AOL Questions? Ask an Expert!

Embedding Pictures in E-Mail Messages

Shelly, October 9, 2007

AOL is my service provider. I also use Picasa for my pictures. When I send my pictures to friends, they always have to download them. Is there a way to send them directly. I know that when I receive pictures from Yahoo members and SBCglobal.net members they come through directly.

Thanks.

Re: Embedding Pictures in E-Mail Messages

Jeff (Editor), October 10, 2007

Step 1: Insert Pictures

Step 2: Browse for Your Pictures

Update: This feature is "Under Maintenance" and scheduled to return at the beginning of next year. Read more below.

Excellent question. The trick is to "insert" pictures into your e-mails as opposed to "attaching" them. AOL, to my surprise, does a pretty good job of inlining photos in your messages.

I only have access to the web version of AOL. That is to say I don't have AOL the program. I can only log in at AOL.com through Internet Explorer. If these screenshots or instructions don't resemble what you see in the AOL universe, I'll show you how to log the way I did at the end of this letter.

Here's the step-by-step for putting pictures directly in your e-mails:

1. Compose a new e-mail
2. Click the "Insert Pictures" button. This will bring up a new pane at the top of the window. (See screenshot #1)
3. On the left, you'll see two tabs: "AOL Pictures" and "My Computer." Click My Computer (See screenshot #2)
4. Click the "Browse for Pictures" button. Here you can browse your hard drive for the photos you wish to embed. Select a photo and it appears in your e-mail.
5. If you move your mouse to the top left of the picture in your e-mail, you will see a little down arrow. Click it to bring up the "Picture Options" menu. Here you can select the size of the photo. It defaults to medium. The photos in the screenshot are the small size.
6. Once you're done inserting your pictures, write the letter portion of your e-mail ("Hi Uncle Joe, it's me. Here are my pictures..."). You can write the letter before inserting pictures. However, AOL always puts the pictures at the top of the e-mail. That's why it's best to write your text around the pictures by doing it last.

That's all there is to it.

One thing that really impressed my about AOL's Insert Pictures feature is that it includes a link to the full resolution picture. A big problem with sending pictures through e-mail is that they are often to large, both on the screen and in file size. AOL solves this by sending a shrinked down version (you pick the size in step 5). Then they take it a step further: The person who receives the e-mail can click the picture and download the original, high-resolution version of the photo. Pretty slick!

The recipients to whom you send these mixed text and picture e-mails must be able to view "HTML e-mails." I would venture to say that 95% of people you send e-mails to will be able to view them. The remainder will see these photos as attachments that need to be downloaded. That's their problem, not yours!

If you don't have the "Insert Pictures" option in your AOL program, here's how you can log in through your web browser:

1. Sign in to AOL as you normally would.
2. Go to the Windows Start Menu and select the "Internet Explorer" item. This will either be in the top left of the menu or under "All Programs."
3. In the Address bar (the text box at the top of Internet Explorer), type www.aol.com
4. Sign in and navigate to Mail.
5. From there, click the "Write Mail" button and you should see the same window shown the screenshots.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you run into any problems.

AOL Automatically Adds Kitty Picture to E-Mails

Eric, December 23, 2007

When ever I send an email from AOL (website not program) I have this cute picture of a white cat in the title area. Trouble is I use this for business and it's sending the wrong message altogether.

I don't know how it got there and for the life of me I can't find how to delete it.

Any ideas on this?

Much appreciated.

Re: AOL Automatically Adds Kitty Picture to E-Mails

Jeff (Editor), January 2, 2008

You have stumbled across AOL's "Buddy Icons" where you can select a picture to include in every e-mail. It looks like there are thousands of Buddies to choose from, including 36 different cats! Removing your Buddy Icon is fairly simple and I'll show you how.

The setting is found under your "signature" configuration (the short bit of text that is added automatically to the end of your e-mail). There you can select a Buddy Icon or turn the feature off.

Here's how to find the setting:

1. Login to AOL web mail and Click "Settings" in the top right corner of the page.
2. Click the "Compose" tab on the left side of the page.
3. You should now see your Signature settings, including the your kitty cat. Just uncheck "Show buddy icon in signature" to make the cat go away.
4. Click the "Save" button.

You should now be buddy-free!

Leaving AOL: Will I Lose My E-Mail?

Lisa, January 30, 2008

I am going to sound like a real idiot because when it comes to the computer, I am. I have had AOL as my internet provider for years now and am converting this weekend to local cable high speed optimum online. What I don't understand is, will I lose all my AOL emails received and sent?

