Updated October 20, 2026

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How to Save Gmail Attachments to Google Drive

By the Pick Ads team · Tested on Chrome · Published October 20, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026

Answer: Open the email, hover over the attachment, and click Add to Drive. That's the built-in way, one file at a time. For many emails, download the attachments in bulk and upload the folder to Drive. To save new attachments automatically, use a Google Workspace Studio flow if your account is eligible, or an Apps Script.

Quick steps (native)

Open the email in Gmail on a computer.
Hover over the attachment.
Click Add to Drive.

Before you start

Time: seconds per file, about 5 minutes for a bulk transfer.
You need: a computer with Gmail and Google Drive.
Free vs Premium: the native method is free. Attachly Free covers small bulk downloads; Premium removes the daily limits.

Method 1: native Add to Drive

Open the message.
At the bottom, hover over the attachment.
Click Add to Drive.
Use the option to organize the file into a folder, if shown.

Source: Open & download attachments in Gmail.

Limits

Google says you can't add certain attachments to Drive.
Photos placed inside the email body aren't attachments. Download them, then upload to Drive.
If the sender used confidential mode, you can't download or copy the attachments.
Office files can open as Docs, Sheets or Slides with Edit with Google Docs (or Sheets or Slides). That stores a copy in Drive.

Method 2: bulk with download + upload (Attachly)

When you need files from dozens of emails, saving one at a time is slow.

Search Gmail for the emails, for example from:billing@example.com has:attachment after:2026/01/01. See Gmail search operators for attachments.
Select the emails.
In the Attachly toolbar, click Attachments to download every file with its original name. Or click Full pack for a dated ZIP with a folder per thread and an HTML copy of each email.
Unzip if needed. In Google Drive, click New > Folder upload and choose the folder.

Free includes 3 attachment exports and 3 Full pack exports a day. Premium ($6.99/month or $69.99/year) is unlimited (per getpickads.com, 2026-10-20).

For a download-only walkthrough, see download Gmail attachments.

Automation options and limits

Option	What it does	Limits
Google Workspace Studio	A flow with the starter When I get an email and a step that saves attachments to a Drive folder. Google uses this as an example.	Work and school accounts need an eligible Workspace edition, and an admin must enable Gemini. Personal accounts need Google Workspace Experiments.
Apps Script	Your own script reads messages and saves attachments (GmailAttachment reference)	You write and maintain the code; account quotas apply
Gmail filter + manual Add to Drive	A filter labels matching emails, and you save files weekly	Not automatic

Workspace Studio conditions. The email starter can filter by sender or recipient, words, subject, has attachment, email size and default Gmail labels. It can't filter on custom labels, label: searches or dates. It skips emails created by other flows unless you tick "Include messages sent by flows" (When I get an email; Get started with Workspace Studio).

Naming and folder structure

Folder	Example
By year, then category	`Drive/Records/2026/Receipts/`
By client or project	`Drive/Clients/Acme/2026/`
File name pattern	`2026-03-14_acme_invoice-1042.pdf`

Put the date first (YYYY-MM-DD) so files sort in order.
Keep the original filename after the date when it carries an invoice or order number.
Full pack thread folders keep each email's files together. Rename the top folder with the date range.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
No Add to Drive button	That file type can't go to Drive. Download and upload it.
Can't download	Confidential mode; ask the sender for a normal copy
Warning about a suspicious file	Don't save or open it unless you trust the sender
Drive full	Delete large old emails and files; storage is shared

What Attachly does not do

It doesn't run on a schedule or save new mail automatically. You select emails and start each export. It doesn't open confidential-mode or password-protected attachments.

Last verified: 2026-10-20

Privacy: Attachly processes attachments locally in your browser. If you connect Drive, files go directly to your Drive. See the Attachly privacy policy.

FAQ

Does Drive count against Gmail storage? Yes. Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos share one storage quota, starting at 15 GB per Google Account. Both Gmail messages with attachments and Drive files count. If you keep the email and also save the attachment to Drive, expect both to use space.

Can I do it automatically? Yes, with limits. Google Workspace Studio can run a flow when an email arrives and save its attachments to a Drive folder. It needs an eligible Workspace edition with Gemini enabled, or Google Workspace Experiments on a personal account. Otherwise, use Apps Script or a weekly manual routine.

Are attachments scanned? Gmail checks attachments and warns you when one looks suspicious, for example if it allows unverified scripts. Encrypted, password-protected files can't be scanned for viruses. If an email looks suspicious, don't download or save its attachment to Drive.

Download Gmail attachments: save files to your computer first.
Gmail search operators for attachments: find exactly the emails to save.
Save Gmail as PDF vs Google Takeout: for full backups instead.

Add Attachly to Chrome - Free

Sources

Open & download attachments in Gmail – Gmail Help: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/30719
How your Google storage works – Google Account Help: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/9312312
Get started with Google Workspace Studio – Workspace Studio Help: https://support.google.com/workspace-studio/answer/16444479
When I get an email – Workspace Studio Help: https://support.google.com/workspace-studio/answer/17176962
Class GmailAttachment – Apps Script: https://developers.google.com/apps-script/reference/gmail/gmail-attachment