Open the invoice message, not just the latest reply

When Gmail groups emails into conversations, replies appear together and the newest message is at the bottom. The invoice may therefore be in an earlier message. Find and open the message containing the document you need.

In this fictional conversation with a print shop, the invoice is in the third message. The illustration below shows which message to find and where its menu is.

Verify the sender and open the attachment. The filename helps you find your way, but the contents tell you whether it is the right invoice.

Fictional conversation. Illustration, not a Gmail screenshot or test result.

Conversation toolbar: Forward all applies to the whole thread.
  1. 1
    Quote for leaflet printing
  2. 2
    Order confirmation and internal note
  3. 3
    Invoice: invoice-leaflets.pdf

    Open this message. Its own More menu → Forward.

  4. 4
    Thanks for delivery
Fictional print-shop conversation: open the third message with the invoice and check recipients, files and quoted text before sending.

Use the menu on the selected email

Google's help says to open the More menu at the top right of the invoice message and choose Forward.

The toolbar above the conversation has a Forward all action. With conversation view enabled, it forwards the whole thread. To forward a selected email, use the menu on that message instead.

Follow these steps:

  1. In Gmail in a browser on your computer, open the conversation and then the invoice message.
  2. Open the More menu at the top right of that message and select Forward.
  3. Enter your accountant's address in the draft and briefly explain what the document relates to.
  4. Before sending, review recipients, attachments and the full text using the checks below.

This guide covers Gmail in a desktop browser.

Check what you will actually send

Even the selected invoice message may contain quoted earlier replies. Google explains how to expand trimmed previous text in a conversation. That does not tell you what is in your outgoing draft. Inspect the draft before sending.

Before clicking Send, check:

  • Recipients: read the full addresses in To, Cc and Bcc, where populated. Make sure only the people you intend to receive the document are included.
  • Attachments: Google says attachments are included when forwarding. Nevertheless, inspect the files in your actual draft and check their contents. Do not assume exactly one invoice or every attachment in the thread has been added. You can remove an unwanted attachment using its attachment control.
  • Text: read to the end and expand any collapsed quoted content. Remove unrelated text you do not want to send. Keep the explanation needed for the invoice, such as which order it concerns.

The check is complete when you can say who will receive the email, which document is attached and what text accompanies it. If you cannot reliably inspect or edit part of the content, do not send it yet.

If the thread is confusing, request a separate invoice

If you cannot untangle the quotations, ask the supplier for a new email with a readable invoice and the explanation needed. You do not need to forward the entire order history just to hand over the document.

You can adapt this fictional request to the actual order:

Select the text and copy it into your email. Adapt it to the actual order.

You can also send the attachment in a new email

You can also download the attachment from the original message and attach it to a new email with your own short explanation. Google's help describes downloading. If the sender enabled confidential mode, copying and downloading may be restricted. Ask for a suitable handoff method and do not bypass the restrictions.

In the fictional print-shop example, your message to the accountant could read:

Select the text and copy it into your email. Adapt it to the actual order.

Sources and further reading