URLs In, Attachments Out
Someone pastes a Dropbox link or image URL into your form. The tool downloads the file and saves it as an Airtable attachment on the record. No manual download-then-upload cycle.
Set Up URL ImportSound familiar?
Content Manager
Contributors share image URLs from Unsplash, Google Drive, or their own CDN. You download each one, then upload it to Airtable. Dozens of images per week.
Research Analyst
You collect document links from various sources. To actually store them in Airtable, someone downloads and re-uploads every file.
Procurement Officer
Vendors send product spec sheets as links. Your team needs them as attachments for the approval workflow, so someone converts them manually.
What it does
URL detection
Paste any public URL into a text field. The tool detects it's a file link and downloads the content automatically.
Format support
Images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP), documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX), and any file type accessible via URL.
Attachment saving
Downloaded files are saved as native Airtable attachments. Thumbnail previews, full-size downloads, and API access work as expected.
Batch processing
Multiple URLs in one field? Each one becomes a separate attachment on the record.
How to set it up
Select the URL field
Choose the text field where URLs will be entered in the form.
Choose the attachment destination
Select the attachment field where downloaded files will be saved.
Configure options
Set file size limits, allowed file types, and whether to keep the original URL field populated.
Enable
Activate the tool. Every form submission with a URL triggers an automatic download and attachment save.
Going deeper
URL handling
- Auto-detect downloadable URLs
- Follow redirects (Dropbox, Google Drive share links)
- Multiple URLs per field
- Validate URL before download
File options
- Max file size limit
- Allowed file type restrictions
- Custom filename from URL or record data
- Keep or clear the URL field after download
Error handling
- Retry on temporary download failures
- Flag records with failed downloads
- Skip already-downloaded URLs
- Notification on download errors
Frequently asked questions
Does it work with Google Drive and Dropbox links?
Yes, if the file is shared publicly. The tool follows redirects and downloads the actual file from sharing links.
Is there a file size limit?
Default limit is 25MB per file, matching Airtable's attachment limits. You can set a lower limit if needed.
Can it download from password-protected URLs?
No. The URL must be publicly accessible without authentication. For private files, upload them directly through the form.
What happens if the URL is broken?
The record gets a flag in a status field indicating the download failed. The URL is preserved so you can fix it.
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