Insert an image in a workflow email using Google Drive as a repository

This tips and tricks article explains how to insert images into workflow emails.

Learn more about the basics of workflow emails:

• Action emails
• Action reminders
• Notifications

Select Customized email under Email template.

If you want to insert an image into your workflow email, you have to provide the URL of an image that is available on line. You can't upload images from your device directly.

However, you can use the procedure described below that lets you embed any image stored in Google Drive to an HTML page. In our case, the HTML page is our email template. 

1. Have you image ready in Google Drive (upload it there if necessary).

2. Right click your image and select Get link. In the Share dialog, define the permission Anyone with the Link.

Note: If your Workspace domain doesn't allow you this, you can't proceed.

3. Click Copy link.

The link is copied to your clipboard with this format:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view?usp=share_link

4. Retrieve the unique FILE_ID of your image file. 

5. Create a download URL for the file using the format below:

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=FILE_ID

Replace FILE_ID with the your image's actual file ID. Then copy the link for use in step 7.

6. In your workflow email, position your cursor where you want to insert your image and click Insert/edit image.

7. Paste the download URL you created in step 5 into the Source field, then click Save.

8. Your image is successfully inserted in the email. Click Save. 

Important: You must keep the image file hosted in Google Drive for it to be displayed in workflow emails.

Optionally, you can perform the same procedure from the HTML source code, where you can completely customize the HTML of the email that is being sent by the AODocs workflow. Select Tools > Source Code.