Attaching files in Confluence is one of the most common actions for any team documenting work, sharing resources, or collaborating across projects. Whether you're adding screenshots, PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, or richer content, the ability to attach files in Confluence quickly and reliably is essential for keeping information organized and accessible.
In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about attaching and managing files in Confluence, including how to upload files natively, how to avoid common attachment issues, and how to work more efficiently by using cloud-stored documents instead of static uploads. We also examine how integrations such as ikuTeam Files for Confluence allow you to attach and edit cloud files from Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, and Egnyte with inherited permissions, live previews, and version-accurate editing that native Confluence attachments cannot provide.
By the end, you'll know exactly how to attach files, how to manage them, what limitations to avoid, and how to make Confluence your team’s secure, central place for file collaboration.
Before exploring best practices, it helps to understand how Confluence manages attachments behind the scenes. Every file you upload, whether it is an image, PDF, spreadsheet, or ZIP, becomes part of the page’s attachments. These files are stored inside Confluence, indexed for search, and versioned automatically whenever you upload a new file with the same name.
When you attach a file to Confluence, the file doesn’t just sit on the page. It’s stored in the page’s attachment directory, which means:
The file is tied to that specific Confluence page.
Anyone with permission to view the page can also view (and often download) the attached files.
Text inside supported file types (like Word, PDFs, and some images) is indexed, allowing users to search for it directly through Confluence search.
There’s also an important difference between the ways files appear:
Attachments are files stored inside Confluence. They live in the page and can be downloaded or previewed.
Links simply reference a file stored somewhere else, like Google Drive or SharePoint.
Embedded content uses macros (like the PDF viewer or Google Drive Embed) to display a file visually inside the page.
Understanding this difference matters because native attachments are static and do not update automatically when the source file changes. This is why many teams eventually shift from standard attachments to cloud file integrations that keep documents synchronized and aligned with the correct permissions.
For now, though, the basics remain simple: when you upload a file to a Confluence page, it becomes part of that page’s attachments, making it easy to share and reference within the workspace.
Confluence gives you several easy ways to upload a file and attach it to a page. Most users rely on the quick options in the editor, but administrators and power users often use the dedicated attachments panel for more control. Below are all the standard methods:
The simplest way to attach a file to Confluence is to drag one or multiple files directly onto the page while editing.
Works with documents, images, spreadsheets, PDFs, ZIPs, and more
Confluence instantly uploads the files
Text inside supported files (PDF, DOCX, etc.) is indexed for search
Inside the editor, click the media icon to upload content:
Toolbar → Add image, video, or file
This opens a file picker where you can:
Upload a single file
Upload multiple files
Insert them as attachments or inline images (for supported formats)
If you prefer choosing files from your system manually:
Click Add image, video, or file
Select Upload file
Choose one or several files from your computer
This is useful when uploading structured folders or organized documents.
You can add attachments at any time while editing a page. Confluence keeps them tied to the page’s version history, and if you upload a file with the same name, it replaces the old one and creates a new version of the attachment.
This is particularly helpful when you need to keep documentation updated without creating duplicates.
Outside the editor, you can manage attachments through:
More actions → Attachments
This page lets you:
Upload files directly
Download attachments
Delete outdated files
Rename attachments
View version history
This method is preferred by admins because it provides complete visibility over all files tied to a page.
By understanding these standard upload methods, users can work more efficiently while ensuring files remain stored, indexed, and easy to access within Confluence.
Confluence’s native attachment system works well for simple uploads, but it comes with predictable pain points, especially as teams grow or begin working with larger files. Below are the most common issues users encounter and how to resolve them quickly.
Confluence instances enforce a maximum attachment size, often 100 MB by default (configurable by admins).
Symptoms:
Upload file error
Upload freezes or fails
“File too large” message
Fix:
Ask the admin to increase the max attachment size in Confluence global settings
Compress large assets (videos, design files)
Or use ikuTeam Files, which stores files in cloud storage such as Google Drive, SharePoint, Dropbox, Box, or Egnyte, allowing you to bypass Confluence’s size limits entirely.
