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Question

How to show email attachments from IMAP in Google Sheets using Zapier


I have 2 step Zap,

 

1 IMap

2 Create Row

All the fields I match populate just fine, the attachments field though remains empty.

Co pilot says to make sure your IMap step is configured correctly, It works because all the other fields populate and while Copilot suggests there is a config step in the IMAP I cannot see it.

When I type into CoPilot “my attachments are not showing on sheet”

I get “I'll map the attachment URLs from the 'New Email in IMAP by Zapier' step to the spreadsheet column so all attachments are listed.”

Very helpful if it did that, it just doesn't and attachments remain unadded.

 

Appreciate any advice

Thankyou community

 

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9 replies

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In the "New Email in IMAP by Zapier" trigger step, can you confirm that the "Include Attachments" option is enabled? This ensures Zapier fetches attachment data.


  • Author
  • Beginner
  • 4 replies
  • January 27, 2025

Thank you for replying I cannot see the option

Where am I meant to see that option

 


ken.a
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  • Zapier Staff
  • 6285 replies
  • January 28, 2025

Hi ​@DTE Secretary,

The “New Email” trigger for the IMAP by Zapier app does return the attachment of the email. The files should be under the “attachments” field from the trigger. With that being said, could you please try loading a new sample data by clicking on the “Find new records” button in the trigger step?

I'll be keeping an eye out for your response!


  • Author
  • Beginner
  • 4 replies
  • January 28, 2025

Thank you for replying
I ran a test with an attachment. No luck

I noted the following things in the image
A Blue label “Insert data for all attachments” I click it, cant see a change

I can see the sheet field All attachments yet the plus sign while generating the options window to the left doesn't have an attachments option

your effort is appreciated

 


ken.a
Forum|alt.badge.img+6
  • Zapier Staff
  • 6285 replies
  • January 29, 2025

Hi ​@DTE Secretary,

Could you please go to the trigger step and click on the “Find New Records” button and after that please use the newly loaded sample data and it should return the “Attachment” data for you to map to the Google Sheets step.

Kindly give it a try and let me know how it goes? I'll keep an eye out for your response!


Success, attachments turned up as an option and all is working as one would expect.

New Question, What would be the zapper option if I wanted to change the email to a linked PDF as I can see the spreadsheet becoming unwieldy for its purpose in a few months


SamB
Community Manager
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  • Community Manager
  • 7242 replies
  • February 4, 2025

That’s great news, ​@DTE Secretary! So glad you were able to access the attachments after pulling in a new test record—nice work on that! 🙌

New Question, What would be the zapper option if I wanted to change the email to a linked PDF as I can see the spreadsheet becoming unwieldy for its purpose in a few months

Just to make sure I understand your new question—what do you mean by “change the email to a linked PDF”? Are you referring to a link to download a PDF that’s contained in an email rather that a PDF file that has been attached? Or are you referring to a PDF file that’s linked in a different app? And would you still want to store a record of the linked PDFs in the spreadsheet, or are you looking for an alternative to the spreadsheet? 

If you can share a bit more detail, that’ll give us more context to better answer your question. Looking forward to hearing from you! 🙂


Thank you for your help,

  1. In regards to the attachments, it still seems hit and miss, sometimes the attachment option is available in the Create Sheet Row in the Google sheet Zap and other times it's not. Still frustrating as I cant seem to identify the logic behind when it appears or not.

 

  1. The more important issue is that the message in the email can sometimes be very long and it would be better if we could actually show a link in the cell to a PDF of the message or to the whole email itself instead of the message in the cell.

Thank you for all your help.

 

 


ken.a
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  • Zapier Staff
  • 6285 replies
  • February 6, 2025

Hi ​@DTE Secretary,

Regarding your first question, does the incoming email always have attachments? If not, and the Zap triggers the attachment field will be empty.

Regarding your second question, I believe the IMAP by Zapier app doesn’t return the URL of the email. You might need to utilize a different app like Gmail if you want the link of the email itself.