Airtable attachment URL behavior

Note

Remember, Airtable access to the base containing the attachment(s) is required when sharing this type of attachment URL with another user.

1. Navigate to the base → table → record containing the attachment that you would like to share.

2. Click on the attachment you want to share with another user. If the record contains many attachments, then you can expand the selected cell containing the attachment by pressing Shift + Space

3. From the browser bar, copy the URL and share it with another user who has base access. When they click the link you share it will bring them to the attachment where they can comment or annotate as needed. Note that you can also click Download in the attachment viewer to download and share a local copy of the file with others.

Note

Remember, no Airtable access is required when sharing this type of attachment URL with another user. However, the link will expire after a short time for security reasons.

The following walkthrough is an example of an automation that will update a text field with an expiring download URL based on the attachment(s) stored in an attachment field. You’ll likely need to modify this to fit your own use case and is only meant for demonstration purposes.

1. In the table containing the attachment field that you want to leverage, add two fields:

   1. A checkbox field type named “Download URL trigger”

   2. A single line text or long text field type named “Expiring attachment download URL(s)”

2. Check the checkbox field in a record containing at least one attachment to use as the test record in the automation you will build.

3. Click on Automations and then the Create automation + button to configure a new automation.

4. Click + Add trigger and choose the When record matches conditions trigger type.

5. Under the “Configuration” section:

   1. Select the “Table” containing the attachment field you are leveraging.

   2. Next, click + Add condition button

   3. You’ll use the checkbox field you created here to set the following condition: When {Download trigger URL} is ☑

   4. Under “Test step” click Use suggested record or Choose record to have the system test the trigger step.

6. Now you can configure an action to update the record with the expiring download URL(s) for the attachments contained in a record. First, click the + Add advanced logic or action button. Then, scroll down the menu of options and choose the Update record action from the list. Under the “Configuration” section:

   1. Select the same “Table” you configured in the test step. (The table containing the attachment field)

   2. Under “Record ID” click the + button.

   3. Under “Insert value from field” click the Airtable record ID token from the list.

   4. Under “Fields” click the + Choose field button. Select the “Expiring attachment download URL(s)” field that you created in step 1.

   5. Next, click the + button to add the attachment field as a token. In the example base this field is titled “Attachments.” You may need to scroll through the list of field choices below the “Insert value from field” section in order to find your base’s attachment field.

   6. Click the ⌄ icon and then click Edit token.

   7. Under the “Make a new list of…” section scroll down and click on the Expiring download URL option. This will add the specific properties of each attachment’s expiring download URL to the text field.

7. Test the action and turn on the automation.

8. Now, when you click the checkbox field that triggers this automation, it will add the expiring download link(s) for the attachment(s) and you can share this link with others. Keep in mind that you will need to uncheck and recheck the checkbox field to trigger the automation to run again in the future (i.e. when the expiring download URL has expired).

• When sharing files with colleagues with access to the base where the attachment is stored, we recommend opening the attachment viewer window by clicking into the attachment field and pressing the spacebar—then copying/pasting the URL into your browser. (See GIF below.)

• This attachment viewer URL does not expire and will not expire unless the attachment is removed or the record is deleted. Links will only be accessible to users added as collaborators in the workspace or base where the attachment is located.

• If you are sharing a file with a colleague who isn't collaborating with you in Airtable, you will need to consider alternative ways of sharing the file attachment. We recommend navigating to the attachment in Airtable, downloading the file, and sharing it with the colleague via email, Slack, or another platform your organization uses. Alternatively, you can share a view with the colleague and ask them to download the file for their reference.

• Learn how to extract attachment URL filenames.  

• Anyone who needs to download a URL to access an attachment after the expiration period ends must use an external hosting service or integration—like Zapier, Workato, or your code—to store a copy of the attachment separately from Airtable.

For users relying on third-party integrations through Zapier that interact with Airtable attachments, we recommend the following steps to set up Zapier to store and use a copy of the attachment instead of the expiring download URL directly:

1. Go to an existing Zap that interacts with an attachment field. For example, you may have a Zap that uses the trigger "New record in Airtable" to email an Airtable Attachment URL.

2. In the above example, go to the "Set up trigger" step of that Zap and update the option "Include file contents?" to "True."

3. Adjust any later Zap actions relying on the attachment field to use the new field instead. The new field will be named “(Attachment field name) File.”

   1. Note that this will only appear in Zapier after changing the setting from step 2.

Every file uploaded to Airtable in an attachment field has properties, including a unique ID, a URL directly to the file, a file name, and other data related to the file size, type, etc. The download URL property links to those files and will expire every few hours.

• Public file hosting on Airtable - Expiring URLs disrupt the experience of using Airtable to publicly host files for other websites.

• Content sharing with external parties - We discourage workflows in which files stored on Airtable need to be shared for a prolonged time with an external colleague. Alternatively, we recommend sharing a view or interface with the colleague and asking them to download the file, should they need it for future reference.

• Airtable formulas - Formulas that reference attachment fields are not supported. Check out How do formulas interact with the attachment field? section for additional context.

• Copying/Pasting URLs - URLs obtained from copying/pasting an attachment cell value opens the file to the attachment viewer within Airtable instead of directly opening the file.

• CSV exports - We recommend downloading any attachments from the links in the exported CSV file before those links expire.

• API - We recommend downloading any attachments from the links attachment obtained via Airtable’s API before those links expire.

For Airtable automations that handle attachment records, there are 2 options for using attachment URLs:

1. The attachment viewer URL property allows users to view the attachment but requires they are signed into Airtable.

2. The expiring download URL property for use cases that intend to offer downloadable public links that will expire after some time.

We cover some deeper considerations related to image use in the "Send email" action in this article.

Any attachment URLs from the output of a formula can’t provide access to the attachment. If you need access to the underlying expiring attachment download URL, please use the Attachment field directly:

• Airtable's API

• Via an automation

Only links to attachments stored in Airtable will be affected. Links added to single line, long text, and URL fields are unaffected by this change.

While Airtable may change this exact window, we will ensure that download URLs stay active for at least 2 hours after receiving them.

If you, or a third-party integration, are using API processes to obtain attachment URLs from Airtable, then it’s important to note that the URLs obtained will only be active for a short period of time (~2 hours). Using Airtable as a CDN has been and continues to be discouraged in line with this change.

For Airtable automations that handle attachment records, there are two options for using attachment URLs:

1. The attachment viewer URL property allows users to view the attachment but requires they are signed into Airtable.

2. The expiring download URL property for use cases that intend to offer downloadable public links that will expire after some time.

NOTE

Check out our Send email automation article to learn more about using images in automations.

You can extract attachment URL filenames with this formula: LEFT({Attachment Field},FIND("(",{Attachment Field})-1).