retrieve the actual file attached to an outlook email

get the delivery note out of the email before the van arrives. a bot can find an outlook message, list its attachments and download the file you name.

by the dusk bot team · checked 12 november 2026 · how we made this

give the copy a filename you will recognise next week. read-only outlook access is enough. this action needs an actual attached file; cloud links and embedded items need a different route.

pixel art: a green pixel bot, a cyan pixel bot and a mint pixel bot beside the Outlook mark on a white tile, a wrapped parcel and a mailbox with a letter, on a lemon field in front of snowy hills and green fields, one saying "the actual attached file"

download outlook attachment, in plain words

you name the email and file. the bot finds the rest. describe the sender, subject and attachment you want.

it finds the message, lists what's attached and saves the chosen file under a name you'll recognise. if two files look alike, ask it to show the choices before downloading.

a routine to copy

paste this into a chat with your bot

each friday at 13:15, search outlook for this week's delivery-note emails from beth at coldbrook fittings. list each message's attachments. download only actual pdf files and name the copies with their delivery references. return the files and subjects here. report links and embedded items as unsupported. never forward mail or move it to another folder.

when: fridays at 13:15
needs: outlook read only for finding messages, listing attachments and downloading files

what comes back looks like this (an example)

coldbrook fittings
- email: delivery cb-217 paperwork, from beth
- file: coldbrook-cb-217-note.pdf

cloud link skipped: not an attached file.

good jobs for it

delivery paperwork: get the supplier's attached note before a shipment arrives.
a print proof: retrieve the image attached to the customer's email.
signed forms: collect the file without forwarding the conversation.

before it runs

dusk bot counts Download Outlook attachment as a read: it looks and changes nothing. a bot you allow only to read can use it.

the permissions Outlook asks for to run it: Mail.Read.

how to start

connect read only. that covers this outlook collection job.
describe one file. give the sender or subject. ask the bot to find the email and list its attachments.
resolve lookalikes. choose the right attachment and a useful filename.
open the download. open one copy before scheduling collections. pause if unsupported items keep appearing.

limits worth knowing

a cloud link isn't a file attachment. links and embedded items can't download through this action.
similar names can hide different files. match the filename to its sender and subject before downloading.

the details it works from

input	required	what it is
`file_name`	yes	The desired filename for the downloaded attachment.
`message_id`	yes	The unique identifier of the email message that contains the attachment to be downloaded.
`attachment_id`	yes	The Microsoft Graph API attachment identifier (NOT the filename).

from composio's catalog for Outlook (action OUTLOOK_DOWNLOAD_OUTLOOK_ATTACHMENT, read 12 november 2026⁴). your bot fills these in from what you tell it.

try it in 2 minutes

name one email and the attachment you want
ask the bot to list its attachments
choose the file and a useful saved name
open the downloaded copy

what it looks like

before

delivery cb-217 paperwork
beth attached a pdf and included a separate cloud link.

after the bot

coldbrook-cb-217-note.pdf downloaded.
cloud link skipped. original email stays where it was.

an illustration with made-up names and numbers.

mistakes people make

asking it to download a cloud link

list the attachments and look for a file, rather than a link.

trusting "final.pdf"

match it to the email, sender and other attachments first.

questions

can it download a cloud link attached to an email?

not through this action. it needs the attached file itself. a link or embedded item won't do.

why does it need to list attachments first?

so it chooses the right file. listing shows what the message actually carries, instead of guessing from a filename.

sources

dusk bot docs: files and apps
dusk bot docs: routines
dusk bot docs: computer permissions
composio, Outlook toolkit (catalog version 20261104_00), checked 12 november 2026

drafted with ai help from the dusk bot docs and the sources listed on this page, then checked against them. if something here is wrong or out of date, write to [email protected].