Email attachments and photos
How photos and files customers email show in tickets, how to attach files to your replies, the 25 MB limit and which files open in the browser.
Last updated 2 min read
Customers often send photos: a damaged parcel, the wrong size, a receipt. Hushdesk stores the files from every email with the message, so your team sees them in the ticket without opening the mailbox.
Before you start
- Who this affects: everyone who answers email in Hushdesk. Viewers can open files but cannot attach them.
- Plan: all plans.
- What you need: your support email connected. See Connect your support email.
Step by step
Open a customer's file
- Open the ticket. Files show under the message as chips with the file name and size.
- Press a chip. Photos (PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP), PDFs and plain text open in a new tab; every other type downloads.
Attach a file to your reply or note
- In the reply box, press the paperclip (Attach files (up to 25 MB each)). You can pick several files.
- Wait for each chip to finish uploading. Remove one with its ×.
- Send the reply or note as usual.
What happens next
The files stay on the message for everyone in the workspace. On a live chat, the visitor sees your files in the chat window and can open them for 7 days.
Files on email replies. Files you attach to a reply on an email ticket are stored on the ticket, but the email that goes to the customer does not carry them yet. For now, link to the file instead, for example a returns label hosted on your store.
What is stored
| Item | In Hushdesk |
|---|---|
| Email text and formatting | Yes |
| Sender, subject, date | Yes |
| Attached files and inline images, up to 25 MB each and 20 per email | Yes, as chips under the message |
| Empty files or files over 25 MB | Left out (the original stays in your mailbox) |
| Files on your replies and notes | Yes, on the ticket |
| Files in chat, both ways | Yes |
Tips
- Write a macro that asks for the order number and a photo; customers can reply with the photo attached.
- For returns labels or forms on email tickets, link to a page on your store instead of attaching a file.
- Keep keep a copy switched on in your mailbox's forwarding settings, as a backup of every original email.
Troubleshooting
"Files can be up to 25 MB"
The file is too big. Make it smaller (for example, export a photo at a lower resolution) or share a link.
"… is larger than 25 MB"
Shown in the reply box before the upload starts. Pick a smaller file.
"Viewers cannot attach files"
Your role is viewer. Ask an owner or admin to make you an agent in Settings > Users.
"Too many uploads. Wait a moment."
Many files were uploaded in a short time. Wait a minute and try again.
"Wait for the files to finish uploading"
You pressed send while a file was still uploading. Wait until every chip is ready, then send again.
The customer says they attached a photo but the ticket has none
The file was empty or over 25 MB. Check your support mailbox for the original email, or ask for a smaller photo.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I see the photo a customer emailed?
Under the email in the ticket. Each attached file shows as a chip with its name and size. Photos, PDFs and plain text open in a new browser tab; other files download. Inline images in the email are stored the same way, so they appear as chips too.
Can I attach a file to a reply in Hushdesk?
You can attach files to replies and notes with the paperclip in the reply box, up to 25 MB each. They are stored on the ticket for your team, and on live chat the visitor gets them in the chat window. Email replies do not carry the files to the customer yet, so share a link for those.
Are attachments lost when a customer emails a photo?
No. Every file up to 25 MB is stored with the message in Hushdesk, up to 20 files per email. Only empty files and files over 25 MB are left out. The original email also stays in your own mailbox if you keep a copy while forwarding.
How big can email attachments be?
Up to 25 MB per file, the same limit as the reply box and the chat widget. That matches what most email providers accept. A larger file is left out of the ticket, so ask the customer for a smaller photo or a link if one is missing.
Who can open the files on a ticket?
Signed-in members of your workspace: each file link checks that you belong to the workspace the file came from. On live chat, the visitor gets a signed link to the files in their own conversation, which expires after 7 days. Files are never listed publicly, and risky types always download instead of opening.
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Related articles
- How email threading worksHow Hushdesk keeps a customer's replies in the same ticket using email headers, a private reply address and the subject, and when a new ticket opens.
- Answer live chats in real timeHow chat tickets arrive in the inbox, how typing shows on both sides, what the visitor sees when you reply or close the chat, and how to hand over to AI.
- Reply to a customer or add an internal noteUse the reply box to answer by email or chat, switch to an internal note your team only sees, format text, and send with Send or Send and close.
- Connect your support emailBring your support mailbox into Hushdesk in about five minutes. Add the address, forward it to your private Hushdesk address and send a test.
Still stuck?
Chat with the Hushdesk team. A person answers on every plan.