Confluence doesn’t preview certain formats (CAD files, some videos, proprietary formats).
Symptoms:
File uploads successfully but shows “No preview available”
File can only be downloaded
Fix:
Use a supported format (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, JPG, MP4, etc.)
For unsupported formats that must remain as-is, upload via ikuTeam Files to enable live previews for many traditionally unsupported file types
Uploading a file with the same name overwrites the existing attachment and creates a new version.
Symptoms:
Unexpected version changes
Confusion about which file is current
Lost edits when two people upload replacements simultaneously
Fix:
Rename files before uploading
Use the Attachments page to track version history
Switch to ikuTeam Files, where version control follows the source storage (SharePoint/Google Drive) with full audit logs
Every time a user uploads “final_version(3).docx” you get a new attachment. Pages become dumping grounds.
Symptoms:
Multiple versions with unclear naming
Bloated attachment list
Difficulty finding the “true” document
Fix:
Establish simple naming conventions
Regularly clean up via the More actions → Attachments panel
Use ikuTeam Files to eliminate duplicates by editing at the source instead of uploading new copies
Confluence stores attachments at the page level. When pages are moved or copied, files sometimes disconnect or duplicate.
Symptoms:
Attachments are missing after copying a page
Links break when pages are moved
Duplicated attachments across spaces
Fix:
Use Tools → Copy with attachments
Avoid copying large documentation trees with files inside
Use cloud-based attachments (ikuTeam Files) so the file lives outside Confluence and never breaks when a page moves
Cloud Confluence has space-level storage limits, and heavy attachments can cause quotas to fill up.
Symptoms:
Upload errors despite small files
Admin message: “Storage limit reached”
Fix:
Delete old attachments
Archive unused pages
Offload attachments to external cloud storage with ikuTeam Files, freeing your Confluence space
Permissions in Confluence can prevent users from uploading or viewing attachments.
Symptoms:
User cannot upload files
User cannot see attachments on the page
“You do not have permission” errors
Fix:
Check space permissions (can users add attachments?)
Check page restrictions
Verify view/edit permissions
Use ikuTeam Files to inherit permissions from Google Drive/SharePoint, simplifying governance
Some files appear as downloads only because Confluence cannot render or preview them.
Symptoms:
Clicking the attachment triggers immediate download
No preview pane
Fix:
Convert unsupported formats to PDF
Or use ikuTeam Files, which supports previews for far more file types and allows editing in place
Confluence attachment issues are common, but most can be resolved. For many teams, the real improvement comes from moving away from page-level storage and into a system where attachments inherit cloud storage permissions, stay synced, and remain stable. This is exactly what ikuTeam Files brings to Confluence.
Confluence attachments work well for quick uploads, but for teams that manage documentation, specifications, spreadsheets, contracts, or multimedia assets, the native system eventually becomes a bottleneck. The issue is not that attachments are inadequate. It is that they were never intended to serve as a complete document management solution.
Below are the key limitations that teams eventually run into.
When you attach a file, Confluence stores a static copy of it.
If someone updates the original file in Google Drive or SharePoint, Confluence stays outdated. If someone updates the Confluence copy, the source system becomes outdated.
This breaks the “single source of truth” principle.
Confluence only version-tracks the attachments uploaded to that page.
If users upload updated files instead of using the versioning system, the attachment list becomes a mess:
version-2-final.docx
version-3-FINAL-FINAL.docx
version-4-use-this-one.docx
True version control requires centralised storage and automatic updates, which Confluence attachments cannot provide.
Once a file is uploaded, Confluence has no relationship to the original:
No syncing
No live updates
No metadata alignment
No audit trail
If the source file changes, Confluence users won’t know.
Native Confluence attachments cannot be edited in place.
