# Where SharePoint list attachments are stored

> For the full documentation index, see https://250highstreet.com/llms.txt

> Teams attach files to list rows, then cannot find them. What SharePoint documents about list attachments, and when a linked document library fits better.

A SharePoint list attachment belongs to one list item. You reach it only by opening that item, under Attachments in the item form, and Microsoft's limits page lists 250 MB for a file attached to a list item. Microsoft's help pages listed below do not say where attachments sit behind the scenes. If you need to search, sort or version the files, keep them in a document library and link each row to it. This guide shows how to choose, how to link a list to a library, and a worked example.

## The problem: files attached to rows that nobody can find

A team builds a Requests list. People attach a contract PDF to each row. A year later someone asks, "Which contracts expire this quarter?" or "Where is the signed copy for Job 12?" The files are inside rows. To find one, you must first find the row, then open it, then look at its attachments.

That works for a handful of rows. It gets slow when there are hundreds. The fix is not a better search habit. The fix is to decide, early, which files belong with a row and which files deserve their own home.

This guide covers files attached to rows. If you want to see who changed a row, see "[See who changed a row: SharePoint version history](/guides/who-changed-this-row/)". If your list is growing large, see "[SharePoint list over 5,000 items: what breaks and the fix](/guides/sharepoint-list-view-threshold/)".

## What a list attachment is

Microsoft says you can attach files to a list item to provide additional details, such as a spreadsheet with numbers or a background document. Here is what Microsoft's support pages document:

- You need Contribute permission level or higher to add items, and Contribute or higher to edit them.
- In the single-item form, you select Add attachments, find the file and select Open. Hold the CTRL key to pick more than one file.
- To remove an attachment, you select the X next to the file name.
- If you do not see the Add attachments command, the list does not support attachments.
- You cannot attach a file to a list item in Edit in grid view. Open the single-item form instead.
- The Microsoft Lists phone app was retired in November 2025. On a phone, open the list in a web browser. See "[Microsoft Lists phone app is gone: what to use now](/guides/microsoft-lists-mobile-app-retired/)".

On size, the SharePoint limits page lists "250 MB - File attached to a list item." It says this applies to Microsoft Lists and SharePoint lists. For comparison, the same page lists a 250 GB upload limit for each file in SharePoint document libraries. Microsoft publishes no limit on how many files you can attach to one item in the pages listed below. Do not plan around a number nobody has published.

## What Microsoft does not say

Some questions people ask have no answer on the Microsoft support pages listed below:

- Where an attachment is stored behind the scenes. The support pages do not say.
- Whether the search box finds text inside an attachment. The support pages do not say.
- Whether you can give one attachment different permissions from its row. The support pages do not say.

Community threads suggest an attachment follows the permissions of its row. Those are community answers, not Microsoft documentation. One way to start: test it on your own site with a test row and a test user before you rely on it. If the files are sensitive, ask your Microsoft 365 admin.

A safe working rule follows from this. If you cannot confirm how a file is stored, searched and protected, do not use an attachment for anything that matters on its own.

## What a document library gives you

A library is built for files. From the Microsoft pages:

- File size. Up to 250 GB for each file uploaded to a SharePoint document library.
- Items. A library can have up to 30 million files and folders.
- Columns. Microsoft says columns let you sort, group and filter items in a list or library. In a library, that means each file can carry its own columns, such as Contract type, Counterparty or Expiry date. Some file details, such as created date and modified date, already exist in hidden columns that you can show.
- Views. A view changes how the files show. It does not copy the files.
- Versions. The SharePoint limits page lists "50,000 major versions and 511 minor versions." Microsoft's version history is covered in "[See who changed a row: SharePoint version history](/guides/who-changed-this-row/)".
- Permissions. A library can have its own permissions, separate from the list. The limits page gives 5,000 unique permissions as the recommended general limit for a list or library.

None of this is available for a file that is only an attachment to a row.

## Decision list: attachment or library

Use an attachment when all of these are true:

1.  You have one to three supporting files per row.
2.  Nobody needs to search or filter by details of the file itself.
3.  The file is small, well under 250 MB.
4.  The file has no expiry, owner or approval of its own.
5.  The file can be deleted when the row is deleted.

Use a library with a link when any of these are true:

1.  The file is a contract, policy, certificate or other record.
2.  You need columns on the file, such as type, expiry date or owner.
3.  Several rows may point to the same file, or one row has many files.
4.  Different people need different access to the files than to the rows.
5.  You must keep the file after the row is closed or removed.
6.  The file may be larger than 250 MB.

If you tick any item in the second list, use the library. One way to start: treat attachments as notes, and treat anything you would file in a cabinet as a library file.

## How to link rows to a library folder

You have two ways to connect a row to its files. Exact names may differ in your account.

Option 1. A link column (Hyperlink)

Microsoft describes the Hyperlink column as storing a hyperlink to a webpage, graphic or other resource. Use it to hold the address of the row's folder in the library.

1.  Open your list. To the right of the last column name, select Add column.
2.  Choose the Hyperlink column type. If you do not see it, choose to see all column types.
3.  Name it "Contract folder" and select Save.
4.  In the library, open the folder for that row, and copy its link using the Copy link option.
5.  In the row, paste the link into Contract folder.

This is simple and works with any library on any site you can reach. The weak point is that a person must paste each link by hand.

Option 2. A lookup column

Microsoft describes the Lookup column as letting people choose values based on information already stored on the site, and says it can draw from another list or library on the site. A lookup shows a value from the other place, such as the name of a contract record. It does not open a folder for you.

Microsoft's lookup page lists the source column types a lookup can use: single line of text, number, date and time, and lookup (single value). It says lookup columns should be created and used within the same site. It also sets a default of twelve lookup columns for a view. That page does not say whether a lookup can point to a library, so test this on your site first.

