"Please Find Attached or "Please Find Enclosed" in a formal email?

In email writing, when we are attaching any document, what is the correct, formal and more polite way to write:

Please find attached "Monthly status report" PDF for your reference.
Please find enclosed "Monthly status report" PDF for your reference.

Also, should we write the name of the file attached with format ect .ppt, .pdf, .docx? Sometimes I use PFA . Is it correct?

12k 13 13 gold badges 48 48 silver badges 86 86 bronze badges asked Jul 7, 2016 at 12:34 user26278 user26278

2 Answers 2

Please find attached "Monthly status report" PDF for your reference

would be appropriate; you cannot enclose anything in an email because they don't have envelopes.

However (in my opinion) a more formal phrasing would be something like

Please find the pdf "Monthly status report" attached for your reference

Please find the file attached for your reference.

if it is clear what 'the file' is referring to beforehand.

Quick note of abbreviations: if the recipient has used it before in the same context, it's probably OK for you to use it, although it's better to err on the side of formality, especially when talking to a superior.

answered Feb 6, 2017 at 17:29 EnronEvolved EnronEvolved 81 4 4 bronze badges

When you would like a person to reference a document attached to the email, it would be appropriate to say "Please see the attached document." Documents are "attached" to emails, not "enclosed." You do not have to state the name of the document either, as it is assumed that the document attached is the one you are referencing. If there is more than one document attached, it might be better to say something like "Please see the attached document (filename.pdf)." DO NOT USE ABBREVIATIONS. Formal writing requires that you do not use abbreviations and contractions, as those are technically informal ways of talking (there are exceptions for things like ASAP, AM, PM, RSVP, etc.). PFA is not used whatsoever in English, even in informal writing, partially because we say "please see," not "please find."

answered Jul 9, 2016 at 0:11 375 3 3 silver badges 8 8 bronze badges

You must log in to answer this question.

Highly active question. Earn 10 reputation (not counting the association bonus) in order to answer this question. The reputation requirement helps protect this question from spam and non-answer activity.