Users must:
Download the file
Edit locally
Re-upload
Overwrite or create a new version
This leads to duplicates, conflicting edits, and lost information across teams.
Confluence permissions only govern who can see or upload attachments. They do not mirror permissions from:
Google Drive
SharePoint
OneDrive
Dropbox
Box
Egnyte
This causes constant access mismatches, especially when multiple departments or external collaborators are involved.
Because attachments sit inside Confluence, they easily become stale:
A contract is updated in SharePoint → Confluence still shows the old version
A spreadsheet is corrected in Google Sheets → Confluence still displays the attachment from months ago
Teams lose trust in the documentation.
As pages multiply, attachments become impossible to govern:
No centralised file dashboard
No storage insights
No attachment lifecycle management
No automated clean-up
At scale, this becomes a significant admin and compliance challenge.
Bottom line:
Confluence attachments are fine for simple uploads, but they cannot support real collaboration, governance, or security needs.
This is exactly why tools like ikuTeam Files exist: to bring live, permission-inheriting, source-linked, secure file management into both Confluence and Jira.
Uploading a file into Confluence is simple, although it is not always what teams prefer anymore. Most organizations work in cloud storage every day, including SharePoint, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, and Egnyte. These files are living documents that multiple people update, are governed by IT policies, and are protected by compliance requirements.
Attaching cloud files to Confluence is possible, but the workflow differs significantly from native uploads. Instead of copying the file into Confluence, you are linking it to the source, keeping the file where it belongs.
This approach has major advantages.
When you attach a cloud file instead of uploading a copy:
The blueprint in SharePoint stays the blueprint everywhere
A Google Sheet updated by Finance reflects instantly in Confluence
The newest version is always the one people see
No duplicates, no conflicting versions, no “Which is the latest?” confusion
Every Confluence page becomes a window into your actual document, not a disconnected copy.
Native attachments multiply quickly:
The same spreadsheet uploaded to 10 pages
The same policy document is uploaded every quarter
Dozens of outdated versions hiding inside the page history
Cloud attachments eliminate this problem.
You attach one file → everyone sees one truth.
Cloud storage systems already have governance models:
SharePoint site permissions
Google Drive shared drives
OneDrive access controls
Box/Egnyte enterprise groups
When you attach a cloud file, these permissions are not replaced by Confluence; they are preserved.
If the user has access → they see the file.
If not → they respect the storage system’s security.
This is essential for any organization working with regulated data, multi-department structures, client collaboration, or strict compliance needs.
Because the file never leaves its home system, all of its governance remains intact:
Version history
Access logs
Retention policies
Sensitivity labels
Backups
DLP rules
Data residency
Confluence becomes the presentation layer, while SharePoint, Drive, Box, or Egnyte remains the system of record.
By attaching cloud files instead of uploading them:
Teams avoid messy download/re-upload cycles
Files remain governed by corporate policy
Editing happens in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace natively
Stakeholders trust the content because it's always current
This is the foundation of modern, scalable documentation.
Native Confluence doesn’t offer a simple or consistent way to attach cloud files from multiple providers.
ikuTeam Files fixes that by letting users:
Browse cloud storage directly inside Confluence
Attach files or whole folders
Display live previews
Edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google documents directly
Inherit permissions from the source (no more “Request Access” loops)
Keep a unified file layer across Confluence and Jira
Confluence Smart Links are excellent for adding clean visual previews to a page, especially when teams only need to reference external content. They reduce clutter, keep pages readable, and work well for small groups that operate inside a single Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 environment.
However, once teams begin working with shared cloud documents or cross-department collaboration, Smart Links reveal clear limitations. They are designed for quick references, not for structured document management, permission governance, or reliable long-term access.
Below are the most common gaps organisations face when relying solely on Smart Links.
A Smart Link does not grant access to the original file. It only displays what the viewer is allowed to see in Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, or Egnyte.