A related guide: "[SharePoint lookup column shows blank or too few fields](/guides/sharepoint-lookup-column-not-showing/)".

One way to start: use the link column. It is the easiest to check, and every person can see where it goes.

## Worked example: a Requests list with contract PDFs

A small team runs a Requests list. Each row is a request from a customer, and each request ends in a signed contract PDF.

Before. People attach the PDF to the row. Nobody can list all contracts that expire this quarter. To find one PDF, someone must find its row first.

After. The team does the following.

1.  Create a document library called "Contracts".
2.  Add columns to the library: Contract type (Choice), Counterparty (Single line of text), Expiry date (Date and time), Request (Single line of text). Number the Choice values, such as 1 Service, 2 Supply, 3 NDA.
3.  In the Requests list, add a Hyperlink column called "Contract folder".
4.  When a contract is signed, upload the PDF to the library. Fill in its columns. Type the request Title into the Request column so you can match them.
5.  Copy the library link for that file or folder. Paste it into Contract folder on the row.
6.  In the library, make a view called "Expiring soon". To filter by today's date, use the classic view editor (Edit current view, then Filters), because \[Today\] works there. Set two filters joined by And: Expiry date is greater than or equal to \[Today\], and Expiry date is less than or equal to \[Today\]+90. Exact names may differ.

Now the team can answer "Which contracts expire this quarter?" from the library view, and open any contract from its request in one click. The PDF survives if the request row is archived. For reminders before an expiry date, see "[How to set up a vendor list with renewal dates in SharePoint](/guides/setup-vendor-list-renewal-dates-sharepoint/)".

## What to avoid

- Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: do not use attachments for records you must keep. An attachment is reached only through its row.
- Do not assume an attachment has its own permissions. Microsoft's pages do not say it does. Test, or ask your admin.
- Do not edit attachments in Edit in grid view. Attaching is not supported there.
- Do not paste links to files in someone's personal OneDrive. If that person leaves, the link breaks. Use a shared site library.
- Do not name the library folder by a number nobody can match. Use the same name or ID in the folder and in the row Title.
- Do not skip a plan for the folder link. Decide who pastes it and when, or links will be missing.

## Move existing attachments to a library

You can move attachments by hand or with a Power Automate flow.

With a flow: Microsoft's SharePoint connector page lists Get attachments, which it describes as "Returns the list of attachments for the specified list item", Get attachment content, and Create file, which it describes as "Uploads a file to a SharePoint site. Make sure to pick an existing library." Build a flow that loops over the rows, runs Get attachments for each row, then Get attachment content and Create file for each file, with the library as the target. The same page says the connector "supports list item attachment sizes up to 90 MB", which is lower than the 250 MB list limit, so move larger files by hand. Test on one row first and keep the attachment on the row until the library copy opens.

By hand, one way to start:

1.  Pick the group that matters most, such as signed contracts.
2.  Open each row, download the attachment and upload it to the library. Fill in the library columns.
3.  Paste the library link into the row.
4.  Keep the attachment on the row until the link works. Remove it afterward with the X next to the file name.
5.  Do ten rows first, then check that you can find any of them from the library view.

## Honest limits

Exact names may differ on your screen. The 250 MB figure applies to a file attached to a list item, as of the limits page. Where attachments are stored, how search treats them, and their exact permission behavior are not stated on the pages listed below. Plans differ, so check with your admin before you rely on any size for a business process.

## When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: \$5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "[What a SharePoint tracker costs to build](/guides/what-a-sharepoint-tracker-costs/)". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: [Tools I built](/portfolio/)

## FAQ

### SharePoint list attachment size limit?

The SharePoint limits page lists 250 MB for a file attached to a list item. It lists 250 GB for each file uploaded to a SharePoint document library. The Power Automate connector page lists 90 MB for list item attachments.

### SharePoint list attachments to a document library?

Move them by hand, or build a flow with Get attachments, Get attachment content and Create file. Files over 90 MB need a manual move.

### SharePoint list attachments not showing?

Microsoft says that if you do not see Add attachments, the list does not support attachments. It also says you cannot attach a file in Edit in grid view, so open the single-item form. See "[SharePoint list attachments not showing](/guides/sharepoint-list-attachments-not-showing/)".

### Do attachments have their own permissions?

The Microsoft pages listed below do not say. Community answers suggest they follow the row. Test with a test user, or ask your admin, before you store anything sensitive.

### Should every list have a linked library?

No. If a row needs one small supporting file, an attachment is fine. Add a library when the files need their own columns, versions or access.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Support, Add list items](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/add-list-items)
- [Microsoft Support, Edit list items](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/edit-list-items)
- [Microsoft Learn, SharePoint limits](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/sharepoint-online-service-description/sharepoint-online-limits)
- [Microsoft Support, List and library column types and options](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/list-and-library-column-types-and-options)
- [Microsoft Support, Create list relationships by using lookup columns](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/create-list-relationships-by-using-lookup-columns)
- [Microsoft Support, Create a column in a list or library](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-column-in-a-list-or-library-2b0361ae-1bd3-41a3-8329-269e5f81cfa2)
- [Microsoft Learn, SharePoint connector](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/sharepointonline/)
- [Microsoft Support, Use filtering to modify a SharePoint view](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-filtering-to-modify-a-sharepoint-view-3d8efc52-0808-4731-8f9b-3dfaeacea3d4)

## Related guides

- [SharePoint list attachments not showing](/guides/sharepoint-list-attachments-not-showing/)
- [Email the files attached to a SharePoint list item](/guides/power-automate-email-list-item-attachments/)
- [Save email attachments to SharePoint automatically](/guides/power-automate-save-email-attachments-to-sharepoint/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/where-do-sharepoint-list-attachments-go/