Send files in Zaps

Written by Owner

Updated at August 20th, 2025

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Table of Contents

File formats File objects URL links Text files Send a file in your action step Sending file objects Sending files via URL Sending text files Limitations

Sometimes, you may need to send a file in an action step of your Zap, like adding an attachment to an email or uploading a file to your cloud storage app. To send a file in Zap, you must use:

A file object.
A URL link that supports files.
If an app supports it, you can create a text (.txt) file directly in the field.

If your field is a file field, you will see a file icon in the input box.

File formats

File objects

File objects are the bundles of data that represent the actual file. This is different from the name of the file or other file attributes. For example, the actual image of an apple is the file object, while the file name might be “apple.jpg”.

URL links

If you’re using a URL link to a file, it must be:

Publicly accessible: it cannot require a login to access it.
Downloadable: the app you’re sending it to must be able to upload it to their server.

You can test your URL link by opening it in a private or incognito browser window. If it prompts you to download a file, the link can be used. If it prompts you to log in to an app, loads directly in the web browser instead of downloading, or results in an error code, the link cannot be used.

Text files

Some apps may create a text (.txt) file if you enter text values into a field that accepts files.

Check if a previous step provides a file

If a previous step has a File field with an "(Exists but not shown)" value, that is a file object. If a previous step has an Attachments field, it may have a file object or a URL link to a file that you can use.

Send a file in your action step

File objects URLs Text files

Sending file objects

For file objects, map them from a previous step.
- If you have multiple file objects, separate each one with a comma.
- When the step runs, Zapier will create a .zip archive file with all of the files.

File field with an attachment mapped from a previous field

Sending files via URL

For URLs, enter the URL in the field’s input box.
- If you have multiple file URLs, separate each one with a comma.
- When the step runs, Zapier will create a .zip archive file with all of the files.

File field with two URLs entered as comma separated values

Sending text files

To create a text file in a file field, enter the text in the field’s input box.
- Zapier will attempt to create and send a .txt file if the field supports it.
- Zapier can only create a single text file from your text.

File field with text entered to create a .txt file

Limitations

Some file fields may not accept text.
Files larger than 100 MB may result in a time out error.
Some apps may use list fields to send multiple files.
- You must map each attachment to a separate list field.
- If you enter multiple file objects or URLs as comma separated values in each field, Zapier will only send the first in each field.

Tip

You can also use Formatter to import CSV files to use in your Zaps. You can also use Files by Zapier to:

Create files from CSV or plain text.
Convert CSV files into line items.
Convert CSV, JSON, or XML data into text.
Send CSV row data to a Webhooks by Zapier trigger.