Getting started with Share and Attach Files in Gmail: How to attach files and insert share links from cloud storage

To learn more about Share and Attach Files in Gmail by cloudHQ, visit the
Share and Attach Files in Gmail website.
To install the extension, use the link below:

The current plans and features are on the pricing page of the app.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Share and Attach Files in Gmail by cloudHQ puts an Attach Cloud Files button in the Gmail compose window. From there you can pick files in your cloud storage and attach them to the email, or insert share links to files and folders.

No download to your computer and no second upload are needed. Your file stays where it is in cloud storage, and you do all the work from the draft.

Key Features

Attach files from your cloud storage

Click Attach Cloud Files and then Attach Files. Open your folders and tick the files you need. They show up in your draft like any other attachment.

Click Attach Cloud Files and then Insert Share Links, then choose the files or folders. cloudHQ makes the links and puts them in your email. Not every service can make a link for a file, and not every service can make one for a folder, it depends on the service. You can’t attach a whole folder to an email, you can only share it as a link.

Works with many cloud services

The supported services are Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, OneDrive Business, SharePoint, Box, Evernote, Egnyte, Amazon S3, Yandex Disk, Cloud Drive and WebDAV. When you use a service for the first time, connect it with the Add <service> Account link in the file window.

Use Cases

These are the usual reasons people use the extension:

  1. Attach a file without downloading it. Decide on a document kept in your cloud storage right from the draft window.
  2. Share a whole folder with one link. Add a share link to a folder, say onboarding documents for a new hire, and the person gets all of it in one go.
  3. Send work files to clients quickly. Mail files out of Gmail within seconds, and they stay in your cloud storage the whole time.

Installing the extension and attaching your first file

  1. Go to Share and Attach Files in Gmail by cloudHQ in the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Click Add to Chrome and confirm the installation.
  3. Go to Gmail and click Compose. The compose window has an Attach Cloud Files button. On first use, a short note shows up reading Attach files or insert share links to your email. Click Got It.
  4. Click the Attach Cloud Files button. In case you have not signed in to cloudHQ yet, a dialog pops up. Tick I agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and click Create Account. If an account is already yours, click Login instead.
  5. Next to Please authorize your Google Gmail, click Authorize and follow the steps from Google.
  6. Click the Attach Cloud Files button one more time. A window titled cloudHQ Share or Attach Files opens and asks Do you want to attach files or insert shared links? Click Attach Files.
  7. A window opens with the title Select files to attach to your email. Click the cloud service that you want to use. If you have not connected it yet, the message You haven’t added your account yet! appears, and beside it sits the link Add <service> Account. Click that link and sign in to the service.
  8. Look through your folders, tick the files you want and click Attach Files. A message shows up: Attachments are getting ready! This could take a few moments … Give it a little time. The files then show up as attachments in your draft.
  1. Click the Attach Cloud Files button, then click Insert Share Links.
  2. The window Select files and folders whose links will be added to your email opens. Choose the files or folders you want.
  3. Click Insert Links. A message appears: Shared links are being created! This could take a few moments …. It may take a little while. When it finishes, the links are in your email.