Problems with receiving attachments in e-mails through Canvas

[AnastassiaZ]

Hei everyone!
When I receive an e-mail through Canvas with an attachment, I never get the attachment. We already tried it several times (we = my profs and I) but it never works through Canvas. It's linked to an Outlook account and there it's the same - no attachments.
It always has to be sent separately to my private e-mail address, not through Canvas, then it works.
I can't seem to find any information on this matter and how to fix the problem, maybe some of you know? Thanks in advance!

[mzimmerman · Accepted solution]

Hi @AnastassiaZ 

Remember, the Canvas Inbox is not the same as your email in Outlook, even if you have Canvas Inbox messages send notifications to your Outlook email.

If you are creating a message directly in the Canvas Inbox, you can add an attachment, and the recipient will get the attachment in their Canvas Inbox.  If they have notifications about Canvas Inbox messages sent to their email, then the attachment is included with the notification email.

However, if you reply to a Canvas notification about a Canvas Inbox message from your Outlook email, and include an attachment in that reply, that attachment will not be included.  Canvas will forward email replies to the Inbox, but it will not forward attachments.  If you want to sent and an attachment with a reply, you must reply from the Canvas Inbox, not from your email account.

[mzimmerman · Accepted solution]

Hi @AnastassiaZ 

Remember, the Canvas Inbox is not the same as your email in Outlook, even if you have Canvas Inbox messages send notifications to your Outlook email.

If you are creating a message directly in the Canvas Inbox, you can add an attachment, and the recipient will get the attachment in their Canvas Inbox.  If they have notifications about Canvas Inbox messages sent to their email, then the attachment is included with the notification email.

However, if you reply to a Canvas notification about a Canvas Inbox message from your Outlook email, and include an attachment in that reply, that attachment will not be included.  Canvas will forward email replies to the Inbox, but it will not forward attachments.  If you want to sent and an attachment with a reply, you must reply from the Canvas Inbox, not from your email account.

[AnastassiaZ]

Thank you for your reply! However, the problem still is that my professors send me emails with attachments through Canvas (ie. directly from Canvas Inbox) and the attachments don't reach me. It should work, like you said in your first paragraph, but it doesn't 😕

[mzimmerman]

Hi @AnastassiaZ 

I tested the behavior before I replied, and the notification that was forwarded to my email did include a link to the attachment, which is still stored in Canvas.

If you log into Canvas and look at the message directly in your Canvas Inbox, do you see the attachment?

[AnastassiaZ]

Hi,

unfortunately there are no links whatsoever that would lead to the attachment. It's just the text of the email itself. I checked several times but there is nothing. Neither when I open the mail in Canvas Inbox itself nor when I open it in Outlook.

I believe you that it works, and it should work, I just find it very strange that the problem always occurs. When I send someone an attachment, it works just fine, it's only me at the receiving end who struggles.

I suppose there is nothing that is somehow blocking the attachments from coming through?

[mzimmerman · Accepted solution]

Hi @AnastassiaZ ,

If you do  not see the attachment when you look at the message you received in the Canvas Inbox, that most likely means that the person who sent the message sent it from their email, not from the Canvas Inbox.

[NathanielSafaei]

I have the same problem unfortunately. Did you find a solution?

[AnastassiaZ]

Hei,
not really. I just asked my professor to send the attachments to my private email address and that worked. I also told them about the suggestions I got here and that we should try a different way (that is: them sending attachments from Canvas, not from their private account), but they just used my private address which they had straight away. So I couldn't find out whether the issue is as described above ....