If someone is not part of the correct folder, site, or workspace, the preview fails. They see an empty card, a generic icon, or a familiar “Request Access” screen.
This leads to permission loops, blocked collaboration, and constant confusion about who can see what.
Smart Links display a preview but do not provide a governed or consistent editing experience. Users cannot update Word documents, edit Excel sheets, modify PowerPoint files, or safely update Google Docs and Sheets within Confluence.
They must open the file in a separate tab, which breaks the workflow and often results in duplicate copies or outdated attachments.
Smart Links work smoothly with Atlassian content and some Google Workspace files. Support becomes inconsistent with enterprise storage systems such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Box, Egnyte, and Dropbox.
Most organisations rely on at least one of these platforms and often several at the same time, which makes Smart Links difficult to standardise across teams.
Smart Links do not sync or mirror permissions from the connected storage.
As a result, access varies from person to person:
A manager sees the preview
A designer sees nothing
An external collaborator sees “Request Access”
This inconsistency makes Smart Links unreliable for cross-functional or client-facing work.
A Smart Link references a file but does not keep track of version changes.
If the file is moved, renamed, replaced, or archived in Google Drive or SharePoint, the Smart Link becomes outdated. Confluence has no way to confirm whether the linked content is still correct or up to date.
Smart Links scatter documents across multiple pages without structure. There is no central overview, no folder-level organization, and no way for administrators to govern storage consistently. This becomes difficult to manage as teams grow.
Bottom Line
Smart Links are valuable for quick references and simple visual previews. They are not designed for teams that work with cloud documents every day, nor for organizations that depend on consistent permissions, version accuracy, and governed access across multiple storage platforms.
This is where ikuTeam Files becomes essential. It integrates cloud storage properly, inherits permissions from the source, and gives teams a unified and secure way to browse, attach, and manage files inside Confluence without breaking context or creating access problems.
Native Confluence attachments work for quick uploads, but they quickly become a liability. They create duplicates, break version history, and force teams to manually reupload updated files across pages.
Smart Links improve previews but still fall short: they do not guarantee access, do not support true live editing for Office files, and provide no unified governance.
ikuTeam Files for Confluence solves these problems by integrating Confluence directly with your cloud storage, keeping your files where they belong in SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, or Egnyte, while making them fully usable inside Confluence.
Below is a clear, factual breakdown of what the integration enables.
With ikuTeam Files, you attach the actual cloud file; not a local upload, not a duplicate, not a disconnected copy.
This means:
No duplicates
No version drift
No manual file replacements
No reliance on outdated attachments
Confluence becomes a secure window into your existing cloud storage, not another storage system to maintain.
This is where ikuTeam Files goes far beyond Smart Links.
ikuTeam Files enables true live editing of Microsoft Office files directly inside Confluence, but only when the file is stored in SharePoint or OneDrive for Business, because Microsoft’s online editors require Microsoft 365 storage.
Users can open and edit:
Word (.docx)
Excel (.xlsx)
PowerPoint (.pptx)
Edits are saved immediately back to SharePoint or OneDrive, and the same file stays updated everywhere it is referenced in Confluence.
For teams using Google Drive, files can still be edited, but they open in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides instead of Microsoft’s online editors.
No downloads.
No reuploads.
No risk of outdated files.
ikuTeam Files brings a full file manager into Confluence, allowing your team to:
Browse connected cloud storage folders
Attach or embed files without uploading copies
Reuse the same file across multiple pages
Maintain the same folder structure you already use in your storage provider
It keeps Confluence clean, organized, and aligned with the systems your team already follows.
(Even though ikuTeam Files works the same way in Jira, this article focuses on the Confluence experience.)
This is one of the biggest advantages of ikuTeam Files.
ikuTeam Files automatically mirrors permissions from:
SharePoint
OneDrive
Google Drive
Dropbox
Box
Egnyte
If a user has access to the file in storage, they automatically have access in Confluence.
If they don’t, they won’t see it; no extra steps needed.
