Opening Attachments

Sidonia Posteuca

How do I set it up so that attachments open in Smartsheet?

I want excel files/attachments to open up automatically instead of having to download every time I want to view it.

Genevieve P.

Hi Sidonia,

Opening an attachment within Smartsheet will depend on the type of file:

Some types of files (for example, images) that were uploaded from a computer or mobile device can be viewed directly in Smartsheet, however others (for example, Word docs or Google Slides) can't be previewed.

If the file originates from a supported online storage service, clicking the name will open the file in another browser window.

You can find more information on attachments in our Help Center (see here).

Cheers!

Genevieve

Kelly Kenney

So I had just accepted that every time I need to view an excel document attached in smartsheet I have to download it. However, one of my co-workers clicked on an excel attachment in smartsheet while she was sharing her screen in a meeting and it just opened up in another window. I noticed she wasn't using Chrome, she was using Microsoft Edge I think, but I Chrome is my preferred browser and I was told it was also Smartsheet's preferred browser. Also, another co-worker who uses a mac but chrome said she doesn't have to download it either, it also opens up in another tab. Is it possible in Chrome to view an excel file without always having to download it?

Genevieve P.

Hi @Kelly Kenney

Where is the attachment stored? Is it possible that these other users have uploaded a file that's stored in an online storage service (e.g. Google Drive)?

For example, I have two attachments on this row. The top one is stored in Drive and so it will open up as a new window, but the bottom one is a csv that will need to be downloaded.

If the file is not originally stored online, depending on the file type you could potentially open it with Drive, from the dropdown menu:

This will then open in a new window!

See the note at the bottom of this article section: Access and preview attachments

Cheers,

Genevieve

Kelly Kenney

Wow, not sure why I never tried that! Thank you so much!

Michael Chohrach

I have this same issue. A colleague can click on an attached Excel file and it opens directly in Excel for her but if I click on the same attachment, it prompts me to first download the file. This attachment is directly attached to the row, it is not in Google Drive or any other online location. Does it perhaps function differently if the person is using O365 Excel versus desktop Excel?

Andrew A

By catering to people who wanted to view attachments within Smartsheet, an additional step has been introduced for attachments that are protected as they must now be downloaded as a redundant copy to a download folder in order to access the password entry box which used to appear immediately upon clicking the attachment. Please consider giving users the option to turn this off as it is not useful for everyone. One step forward for some is one step backward for others unless you give them a choice.