Tech Tip Tuesday: How to Auto Save Email Attachments to the Cloud
How to automatically store email attachments in OneDrive or Google Drive without lifting a finger
So far in our automation series, we have looked at ways to streamline your emails and reduce repetitive steps. This week, we are focusing on one of the most useful but often overlooked automations. Automatically saving email attachments to your cloud storage.
If your inbox is full of receipts, invoices, or files you need to file manually, there is a better way. With the right automation, those attachments can be saved straight to OneDrive or Google Drive the moment they arrive.
Why This Matters
Manually downloading and filing attachments is time consuming and error prone. You might forget to save the file. You might save it in the wrong folder. Or you might just lose track of it altogether.
Auto saving solves all of this. It creates a reliable system that captures important attachments and files them exactly where they belong.
How To Set It Up With Microsoft Power Automate
If you use Microsoft Outlook and OneDrive
Go to Power Automate
Search for the template called Save Office 365 email attachments to OneDrive
Select the flow and sign in to Outlook and OneDrive
Choose the folder where you want the files to be saved
Customise any filters if needed, such as saving only from certain senders or with specific subjects
Once set up, any incoming email with an attachment that meets your criteria will automatically save the file to your chosen OneDrive folder.
You can also set this up with SharePoint if your team shares a central folder.
How To Set It Up With Google Workspace
If you use Gmail and Google Drive
Open Google Apps Script
Write a simple script that scans your inbox for new messages with attachments
Use the DriveApp service to save those attachments to a folder in Google Drive
Set a time based trigger to run the script every 10 or 15 minutes
There are many tutorials online with sample scripts, including ones that filter by sender or label.
If scripting is not your thing, third party tools like Zapier can also connect Gmail to Google Drive with drag and drop logic.
Pro Tip. Use Filters to Avoid Saving Everything
Not every attachment needs to be saved. Use subject lines, sender addresses, or keywords to filter what gets saved and where.
For example, you could set up a rule that saves all invoices from your supplier to a folder called Invoices 2025. Or save any PDF attachments from a specific address to a shared team folder.
Automating how your files are saved removes one more piece of friction from your day. It keeps your inbox lighter and your folders more organised.
See you next Tuesday for more tech tips.