How to Save Emails to Google Drive with Make.com

Using make.com, you can automatically save incoming emails and their attachments to Google Drive without manual downloads or filing. This guide walks you through building a complete scenario that connects your email service with Google Drive so your important messages and files are always organized and backed up.

The tutorial below follows the official process from the make.com how-to for saving emails to Google Drive, adapted into a clear, SEO-friendly reference you can follow step by step.

What You Need Before You Start with Make.com

Before creating the scenario, prepare the following items so you can move through the make.com setup smoothly:

• A make.com account with access to the Scenario editor
• An email account supported by make.com (for example, Gmail, IMAP, or a custom mail connection)
• A Google Drive account with permission to create folders and upload files
• At least one test email in your inbox that you can use during configuration

Once you have these prerequisites ready, you can begin designing your automation.

Overview of the Make.com Scenario for Email to Google Drive

The complete automation consists of a scenario in make.com that watches for new emails and then saves message data and attachments to Google Drive. In broad strokes, the workflow looks like this:

1. Trigger: A new email arrives in your mailbox.
2. Optional filtering: You limit which emails are processed.
3. Folder handling: A Google Drive folder is selected or created.
4. Saving: Email content and attachments are stored in Google Drive.
5. Scheduling: The scenario runs automatically on a chosen interval.

The core idea is to use dedicated modules in make.com for your mail service and for Google Drive, then connect them with simple mapping and filters.

Step 1: Create a New Scenario in Make.com

Start by creating the main scenario in your make.com dashboard.

1. Log in to your make.com account.
2. Click Create a new scenario.
3. When prompted to choose a first module, search for your email service (for example, Gmail or Email).
4. Select the module that watches for new messages such as Watch emails or a similar trigger module.

This initial trigger is what tells make.com when to start the workflow.

Step 2: Configure the Email Trigger Module in Make.com

Next, configure how make.com should monitor your inbox.

1. Click the email trigger module icon to open its configuration panel.
2. Connect your email account if you have not done so already by following the connection wizard.
3. Choose the folder or label you want to monitor (for example, Inbox or a specific label for automated archiving).
4. Define the initial data range or starting point, depending on the module’s options (e.g., process only emails received from now on).
5. Save your settings.

At this stage, your scenario in make.com knows where to look for new emails.

Step 3: Test the Email Trigger

Before connecting Google Drive, ensure the trigger in make.com works correctly.

1. Send a test email to the monitored account or label.
2. In the scenario editor, click Run once.
3. Wait for make.com to execute the trigger and retrieve your latest email.
4. Open the module’s output (often visible as a bubble above the module) to inspect the data structure, including subject, sender, body, and attachments.

This test output will help you map fields accurately when setting up Google Drive actions.

Step 4: Add the Google Drive Module in Make.com

Now connect Google Drive so make.com can store your email content and files.

1. Click the plus icon next to your trigger module to add another module.
2. Search for Google Drive.
3. Select the action you need, commonly Upload a file or Create a folder.
4. Create or select a Google Drive connection and authorize access when prompted.

You can chain multiple Google Drive modules if you want to create folders dynamically and then upload files into them.

Step 5: Map Email Data to Google Drive Fields

In this step, you tell make.com which parts of the email should be used in Google Drive.

1. Open the Google Drive module configuration.
2. Select a parent folder where your email-related files will be saved.
3. Use the field mapping panel to insert email variables into file or folder names, such as:
   • Subject line
   • Date received
   • Sender address
4. If you are uploading attachments, map the attachment content field from the email module to the File content field in Google Drive.
5. Optionally, store the raw email or body text in a separate file for archiving.

Field mapping is one of the strengths of make.com, giving you fine control over how emails are represented in Google Drive.

Step 6: Add Filters and Conditions in Make.com

Most users do not want to save every single email, so filters help you control what make.com processes.

1. Click the small wrench or filter icon on the connection line between modules.
2. Define conditions such as:
   • Only emails from specific senders
   • Subjects that contain certain keywords
   • Messages with at least one attachment
3. Save the filter so the scenario only continues when criteria are met.

With these filters, make.com becomes a targeted archiving tool instead of a general inbox dump.

Step 7: Handle Multiple Attachments in Make.com

Emails can contain several attachments, and make.com lets you process each one individually.

1. After the email trigger, insert an iterator or attachment-processing module if the mail connector provides one.
2. Configure the iterator to loop through each attachment in the email.
3. Place the Google Drive upload module after the iterator so every attachment is uploaded separately.
4. Use dynamic naming for the files based on attachment name, subject, or date.

This ensures that multiple files from a single email are all stored correctly in Google Drive.

Step 8: Schedule and Activate Your Make.com Scenario

Once everything is mapped and tested, set your scenario to run automatically.

1. In the scenario editor, configure the schedule (for example, every 5 minutes or every 15 minutes).
2. Turn the scenario switch from Off to On.
3. Send a few test emails to confirm that make.com uploads files to the correct Google Drive location.
4. Review your Drive folders after a few runs to ensure the structure and naming conventions meet your needs.

Your email-to-Drive workflow is now automated and maintained by make.com.

Best Practices for Long-Term Use of Make.com

To keep your automation reliable and manageable, follow these guidelines:

• Use clear and consistent folder naming in Google Drive.
• Limit which emails are processed to avoid hitting storage limits.
• Regularly review scenario logs in make.com to catch errors early.
• Document your scenario settings so others on your team can maintain them.

These practices help you get the most value from your integration over time.

Advanced Make.com Enhancements for Email Archiving

Once the basic scenario works, you can expand it using other modules in make.com.

• Trigger notifications in chat tools after a file is saved.
• Tag or label emails after they are processed so you never duplicate work.
• Combine with other apps to create approval flows or reporting dashboards.

Because make.com supports a wide range of services, you can keep extending your automation as requirements grow.

Learning More About Automations with Make.com

If you want to explore the original walkthrough for this use case, you can read the official tutorial on saving emails to Google Drive directly on make.com. It includes visual examples and additional context for building similar scenarios.

For specialized help designing complex workflows or integrating make.com into broader business processes, you can also consult automation experts such as Consultevo, who provide strategy, implementation, and optimization services.

Conclusion: Turn Your Inbox into a Structured Archive with Make.com

By connecting your email account and Google Drive through make.com, you transform scattered messages and attachments into an organized, searchable archive. The scenario described here watches for new emails, filters them based on your rules, and saves content to a structured folder system in Google Drive.

Once configured, this automation runs silently in the background, reducing manual work, improving record-keeping, and ensuring that your important documents are always backed up and easy to find.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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