Convert URLs to Attachments imports files referenced by URLs in Airtable into an attachment field. Use it to move from a list of downloadable file links to files attached to the corresponding records.
What you can do
- Read one or multiple URLs from a selected source field.
- Support multiple links in text and suitable lookup values.
- Handle supported public Google Drive and Dropbox share-link patterns before submitting URLs to Airtable.
Supported files, links, and inputs
- Downloadable files: Import images such as JPG and PNG, PDFs, documents, audio, video, and other file types accepted by Airtable attachments. The URL must return the file itself and be reachable without signing in.
- Multiple URLs in one field: Supply one URL or several URLs in the selected source field. Multiple links can be comma-separated, space-separated, or placed on separate lines.
- Lookup values and combined fields: A lookup containing URL text can supply multiple files. The automation selects one source field; if your links are spread across separate fields, combine them into a formula field and select that as the source.
- Dropbox share links: Public file-share links using Dropbox’s /s/ or /scl/ paths are recognized and adjusted for direct file access. This does not grant access to a private file.
- Google Drive share links: Public file links in the form drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view are recognized and converted to a download URL. The file must allow downloading without a login; private or permission-request links will not work.
- Published Google Sheets CSV links: A publicly downloadable Google Sheets CSV link can be imported as a CSV attachment. Use a published CSV URL rather than assuming a spreadsheet’s ordinary editing page is a downloadable file.
Use cases and examples
A migrated catalog can contain image URLs from its previous system. The automation imports those files into the selected attachment field so other Airtable workflows can work with attachments rather than external text links.
- Moving file-link workflows into Airtable: Import files referenced by URLs when moving a workflow from Google Sheets, Notion, or another system into Airtable attachment fields.
- Shared-file intake: Import supported publicly accessible file links, including supported Dropbox and Google Drive share-link forms, into the selected attachment field.
How to get started
Select the source URL field and destination attachment field, then test publicly accessible file links. For multiple links, use commas, spaces, or separate lines in that source field.
Good to know
Files must be publicly downloadable and meet Airtable’s attachment requirements. Importing URLs does not bypass permissions, extract a webpage’s embedded files, or convert a webpage to PDF. Selecting overwrite replaces the destination attachment list.
