Unable to open an attached file that someone emailed to you?
Are people unable to open files you email to them?
When someone sends an file in email, assuming it's not too large to get through, the person receiving must have the proper software on their PC to view it.
There are some types of files, like .JPG photographs, or .GIF or .BMP pictures, that almost every computer is able to view.
You can send these types of files and be confident that the receiver will be able to view them.
But if you use software to create another type of file, the receiving PC may not be able to view it.
Alot of people who have MS-Office (Word, Excel,etc) on their computer don't realize that it is not part of Windows and so not all PC's have it installed. Approximately only about 80% of business computers (and only about 30% of home computers) have MS-Office installed.
Microsoft offers free viewer programs, so that people who don't have the full MS-Office program on the PC can still view those types of files. Click here for more information.
One of the most popular ways to send someone something, and ensure they can view it, is to create it as a .PDF (Portable Document File). Almost all PC's already have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, and if they don't they really should install it here. Alot of software these days have the ability to create a .PDF file instead of sending it to a printer.
If you receive an attached file that you can't view....
First determine if it's something you want to open. Most viruses come in attached files so if you don't know who sent it the DON'T open it. If you know and trust the person who sent it, try to determine what kind of file it is. If it's a .PDF file or a MS-Office file then use the links described above to load the viewing software. Otherwise, ask the sender what they are trying to send you. And if they are sending a non-standard file that you can't open, ask them to read this web page so they understand why they need to convert those files into soemthing other people can view.
If people can't view the files you send them....
If you are sending a standard file like a .JPG (photo) or a .PDF file and the receiver can't view it, tell them about this web page so they understand what they need to do on their computer.
If you have software that other people don't generally have, see if that software has the ability to create a file like a .PDF or .JPG that other's can view easily. Otherwise you may want to invest in some PDF software.
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