One of the most popular features in Smartsheet is the ability to attach, access and share files in the context of your work. Gone are the days of leaving the office, walking in your front door, and suddenly realizing the file you need to work on is saved on your desktop – at work.
With Smartsheet, you can quickly access your work and all those related documents by attaching them from your desktop or from another file sharing system like Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox. As a result of organizing your files alongside the work you’re managing in Smartsheet, you’ll save time and never be caught without “that” file again.
Many companies use Smartsheet to organize and share files. Massage Envy franchise owner 
D’Onn Genovese offers a great example in this case study. She uses Smartsheet as her human resources hub; each step of the new hire onboarding process is detailed row by row in her sheets, with the corresponding forms attached to each row. Documents match up with actions to be taken by both new employee and hiring manager.
Whether you upload files directly from your desktop or attach documents from file sharing apps, there are distinct advantages – and differences.
Which approach is right for you?
Uploading Attachments
You can attach almost any type of file to your sheets – including images and PDFs. This is a great approach if you and your team haven’t fully transitioned to full-on operations in the cloud and need to share files from desktop software like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
To upload your files to Smartsheet, click ‘Upload’ and select the file from any location on your machine.
Things to Know About Uploading Attachments:
- Uploaded files are copies of your original file stored on our service.
- Anyone shared to your sheet can access these attachments with no extra permission levels.
- Clicking on the attachment allows you to open it with the right local application for the file type (i.e. .doc files open in your word processor, .xls open in your spreadsheet program, etc.)
- Once opened in your external application, any changes you make there need to be saved locally and then re-uploaded as an attachment back into Smartsheet.
- On certain browsers like Chrome and Firefox, you can drag and drop these files directly on a row to re-attach them quickly.
Attaching Files from Box, Google Drive, and Dropbox
Do you use Dropbox, Box or Google Drive to store your files rather than keeping them on your desktop? Smartsheet syncs with these apps, too.
You can save files from these programs to rows in your sheets by using the ‘Attach From’ option – or you can link to a website URL. Using online file storage services is fantastic if you’re ready to move more of your systems into the cloud, or if you’d like to add an extra permission level to an attachment within your sheet.
Things to Know About Attaching from Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive:
- When you attach a file from Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive, you’re adding a link to where your files are stored in our partner services.
- Since Google Docs file storage service (via Google Drive) supports editing/creation within Google, changes you make and save there will be seen when users click on the Smartsheet link to the file.
- Use Box Edit for editing in Box files.
- Check out apps like WriteBox to edit files directly in Dropbox. No need to re-attach a new version of your file to your sheet.
- With Google Drive, Dropbox and Box you have an additional level of permission control, on top of the sharing permissions set on your sheet. You can adjust permission levels by file if needed.
Flexibility is the name of the game when it comes to attaching and storing files in Smartsheet. Take some time to try out each system – or a combo of both – to see what works best for your team.
One thing’s for sure, you’ll save time and cut down on confusion by storing documents, graphics files, and more all in the context of your work.
Til next week, dig in and explore!
- Support Team