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📎 Sending File Attachments

The Docu Merge add-on includes a built-in feature to handle file attachments. When you initialize your first campaign, the system automatically creates a column titled "File Attachments" in your Google Sheet, which serves as the control center for your outgoing files.

🔐 How to Attach Google Drive Files​

Mail Merge can send Google Drive files, such as PDFs and images, as direct email attachments. To ensure the add-on has permission to "grab" these files, follow these steps to set up your permissions correctly.

1. Prepare Your File Permissions​

Let's say you want to send a Legal Compliance Checklist PDF to everyone who submits a form.

  • Upload: Upload the file to a folder in your Google Drive.
  • Share: Click on the Share button for that file.
  • General Access: Change the access from "Restricted" to "Anyone with the link".
  • Role: Ensure the permission is set to Viewer.
  • Copy Link: Click "Copy link" and keep it ready for the next step.

🛠️ Attachment Options​

There are two primary ways to deliver Google Drive files to your recipients:

(Option 1) Send the Link Directly in the Email Body​

This is the preferred option for large files (over 5MB).

  • Setup: Paste the copied Drive link directly into the Visual Editor while drafting your email content.
  • Gmail Recipients: Gmail will automatically show a file preview at the bottom of the email.
  • Non-Gmail Recipients: They can click the link to view/download the file from the public Google Drive viewer.
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Using links instead of physical attachments keeps your email "light" and prevents it from being blocked by strict corporate mail servers.

(Option 2) Use the "File Attachments" Column​

If you want the file to be delivered as a traditional attachment (clipping icon), use the spreadsheet column.

  • Setup: Paste the publicly available Drive URL into the "File Attachments" cell for that specific row.
  • Multiple Files: You can provide multiple file URLs by separating them with a comma.
  • URL Format: Ensure your URL follows this structure:
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/<FILE-ID>/view?usp=drive_link

⚠️ Technical Restrictions​

Because the application must download and re-attach these files during the merge process, the following limits apply:

  • Single File Limit: The system will silently drop any individual file that exceeds 5 MB.
  • Total Size Limit: If the total size of all files attached to a single email exceeds 10 MB, the attachments will be dropped to ensure delivery.
  • Binary Files Only: You can only attach "static" binary files. Supported formats include:
    • Images: .jpg, .png, .gif
    • Documents: .pdf
    • Compressed: .zip
    • Media: .mp3, .mp4, .wav
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Note on Google Docs/Sheets: You cannot directly attach a "Live" Google Doc or Google Sheet. You must first save it as a PDF, upload that PDF to Drive, and use the PDF's link in the spreadsheet.

🏁 Testing Your Attachments​

Before sending to your entire list, use Debug Mode from the Fetch Run Config window. This will allow you to verify that the Drive URLs are being parsed correctly and that the file sizes are within the allowed limits.