Save Email Attachments to Drive or SharePoint Automatically

Which method fits your email system

Use the tool that already comes with your email. Both are included in business plans and need no extra subscription for this job.

Microsoft's licensing documentation says Microsoft 365 licences include a limited set of Power Automate capabilities, and standard connectors such as Outlook and OneDrive are among them. Google's Apps Script is available to every Gmail and Workspace account.

Outlook to OneDrive or SharePoint with Power Automate

Start by sending supplier invoices to one place: a shared mailbox such as accounts@, or an Outlook rule that moves them to an Invoices folder. Then build the flow on that folder.

1. 1

   Create an automated cloud flow

   In Power Automate, choose Create, then Automated cloud flow, and pick the Office 365 Outlook trigger When a new email arrives (V3).

2. 2

   Point it at the right folder and filter

   Choose the Invoices folder or the shared mailbox, set Only with Attachments to Yes and add sender or subject filters if needed.

3. 3

   Loop through the attachments

   Add an Apply to each over the attachments, with a condition that skips inline images and keeps only PDF or Excel files.

4. 4

   Create the file

   Use OneDrive for Business Create file, or SharePoint Create file, with a folder such as /Accounts/Invoices/2026-10 and a name built from the date and sender.

5. 5

   Test with real emails

   Send three test invoices, including one with two attachments and one with a logo image in the signature, and check the folder.

Gmail to Google Drive with Apps Script

Gmail has no built-in save-to-Drive rule, but a short Apps Script does the job. The usual pattern uses Gmail labels to track what has been processed.

1. 1

   Create two labels and a filter

   Make labels such as Invoices/To file and Invoices/Filed. Add a Gmail filter that applies To file to emails from your suppliers or with invoice in the subject and an attachment.

2. 2

   Create the script

   At script.google.com, create a project. The script searches for threads labelled To file, saves each PDF attachment to a Drive folder with DriveApp, then swaps the label to Filed.

3. 3

   Add a time-driven trigger

   In Triggers, run the function every 15 or 30 minutes. Apps Script cannot start instantly on a new email, so a short delay is normal.

4. 4

   Authorise and test

   Run it once by hand, approve the Gmail and Drive permissions, then send a test invoice and wait for the next run.

Google's quota page sets limits that matter here: each run can last up to 6 minutes, and time-driven triggers can run for 90 minutes a day in total on consumer Gmail accounts or 6 hours a day on Google Workspace. Process a limited batch of threads per run so a busy morning does not hit the limit. Our Apps Script automation guide covers the basics of scripts and triggers.

Naming rules, folders and duplicates

Automatic saving is only useful if people can find files later. Decide the rules before you build.

• Folder by month or financial year: /Accounts/Invoices/2026/10 keeps folders small and matches how your accountant works.
• File name pattern: date received, supplier, then the original file name, for example 2026-10-19_SupplierName_INV-1042.pdf.
• Supplier name from the sender: map known sender addresses to short supplier names; put unknown senders in an Unsorted folder.
• Duplicates: suppliers resend invoices. Check whether a file with the same name exists and skip it or add a suffix, rather than overwriting.
• Keep the email: add a link or the email subject in the file description, or keep the email in a Filed label or folder, for audit.

Security: malicious attachments and access

Attackers send fake invoices with harmful attachments precisely because finance staff open them. An automation that saves every attachment can spread a malicious file into a shared folder where more people open it.

Fake invoices are also a common route for payment fraud. An automation should file documents, never approve or pay them.

When a receipt-capture tool is the better choice

If the goal is getting bills into Xero or QuickBooks, a receipt-capture service may beat a home-made flow. Tools like Dext and Hubdoc give you a dedicated email address, read the supplier, date, amount and GST from each document and publish it to your accounting software.

Our Dext vs Hubdoc comparison covers prices and differences for Singapore businesses.

Do it yourself or get help?

A simple version, one folder and one supplier filter, is a good first DIY project in either Power Automate or Apps Script. Handling double triggers, duplicates, naming maps and safe file types takes longer to get right.

Our Workflow Automation (S$390 per workflow) builds one workflow of up to 5 steps on Make, Zapier or Google Apps Script in your own account, with error alerts to your email and documentation of how it works. Make and Zapier also connect to Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint.