Compose a New Mail Message with an Attachment by Drag & Drop in Mac OS X

Surely every Mac user knows by now that you can drag and drop files directly into Mail messages to attach those files to an email, but did you know you can instantly create a new email with an attachment by dragging the file in question to Mail’s Dock icon instead?

The way this works is so simple and intuitive it will very likely become the new way you attach and send files through Mail app in Mac OS X. If you want to try this out yourself here is how it works to instantly create a new email message with a file attachment, right from the Finder:

1. Navigate in the Finder to any file or folder
2. Drag any file directly into the Mail icon of the Mac OS X Dock

You’ll immediately have a new blank email message with that file attached. If Mail app is not open, the app will launch and a new blank email will be created with the file as an attachment.

Sometimes the simplest tips are the best, and despite using OS X and Mail app since 10.0 I’ve never known that just dragging and dropping a file into the Dock icon automatically creates a new Mail message with that file as an attachment. Amazingly useful but simple tip found on MacGasm, though it doesn’t require the Command key as they suggest.