If you are a new user and want to start learning the basics right away, find out how to add a photo from a web page to the Mail app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

When you create a new email or reply to someone, you will see a paperclip attachment button. This button allows you to add an image or file from the Photos app or iOS Files/macOS Finder file managers. However, there is no option to get an image from a web link or to open a web page and directly get a photo from the Internet.

Therefore, to add a photo from the Internet to your email, you will need to drag and drop the image or copy it to your device's clipboard and paste it into the email text. These are simple operations, but if you have just gotten your first iPhone, iPad, or Mac, here are step-by-step instructions.

Important: Both methods may not add the image in full quality, but it should be acceptable for email. If you want to add the image in its original quality, download it to your device first, then attach it to your email or use Mail Drop.

Mac

Use one of the following methods to open your chosen browser (Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox) and the Mail app side by side:

  • Place the mouse cursor on the left and right sides of the application windows and adjust their sizes.
  • Click on Window in the top menu bar of your Mac, then click on Move & Resize and choose an option.
  • You can also hover the mouse cursor over the green traffic light button and select an option; this is shown in the screenshot below. Then, repeat this for the other application window.

Now, drag a photo from the web page and drop it into the Mail app's compose screen.

Important: Not all web pages and sites allow dragging and dropping images. In this case, you can use the tips provided here to extract a hard-coded image and then attach it to your email with the paperclip icon.

Another method to transfer a photo to the Apple Mail app from the Internet is to click on the image on a website while holding down the Control key or right-clicking and copying it. Then, in the Mail compose screen, click again while holding down the Control key or right-click and paste it there.

iPhone and iPad

Dragging and dropping text, images, files, and other things in iOS is quite easy. However, if you are a new user, I recommend adopting an easier approach.

  1. Tap and hold the image on a web page to lift it and select Copy (the Copy Subject only copies the main element of that photo).
  2. Now, go to the Mail app and paste the image into the compose screen.

More for the Mail app: Over 40 tips for the Mail app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac