This is a powerful tool to manage and organize the data, powered with cloud sharing option as well. Excel does not natively allow you to add a file directly into a spreadsheet cell. Luckily, there are great alternative ways to link and attach PDF files to specific Google Sheets cells. Here’s how to insert/attach PDF files in Google Sheets.

Read: How to Sync Apple Calendar with Google Calendar

How to Add a PDF as an Attachment to Google Sheets

Now there are a couple of common ways to associate your PDF file with a Google Sheets cell:

• Upload the PDF to Google Drive and link it in Google Sheets
• Insert a Clickable PDF Link Using Google Apps Script

Now, let us dig into every approach.

Method 1: Upload PDF to Google Drive and Insert a Link in Google Sheets:

• • Upload the PDF to Google Drive: Open Google Drive.
  • Click on the New button and select File Upload.
  • Choose the PDF file from your computer and wait for it to upload.
  • Get the Shareable Link: Locate the uploaded PDF file in Google Drive.
  • Right-click on the file and select Get link.
  • Change the file access permissions (if needed) to “Anyone with the link can view.”
  • Copy the generated shareable link.
  • Insert the Link into Google Sheets: Open Google Sheets and select the desired cell.
  • Press Ctrl + K (Windows) or Cmd + K (Mac) to insert a hyperlink.
  • Paste the copied link and click Apply.

Method 2 (Use Google Apps Script to Create a Clickable PDF Link):

If you want this process to be done automatically (and in an organized way), you can use Google Apps Script to automatically add PDF links to your spreadsheet.

1: Open Apps Script in Google Getting Started

• Click on Extensions > Apps Script.
• Insert the Following Script:

function insertPDFLink() {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
  var cell = sheet.getRange("A2"); // Change to the desired cell
  var fileId = "YOUR_GOOGLE_DRIVE_FILE_ID"; // Replace with the PDF file ID
  var fileLink = "https://drive.google.com/file/d/" + fileId;
  
  cell.setFormula('=HYPERLINK("' + fileLink + '", "View PDF")');
}

3. Run the Script
   • Click on the Run button to execute the script.
   • Allow necessary permissions for the script to run.

This will insert a clickable “View PDF” hyperlink into the specified cell.

Bonus Tip: How to Link to a PDF with an Image:

Alternatively, you could insert an image in a Google Sheets cell and hyperlink it to the PDF file:

• Go to Insert > Image > Image in cell and insert an image in the cell.
• Right-click on the image and choose Insert link.
• Now paste your Google Drive PDF file link.
• Click Apply.

Now, clicking on the image launches the attached PDF.

Conclusion

Google Sheets does not directly support file attachments, but you can link PDF files together via Google Drive and hyperlinks. Insert It Manually or Use Google Apps Scripts for Automation The manual way is simple and fast, but if your project is bigger you will need Google Apps Script to populate PDF links to respective cells. Using an image as a hyperlink can also be more visually appealing than plain text in a spreadsheet. Pick the option that fits your process best and streamline your data administration in Google Sheets.