Will the switch disrupt anything on the computer I need to know about? I can't find stuff as it is LOL.

My main concern is email and work forms I have on my tool bar.

Any info you can offer will be helpful.

Re: Leaving AOL: Will I Lose My E-Mail?

Jeff (Editor), January 31, 2008

Congratulations on moving up to the broadband world. A week from now you are going to wonder how you ever got by on dial-up!

Good news: AOL lets you keep you e-mail address and all of your messages after you cancel. You will access your AOL e-mail in a different way, though. You can practice this now.

Here's what I want you to do:

1. Log on to AOL and then minimize it. The minimize button is the third button from the right in the top right corner of the AOL window.
2. Now run Internet Explorer. You can find it on your Start menu on the top-left, just under your name.
3. In the Address Bar of Internet Explorer, type "www.aol.com" This will take you to AOL's Internet home page. (BTW, the Address Bar is the topmost text box in Internet Explorer.)
4. On AOL's home page, click the "Mail" button and log in. Tada, you are in your AOL e-mail outside of the AOL program.

When you get rid of AOL's dial-up service, this is how you will access AOL services using your AOL login.

Even more liberating, you can sign in to AOL Mail on any computer, not just your own. Check your mail at work, while your on vacation, anywhere you have access to the Internet!

Good luck and welcome to the high-speed Internet.

Faceless Men Invaded My AOL Contact List!

Bud, May 18, 2008

How can I remove the empty picture frames to the left of each contact in my "Contacts" list in AOL Webmail?

When I left-click on them, I get the following pop-up message: "(contact) does not have an AIM account." I have always used the "Standard Version" of AOL Webmail, because I really don't like the look of the"'Basic Version": however, these empty frames just appeared a couple of days ago.

When I right-click on the empty picture frame in a contact's pop-up window and go to "Properties", I find a long web address. Could this be a "Beta" problem?

I sincerely appreciate any help you can offer.

Re: Faceless Men Invaded My AOL Contact List!

Jeff (Editor), May 19, 2008

I see pictures next to the contacts too. There is a way to get rid of them:

1. Click "Contacts" on the right side of the window.
2. Right-click anywhere on the columns above the contact list. This will bring up a menu with four check box items.
3. Uncheck the "Buddy Icon" check box and those smiling silhouettes go away.

I'm not sure how useful this feature is. Buddy Icons are for AOL users only. Not all AOL members choose one.

I imagine that an average contact list contains perhaps 10% AOL/AIM members. That's a lot of generic, faceless men staring at you as you scroll through your contacts!

P. S. On the off chance you're wondering, they're called "Buddy" Icons for everyone, not just you. They aren't "Jeffy" Icons for me!

Don't Like AOL Webmail? Use Outlook or Entourage Instead.

Rob, May 19, 2008

How do I embed/insert images in AOL Webmail without having the ugly black rule around them?

I've tried sending images embedded in an Entourage email to my AOL account (no border) and then copy/pasting them into AOL mail using a reply to a new sender. This works in AOL but not other browser/email clients where the image link becomes broken. Forwarding sometimes works, but all this is awkward.

Do I need to build a template in CSS or HTML and put that into an AOL email? How exactly do I do that and how do I make it browser/email client compatible? Details please!!!

Re: Don't Like AOL Webmail? Use Outlook or Entourage Instead.

Jeff (Editor), May 19, 2008

I'm with you- I see no way of removing the border around the inline pictures in AOL Webmail. You mentioned that you can format your e-mail the way you want in Microsoft Entourage. Did you know you can send and receive AOL e-mail through Entourage?

I say, if AOL's Webmail doesn't work for you, dump it and use your own e-mail client! AOL is nice enough to let you do this (unlike some of its other web mail competitors).

In addition to desktop clients like Microsoft Outlook and Entourage, major web mail services (Yahoo!, Hotmail/Live, GMail) can also share your AOL e-mail account. You can use AOL Webmail alongside another e-mail client or replace it completely.

Preparing for the Move

Microsoft has a guides to setting up AOL e-mail accounts for Entourage, Outlook and Outlook Express.

At the AOL Help site, there's an excellent introduction and reference document called called "Read and Send AOL® or AIM® E-mail With Other E-mail Applications." Unfortunately, I'm unable to link to it. To find this document, search AOL Help for the term "Other E-mail Applications" It should be the second result.

