Files and Attachments: Upload, Download, Permissions

Attach files to a record or upload them into a file field — who can see, add, and remove them, and how long removed files are kept.

Files reach a record in two ways:

Way	Looks like	Use it for
Attachments	An Attachments tab on the record page, listing any number of files	Contracts, photos, correspondence — anything that belongs with the record
File and image fields	An upload control inside the form, sometimes in each row of a line-item table	A specific document the record needs — a receipt per expense line, a product photo

Both keep the file itself in storage and the record pointing at it, so the same rules decide who may open it.

The Attachments tab

Objects whose builder turned on attachments show an Attachments tab on every record page.

Control	What it does
Upload	Pick one or more files from your computer
File list	Every file attached to this record
Download	Opens the file
Delete attachment	Removes the file from this record, after you confirm

A record with nothing attached says No attachments yet. Upload a file to get started.

Who can do what

Attachments follow the record they belong to:

To…	You need
See the attachments and download them	Read access to the record
Upload an attachment	Edit access to the record — reading isn't enough
Delete an attachment	To be the person who uploaded it, or edit access to the record

The person who uploaded a file can always download it and remove it.

If you can't read a record, its attachments don't exist for you: they don't show up in any list or count. When something is refused you get a plain message, such as You don't have access to attach files to this record. or Only the uploader or someone who can edit this record may delete this attachment.

File and image fields

A file or image field shows an upload control in the form. Pick a file and it uploads straight away, then shows as a chip with the file name that you can remove before saving. In a line-item table (an invoice's lines, say) each row has its own upload cell.

A field can limit which file types it takes and how large a file may be. The server checks those limits again when you save — a file that breaks them is refused with a message naming the field, and nothing is saved.

Downloads are short-lived links

Download asks the server for a link that works for a few minutes (five by default). If you copy that link and open it later, it will have expired — download again from the record. Someone without access to the record can't get a working link at all.

Size limits

A single file can be up to 100 MB unless your administrator set a different limit (Max upload size (MB) under the storage settings' Limits). A file over the limit is refused before any of it is stored.

What happens to removed files

Deleting an attachment removes it from that record. The file itself is cleaned up in stages, so a mistake doesn't destroy data on the spot:

State	What happens
Attached to another record too	It stays, as long as any record still holds it
No longer attached anywhere	Kept for 30 days, then its storage is reclaimed
An upload that was started but never finished	Removed after 7 days

Where to go next

I want to…	Read
Open and edit the record the files belong to	Working with records
Discuss a record with my team	Collaborating on records
Bring in many records from a spreadsheet	Importing data
Set up where files are stored	Storage
Back to the tour	Using ObjectOS

Files and attachments