How to Embed GIFs in Gmail
By C. Taylor
Unlike the cartoonish, color-limited GIF images common in the early days of the Web, advancements in the format help GIFs to better spruce up emails with embedded animations. These often complex animations can illustrate procedures, show humorous videos or display emotion through a video-like medium. Although Gmail used to only support these inline images through the use of a special Gmail Labs add-on, this feature is now integrated into the email service.
Step 1
Log in to your Gmail account and click "Compose" to create a new message. Alternatively, reply to an existing email.
Step 2
Click wherever you want the GIF to appear in the body of the email.
Step 3
Move your mouse cursor over the "Attach Files" paperclip icon and click the "Insert Photos" camera icon that appears.
Step 4
Click "Browse" and navigate into the folder that contains the GIF images.
Step 5
Type "*.GIF" without quotes in the File Name field and press "Enter." Doing so filters the list of files to only display GIFs.
Step 6
Double-click a GIF image to upload it to Gmail. A preview appears in the Add an Image dialog along with another Browse button. Click the "Browse" button to select another GIF image to add.
Step 7
Click "OK" to embed the GIFs in the Gmail composition windows. Click "Send" when you're ready to send the email.
References
Tips
- An embeded GIF appears directly in the body of the email. However, you can also attach a GIF, so it's available for download without automatically displaying in the message.
Writer Bio
C. Taylor embarked on a professional writing career in 2009 and frequently writes about technology, science, business, finance, martial arts and the great outdoors. He writes for both online and offline publications, including the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Samsung, Radio Shack, Motley Fool, Chron, Synonym and more. He received a Master of Science degree in wildlife biology from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences at College of Charleston. He also holds minors in statistics, physics and visual arts.