blocking this feature. You can try deleting the file to see if the feature starts working after that or not.
- Make sure you don’t have the Excel or E-mail program running in your PC. To make sure of it, open up your Task Manager and end all related tasks from there.
- Now open up the Windows File Explorer.
- Go to the following location:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1043(or 1033)\MSMAPI32.DLL
- Delete the MSMAPI32.DLL file from there.
Now, your issue should be resolved, and you should be able to use the send as an attachment feature.
So these are all the potential fixes for the general mail failure error that we get with Microsoft Excel send as attachment feature. If you have any questions or queries about this guide, then comment down below, and we will get back to you. Also, be sure to check out our other articles on iPhone tips and tricks, Android tips and tricks, PC tips and tricks, and much more for more useful information.