This eliminates:
“Request Access” loops
Accidental oversharing
Files visible to some users but blocked for others
Access behaves exactly as your organization has already defined it.
Because ikuTeam Files never creates copies, you retain all versioning and compliance directly from your storage provider:
SharePoint & OneDrive version logs
Google Drive revision history
Storage-level audit trails
Retention and compliance policies
Built-in file recovery
Consistent data residency
Confluence simply displays and interacts with the live file, without storing or altering it.
Every attachment added through ikuTeam Files points to the same single source of truth. Attach the same file to five Confluence pages, and all five display the same real-time version.
Your pages stay:
cleaner
easier to maintain
consistent
version-accurate
No clutter. No confusion. No broken documentation flows.
ikuTeam Files supports:
Rich previews
Full Office and Google file embeds
Folder-level attachments
File cards
Centralized cloud file browsing
Inline navigation of documents
One-click “Edit in Microsoft Online” for Office files
All directly inside the Confluence UI.
No workarounds.
No disconnected tools.
Just a seamless extension of the file system you already use.
ikuTeam Files transforms Confluence from a basic attachment tool into a secure, governed, cloud-native document workspace.
If Smart Links help you reference files, ikuTeam Files helps you actually work with them in a secure, consistent, and duplication-free way.
To show how ikuTeam Files transforms cloud document collaboration, here is a real, everyday workflow that demonstrates how easy it is to attach, view, and edit a SharePoint file inside Confluence without creating duplicates or losing control of versioning and permissions.
With ikuTeam Files installed, you can open the built-in file manager from any Confluence page.
From the editor:
Click Insert → ikuTeam Files
Choose your connected SharePoint location
Browse sites, document libraries, and folders
If the site is not visible, use Find site and enter the SharePoint URL
You can navigate your SharePoint environment just as you would inside Microsoft 365, without downloading files or copying links.
Once you locate your file, click Attach.
ikuTeam Files does not:
upload a new copy
move the file
store the document in Confluence
Instead, it creates a secure, governed reference to the original SharePoint file.
The file appears as a clean, interactive card or is embedded in Confluence, while staying fully stored and controlled in SharePoint.
ikuTeam Files mirrors SharePoint permissions exactly.
If a user has access in SharePoint → they can open it in Confluence
If not → the file remains hidden
Admins do not configure permissions twice
This eliminates access mismatches, “Request access” loops, and inconsistent visibility.
When a user clicks Edit, ikuTeam Files opens the document in Microsoft Office Online, directly from Confluence.
Supported formats include:
Word (.docx)
Excel (.xlsx)
PowerPoint (.pptx)
All edits are saved immediately back to SharePoint.
No download → edit → reupload cycle.
No outdated attachments.
No version conflicts.
(Editing works for SharePoint and OneDrive for Business, as required by Microsoft’s online editor.)
Because the file never leaves SharePoint:
SharePoint version history updates automatically
Any other Confluence page using the same file reflects changes instantly
Users always see the most recent version
Audit logs and retention rules remain intact
There is no need to replace attachments or manage duplicates across Confluence.
All SharePoint governance applies seamlessly, including:
Access control
Data residency
Retention and lifecycle policies
Version logs
Sensitivity labels (if configured)
Audit trails
Confluence becomes a secure workspace for viewing and editing, not a secondary file storage system.
In Short
Attaching SharePoint files to Confluence with ikuTeam Files is:
Faster
More secure
Simpler for editors
Consistent for IT governance
Fully free of duplicates, broken links, and version drift
It eliminates the limitations of native attachments and the permission issues of Smart Links, giving teams a modern, cloud-native way to collaborate on documents inside Confluence.
You can try the ikuTeam Files for free here.
Managing files in Confluence becomes exponentially easier when teams follow consistent practices. Whether you rely on native attachments or cloud files (SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Egnyte), the goal is the same: keep information accurate, accessible, and easy to manage.
