Emailing attachments is one of the most common ways to send files, but it lacks control and security options. And since email isn't the final destination, those files need to be downloaded and saved elsewhere, a slow and manual process.
To improve this process and to help your clients, Couchdrop supports the ability to email attachments directly into cloud storage with the mailbox feature. Mailboxes are unique addresses that are attached to a cloud storage directory. This means that users can email their files directly into a folder within your OneDrive, S3 bucket, Dropbox, or other cloud endpoint.
In this guide, we'll show you how to use Couchdrop to email attachments directly to cloud storage.
Benefits of emailing files to cloud storage
How can the ability to get email attachments quickly into cloud storage help? The main reason is the ubiquity. Everyone has email, and it's also supported by many automated systems, so there's no trouble getting files.
Using emails to share files and easily receive files has the following benefits:
- No software or additional infrastructure required
- Ease of use for non-technical audiences or end-users
- Many systems don't support SFTP or sending files securely to cloud storage, but do support emailing files
- Email files can be processed automatically, including renaming and distribution
- Files are stored directly on cloud storage, which then has sharing, syncing, redundancy, and scalable support
The problem is bridging the gap so that the files that are emailed end up in cloud storage, which is where Couchdrop mailboxes come into play.
How to email a file to Google Drive automatically with Couchdrop
For the sake of this guide, we will use Google Shared Drives for the cloud storage platform, but this process can be used with any compatible storage integration.
Step 1 — Connect the storage integration
Before adding the Mailbox, you'll need to connect the Google Shared Drive to Couchdrop. In this scenario, the Shared Drive folder will act as the central repository for data at rest and will be where files are received.
You can add a new storage connection from any page. When adding a storage connection, choose Google Workspace and fill out the fields, and choose a folder to act as a root (the folder that will be used as the repository in this case).
For a detailed guide on connecting Google Workspace, see our Google Workspace connection guide.
Step 2 - Configure the mailbox
Once you have a successful connection to the Shared Drive folder, you'll need to create a mailbox and configure the Shared Drive location as the path, which Couchdrop will let you select from a menu instead of having to copy and paste.
Couchdrop will then give you your unique mailbox address, which you can copy directly or share via email.
You can try testing the inbox by emailing a message with an attachment to the email address you created and ensuring it arrives in your destination storage. The Inbox should strip the attachment and send it to the folder you configured earlier in this step. You can check this either in your Google Shared Drive itself or within Couchdrop’s interface.
Step 3 - Add the email to automated systems
Go into the automated system and enter your unique mailbox email as the recipient for the file. Doing this will send the file directly to the mailbox without a human having to be involved. Remember, this mailbox is connected to a folder in the Shared Drive, so what this is actually doing is having the system email the attachment directly to the Google Drive folder.
You have now enabled the ability to email to cloud storage. From here, emails with attachments that are sent to your mailbox address will go directly into the Google Drive folder.
Can human users use mailboxes too?
While human users can use mailboxes as well, email is still the transfer method and still lacks in security and control compared to other methods.
Instead of sending users a mailbox address to email files as attachments, we recommend using upload links instead, which are secure, brandable web portals where users can upload files to an attached directory. Upload links are more secure and include more controls for you to use while still being simple and straightforward for your users.
Try Couchdrop for emailing files to cloud storage
If you want to see if Couchdrop will work for your workflows, you can try setting up your own email inbox with a free trial. This will let you connect your storage and test out emailing files to cloud storage, along with all other Couchdrop features.
You can try Couchdrop free with instant access for 14 days, with no credit card or other hoops required. Simply sign up for a trial and get started in minutes.