Attach: A Shopify file upload app for personalized orders

Which Shopify stores is Attach built for?

Attach is built for stores where making the product starts with something the customer supplies. A pet portrait needs a pet photo. A printed invitation needs artwork. A custom part may need a reference image. The file belongs with the item being ordered, alongside its size, color, and quantity.

Collecting those files by email creates a matching task: which message belongs to which item, and which attachment should production use? Attach collects the file while the customer chooses the product, then carries its reference into the order. Consider these hypothetical setups:

• Personalized gifts: a photo mug or memorial keepsake with one clearly labeled customer-photo field.
• Print and artwork orders: a sign with separate fields for front artwork and a reference image.
• Custom-made products: a maker asking for several reference photos that explain the requested finish or fit.

These stores need a dependable file handoff. A photo upload button is the beginning; finding the correct original when an order is ready to make is the useful result.

Why choose Attach for personalized-product orders?

If your main requirement is collecting source files and retrieving them against the correct Shopify order line, Attach is a strong fit. Its advantage for that job comes from the details between upload and fulfillment:

• Instructions per file field. Ask for the front artwork and back artwork separately, with different accepted types and size limits.
• Item-level association. Files follow the relevant order line rather than becoming an undifferentiated order attachment.
• Originals preserved. A small photo preview is separate from the original you download for production.
• Practical retrieval. Search by order number, use the Shopify order-details block, or collect eligible originals in a ZIP download.
• A store-owned appearance. The storefront widget inherits the theme and displays no Attach branding.

The best app for your store depends on what happens after collection. Choose Attach when that handoff is the priority. If you need customers to design a product on screen or approve a generated proof, evaluate a design or proofing tool for those jobs.

How do customer files get attached to Shopify orders?

1. Connect the theme. Enable the app embed and add the product upload block to the product template you use.
2. Configure the product. Choose field labels, instructions, accepted file categories, and file counts within your plan.
3. Collect before checkout. The customer selects files on the product page. Their references appear with the cart item and continue into the order.
4. Retrieve for production. Once linked to an order, the files appear in Attach. The account owner can find the order and download its originals.

References apply to every unit on the same cart line. Two identical mugs with the same photo can share a quantity-two line; two mugs with different photos need separate lines. Make that distinction clear in your product instructions.

On standard themes, collection happens on the product page. Cart and drawer display does not mean customers can upload there; multi-file cart controls are read-only apart from removal. Test your actual product-to-cart path, including alternate templates. Do not assume quick-add, accelerated checkout, or a custom drawer supports file collection. See how Attach works.

What file types and upload limits does Attach support?

Attach accepts JPEG, PNG, HEIC/HEIF, and WebP photos. Paid plans also support PDF; design files including SVG, AI, EPS, and PSD; ZIP archives; modern Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx); and video formats including MP4, MOV, and WebM. Executables, scripts, HTML, and macro-capable legacy Office formats are excluded.

Paid plans allow up to five fields per product and up to ten files per field. A field might be labeled “Front artwork” with PDF and design files enabled, while “Reference photos” accepts photos only. Enable the categories you actually need rather than asking customers for any file.

Maximum file sizes depend on the plan: 10 MB on Free, then 50 MB, 250 MB, or 2 GB on paid tiers. You can set a lower field limit. Free is photos-only, with one field per product and one file per field. Check the current plan limits against your source files.

Can Attach check photo dimensions or require a file?

Optional photo rules let you specify minimum pixel dimensions and an aspect ratio. For example, a print could ask for at least 1800 × 1200 pixels, accepting either portrait or landscape orientation. These checks help reject an undersized source; they do not assess sharpness, crop the artwork, or guarantee print quality.

Server-side dimension checks apply to decodable photos up to 20 MB. Larger photos do not get that check or a stored preview. Test representative phone files, especially HEIC, before relying on a particular capture-to-print workflow.

A required field blocks normal product-form submission when empty and hides accelerated checkout. It is a storefront control, not a universal checkout rule: quick-add or direct cart requests can bypass it. If the upload settings cannot load, the form does not enforce the requirement. Keep a missing-file procedure for production.

Are customer photos and artwork kept private?

Originals are stored privately. Merchant downloads require authenticated Shopify account-owner access, and original download links expire within five minutes. Attach preserves the original file rather than replacing it with a compressed preview; original metadata, including possible photo location data, can remain in that file.

The reference link shown with a cart item is different. Anyone who has that link can open its sanitized photo preview, or a name/type/size card for a file without a preview, until expiry or deletion. It does not expose the original. Stored photo previews have metadata removed.

File-type checks are not antivirus scanning. Attach does not scan uploads for malware, and a matching file type does not make artwork production-ready. Request only information needed for the product and review the Attach privacy policy when writing your customer instructions.

What should you plan for fulfillment and file retention?

Budget by files, not just orders. An order with six attached photos uses six monthly order files. Files count when first linked to an order; deleting them does not restore that allowance. Storage capacity and file-size limits are separate considerations.

Free retains new order-linked files for 30 days; paid tiers provide 90, 180, or 365 days. Unattached uploads expire after 14 days. Download production assets before expiry, especially if your lead times are long. Attach is not a permanent asset archive or a self-service reorder library.

For batch work, ZIP downloads can collect eligible ready files from an order, selected rows, or an order-date range, capped at 200 files and 8 GB per archive. Access is currently account-owner-only, so plan how originals reach your production team. Staff and collaborators cannot independently retrieve them through Attach.

Can customers send a missing file after checkout?

Attach’s standard collection flow is before checkout. Do not plan around a post-purchase upload portal or automatic emails requesting missing artwork. Order reconciliation can reconnect an existing upload when its order link needs recovery; it does not collect a new file from the buyer.

For a store collecting reference photos and artwork before purchase, Attach keeps the production original tied to the item it describes. If that is your requirement, explore Attach and compare its plans and retention with your order volume. The public Shopify App Store listing is coming soon.

Frequently asked questions