How do I add images to my mail merge?
Learn how to insert inline images into your mail merge templates and understand how Outlook handles images in emails.
Contents
Inserting Inline Images
You can add images directly into your email template just as you would in any normal Outlook email. These images will be included in every mail merge message.
To insert an image:
- Open a new email and start composing your template
- Place your cursor where you want the image to appear
- Use Insert → Pictures to select an image from your computer
- The image will appear inline in your email body
SecureMailMerge will automatically include all inline images from your template in each generated message.
Image Size Tips
- Resize before inserting: Large images increase email size and may cause delivery issues. Resize images to the display size you need before inserting them (e.g. 600px wide for full-width images).
- Keep total email size reasonable: Most email providers reject messages over 10–25 MB. If you have multiple images, keep the total size well under this limit.
- Use standard formats: JPG, PNG, and GIF are universally supported across email clients. Avoid SVG or WebP as some email clients do not support them.
Inline Images vs. Attachments
| Inline Images | Attachments | |
|---|---|---|
| Where they appear | Embedded in the email body | Listed as downloadable files |
| Best for | Logos, banners, visual content | Documents, PDFs, spreadsheets |
| How to add | Insert → Pictures in the email body | Attach file button or drag and drop |
If you want to add files as attachments rather than inline images, see our guide on adding attachments to your mail merge.
How Outlook Handles Images
Outlook embeds inline images as part of the email (using CID attachments). This means:
- Images are included in the email itself — they do not require external hosting or internet access for the recipient to view them
- Some recipients may need to click “Download images” — certain email clients block images by default until the recipient allows them. This is controlled by the recipient’s email client settings and is not something you can change as a sender.
- Outlook may compress large images — if you insert a very large image, Outlook may automatically reduce its quality. For best results, resize images before inserting.
Adding Personalized Images
SecureMailMerge does not currently support inserting different images per recipient from a spreadsheet column. All recipients will receive the same inline images from your template.
If you need to send different files to each recipient, use the individual attachments feature instead.