Email to cloud storage

How it works

1. 1

   Forward the email to your ForwardThis address with some simple instructions, like "save the attached contract to Clients/Fenwick in Dropbox".

2. 2

   The attachment lands in that folder, in whichever of the five you keep your files in. ForwardThis creates the folder if it is not there yet, and a file already sitting under the same name is never overwritten: the new one is saved beside it under a slightly different name.

3. 3

   You receive a confirmation email with a link to the file, plus an undo button if something doesn't look right.

FAQs

How do I send an email to cloud storage?

Forward the email to your ForwardThis address with some simple instructions, like "save the attached contract to Clients/Fenwick in Dropbox". The attachment is filed in that folder and ForwardThis replies with a link to it. The first time, you will need a free ForwardThis account with your storage connected. It takes about 30 seconds.

Which cloud storage does it work with?

Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and SharePoint. The forward is identical in each: the attachment is filed in the folder your instructions give, and the confirmation links straight to it. SharePoint files go into a document library on a team site, and the site and library can both be left out to use the defaults.

What if the folder does not exist yet?

ForwardThis creates it as it files the attachment, and the confirmation tells you when it has. In Dropbox, OneDrive and SharePoint a path several levels deep works the same way: every missing folder along it is created. Drive reuses a folder of that name where one already exists rather than making a second.

Can it save the email itself, not just the attachment?

Not into a folder. A message is not a file, so there is nothing to put there, and an email with no attachment gets a reply saying so. If the words matter, ForwardThis can write the email into a Google Doc, a Confluence page or a Notion page, and file the attachment in the same forward.

Can it tidy up files that are already there?

Yes. Moving a file to another folder, renaming it, copying it, sending it to the trash and sharing it with a colleague are all things your instructions can ask for, and in Box a folder can be moved, renamed or trashed exactly like a file. Sharing puts the file in front of somebody else, so ForwardThis shows you who will be able to reach it and waits for a yes. Google Drive is the one limit worth knowing: it can only reach files ForwardThis saved for you, because that is all the access it asks for.

Don't these apps have their own upload addresses?

Box does. Each Box folder can be given its own upload address, and if everything always goes to the same place, that is enough. It is set up folder by folder, though, and an address on its own cannot read anything you write. ForwardThis is one address for all five, and the destination comes out of the email.

Does it work with Outlook and other email apps?

Yes. ForwardThis works with any email provider: Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and everything else. If it can forward an email, it works.

What happens to my email afterwards?

It gets deleted. ForwardThis holds your email briefly in case you press undo, then removes it completely. Nothing is stored long term.