AOL E-mail Client Tips and Tricks

• Use IMAP rather than POP3. AOL offers two mechanisms to receive your e-mail. IMAP is a newer protocol and has many advantages over POP. In particular, IMAP keeps your e-mail client synchronized with AOL Webmail. With POP, you need to synchronize your e-mail folders manually.
• "Outgoing mail (SMTP) server requires authentication." I found that I couldn't send mail until I enabled this setting. Here's how to find the setting in Outlook: From the "E-mail accounts" window, click the "More Settings" button. Click the "Outgoing Server" tab and you'll find "requires authentication" check box.
• SMTP port is 587. Another thing that could prevent you from sending e-mail is failing to change a default setting (though Entourage may do this for you). Here's how to change the SMTP port in Outlook: From the "E-mail accounts" window, click the "More Settings" button. Click the "Advanced" tab. The "Outgoing server (SMTP)" setting is here. By default it is 25. You need to set it to 587.
• Leave messages on server. This setting only applies to POP configurations (not IMAP). In Outlook and Entourage, this option is disabled by default. AOL recommends you turn it on. This is a convenient way to automatically back up your Inbox and it ensures you can still read your messages when you log in to AOL Webmail. Don't worry about your Inbox filling up- AOL provides unlimited storage space.

On a side note, the borders around the pictures indicate that you can click on these images to see the original, high-resolution photo. As far as I can tell, there is no way to suppress this link to the original picture.

AOL Pops Up When Connecting to a Web Site

John E. Zellner, June 18, 2008

No matter which browser I am working with, IE, Google, MSN, AOL, etc. the AOL Dialup window keeps popping up and stopping operations until I 'X' it out &/or eliminate from task bar. I have broadband cable connection and don't need this dialup crap, especially when it blocks operations. It has infected both my pc and notebook. How do I get rid of it?

I think this is also a part of it. Another popup window I get says that a site is not available. When I look, I notice that AOL Dialup is showing in the task bar. When I eliminate it from the task bar, I then am able to go to the site selected. One more is a popup window that says I am no longer connected via I, offering to 'connect' or 'work offline'. Selecting 'Connect' allows IE to go to the site chosen. Selecting 'Work Offline', doesn't.

Re: AOL Pops Up When Connecting to a Web Site

Jeff (Editor), June 19, 2008

AOL and Microsoft were trying to do you a favor by connecting to the Internet automatically as needed. Now that you're no longer with AOL, this feature is quite unwelcome! Fortunately, disabling it is fairly simple.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Bring up Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Click "Network and Internet Connections."
3. Click "Internet Options."
4. Select the "Connections" tab in the Internet Options window.
5. Finally, select the "Never Dial a Connection" option.

Now you can enjoy your broadband without AOL getting in the way!

Removing AOL Advertisements at Bottom of E-Mails

Sue, June 18, 2008

I use AOL for my business email, and want to be able to suppress the little sales message they add to the bottom of every email.. It's so tacky.

Example from today: "Get the Moviefone Toolbar. Showtimes, theaters, movie news, & more!"

How can I stop this from appearing on all my email? Thanks!

Re: Removing AOL Advertisements at Bottom of E-Mails

Jeff (Editor), June 23, 2008

Update: See a much easier way to get rid of these e-mail footer advertisements.

I don't see a way to prevent advertising in your e-mail in the web based version of AOL Mail. However, by using Entourage or a similar e-mail program on the Mac, the only sales pitches in your e-mail will come from you!

Just set up an e-mail client on your computer (a topic we recently discussed) and AOL will stop sending advertisements. If you don't have Microsoft Entourage, there are free programs, like Eudora, available.

The downside to using an e-mail client instead of AOL's Webmail is that you can't jump on any Internet connected computer and send ad-free mail. You must set it up on each new computer.

Luckily, you can use both Webmail and an e-mail client at the same time, as long as you use IMAP (discussed in the same topic above). This e-mail protocol keeps your computer's Inbox synchronized with AOL Webmail.

Pictures are Sometimes Blocked in My AOL Mail

Rachel, July 1, 2008

I don't recall making any changes to my AOL, but now most photos come up as those red X'es in a white box. I have free AOL and service through SBC Global.

What specific setting can I check? On AOL or Explorer? Thanks!

Re: Pictures are Sometimes Blocked in My AOL Mail

Jeff (Editor), July 2, 2008

Believe it or not, AOL is trying to protect you by automatically blocking images from people you don't know. Spammers and virus senders often use pictures for their devious purposes. Until you tell AOL Mail, "This guy is OK," it hides all photos in the e-mail message.

