Use Google Drive while a document is being written or reviewed. Use an Airtable attachment when the finished file belongs to one Airtable record.
| If you need to... | Use... |
|---|---|
| Edit a document with your team | Google Drive |
| Keep a signed PDF with one client or project | Airtable attachment |
| Share a document with a client outside Airtable | Google Drive |
| Link the same document from several records | Google Drive |
Keep the final file in Airtable
Let's take a client contract as an example. After the client signs it, attach the final PDF to the client's Airtable record.
The client record now contains the signed file alongside the details, status, and notes for that client. Your team can open the file without searching through a separate folder.
An Airtable attachment is a copy of the file stored in Airtable. That copy uses the base's attachment storage:
| Plan | Storage per base |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 GB |
| Team | 20 GB |
| Business | 100 GB |
| Enterprise Scale | 1,000 GB |
This setup works best for final PDFs and other files that belong to one record. If the file is still being edited, keep the working version in Google Drive.
If someone outside Airtable needs a long-term link to the file, use Google Drive instead. Airtable attachment download URLs expire, as explained in why Airtable attachment links stop working and how to fix it.
If the contract starts with a form, Fillout can collect the details and DocsAutomator can create the document. Once the signed PDF exists, attach it to the Airtable record.
Keep the working document in Google Drive
Keep the contract in Google Drive while your team is writing, commenting, and making changes. Add the Drive link to the client's Airtable record so the team or client can open it without opening Airtable.
Google Drive lets you give someone viewer, commenter, or editor access. That is useful when the client needs to review the contract or your team needs to edit it together.
Drive is also the better choice for a document that appears on several records. Keep one company handbook or contract template in Drive, then link to that file wherever it is needed. You do not need to upload another copy to every Airtable record.
Move files out of Airtable when storage becomes a problem
If the base is running out of attachment storage, copy older files to Google Drive and save their Drive links in Airtable before removing the Airtable attachments.
Check the Drive link before deleting the Airtable copy. For a larger move, Make can copy the files and save the links, but the Airtable attachment should only be removed after the Drive file is available.
For a filename-based matching workflow, see how to automatically link Google Drive files to the right Airtable records.