Inline images disappear when replying in Apple Mail — serious flaw!

Hello everyone,

I’d like to bring attention to what I believe is a significant flaw in the way Apple Mail handles messages with inline images.

Whenever I receive an email that contains an image embedded directly in the body — not attached or hosted remotely — Apple Mail displays it correctly. However, when I reply to that email, the inline image disappears and is replaced with a placeholder. The original formatting is lost, even though:

• I'm replying using the original (HTML) format
• The image is not remote, but embedded inline
• Mail Privacy Protection is turned off

Strangely, if I forward the same message, the image is preserved perfectly. This inconsistent behavior is frustrating and counterproductive, especially for professionals who rely on visually rich messages (e.g. designers, marketers, educators).

I’ve tested this multiple times using different clients to send the original message — including Outlook for Mac — and Apple Mail consistently fails to preserve the inline image when replying.

Is anyone else experiencing the same issue? Has Apple ever addressed this behavior? It feels like something that deserves serious attention.

Thanks in advance for your insights or possible workarounds!

Best,

Vincenzo