Michael Graubart

Q: Download sound files from email

When I attach a sound file (mp3, AIFF, etc.) to an email, it appears as a miniature black playback control panel. I have tried sending such an email to myself to see how it appears to a recipient, and it appears the same way.

 

It then seems that one can play the music directly from the email, but there seems to be no way of downloading the attachment; control-clicking does not open a menu that permits either displaying the attachment as an ordinary icon or downloading it.

 

If I first enclose the sound file in a folder and then attach the folder to the email, that gets round the problem, but in a rather cumbersome way. Surely there must be a way of sending a sound file so that it appears as a normal, downloadable attachment?

 

I should be grateful for help.

Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Aug 12, 2016 5:38 AM

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Q: Download sound files from email

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  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Aug 12, 2016 5:48 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 2 (275 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 12, 2016 5:48 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    PS: I realize that one can use the 'save' button at the top right of the email, but most recipients of emails would expect to be able to save the attachment directly from its icon.

  • by Eric Root,Solvedanswer

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 12, 2016 7:43 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 9 (69,813 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 12, 2016 7:43 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Mail/File/Save Attachments work?

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Aug 12, 2016 8:16 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 2 (275 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 12, 2016 8:16 AM in response to Eric Root

    Thank you, Eric Root. Yes, that does work — and I never knew that one could do it that way. But it does not entirely answer my problem. Indeed, it underlines it. Most people I know, faced with an email with an attachment, would (depending, of course, on what sort of computer and what kind of operating system they are using) approach the icon of the attachment itself, with 'Control' pressed or whatever other means are appropriate to their system.

     

    With sound-file attachments, control-click does not produce anything. Moreover, and very strangely, if one hovers over the attachment icon (the miniature playback panel) without pressing anything or clicking, a mini-menu appears saying 'Downloaded' and telling one to control-click for another menu — which does not happen.

     

    Let me put my question the other way round. From the point of view of the sender of the email, is it possible to attach the sound file or make it viewable in such a way that the recipient can download it by control-clicking the icon or doing the equivalent in another operating system?

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 13, 2016 8:50 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 9 (69,813 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 13, 2016 8:50 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    You are welcome. I can't reproduce what you are seeing when I send myself an e-mail with a sound file attached, but I'm using Mail version 9.3, which does give me a Save Attachment option when I control - click on it.

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Aug 16, 2016 6:19 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 2 (275 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 16, 2016 6:19 AM in response to Eric Root

    Just for interest, Eric Root, this is what it looks like in my system:

    And clicking it with any conceivable combination of keys depressed does nothing whatever, though just clicking on the 'Play' arrow-head makes it play.

     

    <Image Edited for Personal Information>

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 14, 2016 6:59 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 9 (69,813 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 14, 2016 6:59 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    You haven't mentioned it, so what happens when you click the Save button under your picture?

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Aug 15, 2016 7:07 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 2 (275 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 15, 2016 7:07 AM in response to Eric Root

    But there isn't one, Eric Root! There's the one at the top of the picture, in the small tool-bar, which I mentioned right at the beginning of this dialogue and which does work…nothing under the picture.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 16, 2016 6:27 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 9 (69,813 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 16, 2016 6:27 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    I guess I'm not understanding you. Screen shot of your screen shot.

     

    <Image Edited for Personal Information>

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Aug 15, 2016 9:34 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 2 (275 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 15, 2016 9:34 AM in response to Eric Root

    Ah, we are talking about the same button. I see it as being above the actual attachment (but below the general header and task bar of all my emails), whereas you see it as below…below a picture.

     

    I have just realized that by 'your picture' you mean 'below the picture of your face'. I read 'picture' as referring to the screen-shot. At any rate the button works, which is the main thing.

     

    My initial point was merely that I (and, I guess, most recipients of emails with attachments) expect to be able to download attachments by clicking on the icons of the attachment, with or without keys being depressed.

  • by BobHarris,Helpful

    BobHarris BobHarris Aug 16, 2016 12:11 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (19,272 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 16, 2016 12:11 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    If that is your real email address and home address, I suggest you request the hosts block those images, else you may find yourself on some SPAM mailing lists

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Aug 16, 2016 12:17 AM in response to BobHarris
    Level 2 (275 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 16, 2016 12:17 AM in response to BobHarris

    Thank you very much, BobHarris, for that salutary warning. I should have thought of that and obliterated the addresses before adding the images to my posts. Could you please tell me how to contact the relevant people to ask them to remove my posts that contain the images? Thank you in anticipation of your reply.

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Aug 16, 2016 6:09 AM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (19,272 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 16, 2016 6:09 AM in response to Michael Graubart

    Michael Graubart wrote:

     

    Thank you very much, BobHarris, for that salutary warning. I should have thought of that and obliterated the addresses before adding the images to my posts. Could you please tell me how to contact the relevant people to ask them to remove my posts that contain the images? Thank you in anticipation of your reply.

    I've notified the hosts, and if all goes well, those 2 images should be removed.  Or it is possible the entire thread will be blocked.

     

    FYI - You can use Preview -> Tools -> Annotate to do simple edits such as scribble over screen shots to hide information, or add circles, boxex, arrows, text, etc... to make clear what you want to point out in a screen shot.  Similar to what Eric Root did to your image.

  • by BobHarris,Helpful

    BobHarris BobHarris Aug 16, 2016 3:59 PM in response to Michael Graubart
    Level 6 (19,272 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 16, 2016 3:59 PM in response to Michael Graubart

    The Hosts have removed the images with your personal information.

  • by Michael Graubart,

    Michael Graubart Michael Graubart Aug 16, 2016 4:15 PM in response to BobHarris
    Level 2 (275 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 16, 2016 4:15 PM in response to BobHarris

    Thank you very much, Bob Harris and Hosts, for alerting me and then acting on my behalf, and for telling me about Preview > Tools > Annotate.