These best practices help reduce clutter, prevent version drift, and maintain clean, searchable spaces.
Good naming prevents chaos, especially when multiple teams contribute to documents.
Best practices:
Use descriptive, structured names: ProjectName_FileType_Version
Avoid random suffixes like final_final_v3
Align naming across teams and departments
Clear naming improves searchability and reduces duplication.
Native attachments create new versions or new copies every time someone uploads an updated file.
This leads to:
Outdated versions
Conflicting edits
Unclear “true source”
Best practice:
Attach a file once and avoid uploading revised copies.
For documents that change, use cloud files or ikuTeam Files to avoid duplication entirely.
Static files (PDFs, images, icons) are fine as native attachments. But files that change over time, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, should stay in cloud storage.
Use:
SharePoint
OneDrive / OneDrive for Business
Google Drive
Dropbox
Box
Egnyte
Cloud storage provides:
One single source of truth
Live collaboration
Automatic version history
Proper permission inheritance
Confluence becomes the context layer, not a place where copies pile up.
Broken links and “Access Denied” errors often come from files stored in:
Personal OneDrive
Personal Google Drive
Private SharePoint sites
Individual Dropbox folders
Use team-managed folders to ensure everyone accessing a Confluence page can open the file.
The Confluence content tree is one of the best ways to keep file organization under control.
Best practices:
Group related pages under clear project spaces
Attach files to the page where they belong
Avoid scattering documents across unrelated spaces
Use parent/child structure to reflect your workflow
A clean content tree makes it easier to locate and maintain files.
Old attachments accumulate silently over time.
Create a quarterly routine to:
Remove outdated files
Replace duplicated attachments with cloud file references
Archive legacy project pages
Verify that linked files still exist and are accessible
This keeps your workspace lean, searchable, and trustworthy.
When Confluence’s native attachment system becomes limiting, ikuTeam Files provides:
A unified file layer across cloud platforms
Zero duplicates
Real cloud version history
Permission inheritance from SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, Egnyte
File previews and (for SharePoint/OneDrive) native Office editing
Folder-level attachments
Centralized access and governance
This transforms Confluence from a basic attachment tool into a secure, cloud-native document management hub.
In Summary
Following these best practices ensures smoother workflows, cleaner documentation, and more secure collaboration as your Confluence spaces grow.
Be intentional when attaching files, organize your content tree, avoid duplicates, and rely on cloud files whenever possible.
And when your team needs structured, governed, and scalable file management, ikuTeam Files delivers the most complete experience available in Confluence.
Want to take your document management in Confluence even further? Check out our in-depth guide Document Management in Confluence: Best Practices and Tools. It walks you through real-world workflows, tool recommendations, and step-by-step strategies to make Confluence your trusted and secure document hub.
Attaching files in Confluence is simple, but choosing the right attachment method determines how secure, scalable, and reliable your workspace becomes.
Native Confluence uploads work well for simple, static documents, screenshots, and quick references. They keep everything inside the page and require no additional setup. But once files begin to change or require collaboration, native attachments quickly lead to duplicates, version confusion, and permission headaches.
Smart Links offer a cleaner, more visual way to reference external content. They help reduce clutter, improve readability, and make pages easier to scan. However, Smart Links remain limited by viewer permissions, storage restrictions, and the lack of live editing. This is why they often break for cross-team or cross-domain collaboration.
For teams that rely on SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, or Egnyte, the most efficient and reliable way to attach files in Confluence is to use ikuTeam Files. It provides a true cloud file integration layer that:
Attaches cloud files without creating copies
Maintains full permission inheritance from the storage provider
Allows live editing for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Sheets, and more
Ensures version consistency by making sure everyone always sees the latest file.
Offers previews, folder attachments, and cross-platform governance
With ikuTeam Files, Confluence becomes more than a documentation tool.
It becomes a secure, unified workspace where files, pages, and people stay perfectly in sync.