There are two ways of viewing images blocked by AOL:

1. Add sender to contact list

   Any e-mail address in your contacts is automatically trusted by AOL when sending you pictures. When viewing an e-mail, simply hover over your mouse the sender's name. A bubble will appear allowing you to add this person to your address book.

    

2. View pictures for a single e-mail

   When viewing a message with blocked pictures, a yellow strip appears at the top of the e-mail message. The first link in this yellow strip, "for this message" lets you view the images in the e-mail for this single viewing only. If bring up the e-mail again later, you will need to give AOL permission to display the pictures again.

   As an aside, the second link in the yellow strip reading "always for this sender" adds the person to your contacts. However, it leaves all contact details blank except for the e-mail address. If you do this every time, soon you'll have a contact list of nobody's! You can avoid this sloppiness by using method #1.

You can also disable this security feature all together. Obviously, this is a risky thing to do and you shouldn't do this without a good reason.

The biggest risk of disabling this feature is increased spam e-mail. If you view a spammer's image, they confirm your e-mail address is legitimate and active. This inevitably leads to more spam.

Stop AOL from hiding e-mail images by following these steps:

1. Click "Settings" in the top right corner of the window (just below the advertisement)
2. Uncheck the box reading: "Hide images in mail from unknown senders."

For better or worse, you'll now see pictures that strangers send you!

And that's the whole story on why AOL's sometimes hides pictures of your loved ones.

Setting Up AOL Mail in Eudora

Rachel, August 19, 2008

We recently cancelled AOL and now have DSL. It's great that I can still use my old AOL screenname but too often when I access AOL webmail it bluescreens my computer! Why does this happen?

Can I use Eudora instead of loggin' onto AOL at all? Thanks.

Re: Setting Up AOL Mail in Eudora

Jeff (Editor), August 26, 2008

Why does Windows go blue screen when you do X? If only I had a simple answer to that. It's Windows' way of saying some recently installed software or hardware is making it very sick.

You can use Eudora or your web browser. It's your choice.

Just log in at http://mail.aol.com and you're on AOL's version of Yahoo! Mail (actually better in some ways).

Would you rather use Eudora? AOL has you covered there too: Check out their step-by-step guide to setting up AOL mail in Eudora.

Getting Rid of Google Search Window

Tony Blanch, August 21, 2008

What can I do to stop the Google search pop-up? I have never used it and it just becomes a pain in the butt to keep closing it down.

Re: Getting Rid of Google Search Window

Bernadette, September 3, 2008

Every time I log on to AOL, I get a pop up search engine window from AOL. How the heck do I stop that?

Thanks.

Re: Getting Rid of Google Search Window

Jeff (Editor), September 9, 2008

The verdict is in: AOL'ers despise the Google search pop-up window! Fortunately, it's easy enough to get rid of using one of these two methods:

1. Go to AOL Keyword: "Search Window"  A window pops up (see screenshot) allowing you to "Opt out" of the Google search window.
2. Click the big link at thecomputerz.com  AOL automatically summons the Opt out window.

The search window is more than redundant: AOL now presents you with three places to Google upon signing in. The new window partially covers the exact same search feature in the Welcome window.

Clearly, this search window is born out of the Google partnership with AOL. The implementation is classic AOL- crassly shoving a window in your face that's useless to you but beneficial to AOL.

Easier Ad-Free E-Mail Technique

Nancy, September 18, 2008

In response to "Sue" on 6/18/2008 about removing the AOL advertisements at the bottom of emails: Go to Keyword footer and uncheck the box next to "Show the message footer at the bottom of the each email you send" then click "save."

Re: Easier Ad-Free E-Mail Technique

Jeff (Editor), September 22, 2008

Thanks Nancy. Finally someone else is giving advice instead of just me!

Using the footer keyword is much easier and much less disruptive to your normal routine than the route I suggested.

It's nice that AOL gives you the choice of opting out of these advertisements. As far as I know, Yahoo! and Hotmail don't give you this choice. You're stuck with their e-mail footer advertisements.

The more I learn about AOL Mail, the more I appreciate the flexibility and options that you don't find with the other major free e-mail services.

Rest Easy: "Insert Pictures" in AOL Webmail is Coming Back

L., October 28, 2008

G'Day!

I use Yahoo! as my main e-mail address but opened an AOL address for the sole purpose of using the feature to place photos in the text of e-mails. Recipients (and me too) hate to have to download lots of pics.

Now, I hear AOL is dropping this feature, is this true? Anywhere else I can go for this great feature?

Re: Rest Easy: "Insert Pictures" in AOL Webmail is Coming Back

Diana Vanderbilt, October 29, 2008

Until just recently, one could insert pictures directly into the body of an email by using the " insert picture" function. AOL has disabled that feature. One now just has the option of using a service called Photostream which only allows you to send a picture separately with a short message.

I am devastated, as I have now lost a feature which gave me pleasure and dramatized my email messages.

I have the free version of AOL. Is there anything I can use or do which would allow me to insert pictures directly into the email again (I think the term is "embed")?

I have lost the fun of my email! Thank you so much for your attention.

Re: Rest Easy: "Insert Pictures" in AOL Webmail is Coming Back

Stella L Smithq, November 5, 2008

My aol email account will not let me insert pictures in my email at this time. It says it is under maintained.

When will it be fixed? Thank you.

Re: Rest Easy: "Insert Pictures" in AOL Webmail is Coming Back

Jeff (Editor), November 8, 2008

Insert Pictures: Returning Early Next Year

All of the features we love about Insert Pictures are coming back. Plus a "better UI and enhanced functionality."

Good news: The Insert Pictures feature in AOL Mail is coming back in "the beginning of next year," according to AOL spokeswoman Molly McMahon. She assured me that features like embedding pictures in the body of the e-mail and different size pictures will be part of the re-launch. She even says improvements are coming.

So sit tight. It really is "under maintenance" and will return. Just probably not in time to send holiday photos!

Alternatives to Insert Pictures

Your options as an AOL member are pretty limited until Insert Pictures returns. Here are a few alternatives:

• Attach files: This button is right next to the Insert Pictures button. This will send your photos along with your e-mail but without any special formatting. Attach files doesn't shrink your pictures down. You may find you can only send a few at a time because of this.
• Share your Shoebox: If you save your pictures on AOL, you can create a photo album and share it with your friends and family via e-mail. Go to http://pictures.aol.com to move your photos to American Greetings Photoworks and click the "My Share Page" tab.
• Use an e-mail client: You can connect to your AOL e-mail through programs like Outlook and the free Windows Live Mail. Outlook allows you to do inline photos and shrink photos down. Live Mail has quite a few options for embedding pictures in your AOL e-mail.
• Hotmail: If you're not tied to your AOL address, you can insert photos in your e-mail with Hotmail. However, you only have one choice in size, you must use Internet Explorer and it doesn't not provide a link back to the original, full-resolution photo. More on AOL's competition below.

AOL Insert Pictures: Returning with Old Features Plus Improvements

I asked Molly McMahon whether three specific aspects of Insert Pictures are returning:

1. Embedding pictures within the body of an e-mail
2. Ability to select multiple picture sizes
3. Clicking on pictures brings up the original, full resolution photo

She answered a resounding "yes" to all three. Beyond that, she says additional features are coming centering "around media integration, the embedding of assets and asset management."

Those are some obtuse terms. Basically they mean that when Insert Pictures returns:

• You'll be able to embed more than just pictures. Perhaps video, sound and slideshows.
• You can store and manage your photos online and easily embed them in your e-mails.

I'm sure there's more to it but that's all I can safely read into the statement.

AOL Pictures Among more than 50 AOL Services Closing

The closure of AOL Pictures is the reason why AOL Mail's Insert Pictures is no longer available. But AOL Pictures just the tip of the iceberg.

Alley Insider reports more than 50 other AOL services are closing, along with a complete list of services shutting down. The DygiScape blog goes further and gives a short summary of many of the shuttering services as well as some services that are staying open.

AOL Does It Better Than Other Webmail Providers

I tried the other three big webmail providers- Yahoo!, Hotmail and GMail- to see what they offer in terms of sending pictures. AOL's Insert Pictures beats them all hands-down. Or, at least it did beat them and should beat them again when it returns!

Yahoo! and GMail don't have an insert picture feature at all. You simply attach photos to your e-mail. This is exactly what AOL suggests you do while the Insert Pictures feature is under maintenance.

Hotmail has an inline insert picture function. But it falls far short AOL's Insert Pictures:

• To use Hotmail's Insert Picture function, you must use Internet Explorer.
• It forces you to shrink down photos but doesn't give you a choice in size.
• It doesn't provide a link back to the original photo.

The worst part, for me anyway, I tried Hotmail's Insert Picture function on two different computers. Both times Internet Explorer crashed during the process. I was never able to successfully send a photo through Hotmail!