OmniFocus supports including any type of file as an attachment as part of the note on an action or project, and this artilce will provide detail on the most common methods available to you for adding attachments, depending on the device you are using: Mac or iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.
OmniFocus for Mac
The following options for adding attachments work in OmniFocus 4, as well as other previous versions of OmniFocus for Mac:
- Control-click on an action or project, then choose Attach File in the contextual menu.
- Select an action or project, then choose Edit > Attach File in the menu bar.
- Select and copy a file in Finder, then paste into the note field of an action or project in OmniFocus.
Embedded or linked file attachments
When using the Attach File command the File dialog that you pick from will include options for:
Compact-list
- Embed the file in the document
- Create a link to the file
Embedding is the default option, and what you will most commonly want. Embedded attachments are saved and synced as part of your database, making them available on all of your devices. You’ll just want to mindful about adding too many embedded file attachments or embedding particularly large files, which can impact the performance of OmniFocus and syncing.
With file links, all you are getting is a link to the local copy of the file on that device, meaning the link will only work when used on that particular device. This won’t be helpful if you want to have access to that file from OmniFocus on your other devices. On the other hand, if you only need access to the file on that one device, or if you are trying to maintain a minimal database size, then this can be a useful option.
OmniFocus for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro
Starting with OmniFocus 4, we now have native support for adding any type of file. To do so on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro:
- Tap the Add Attachment
button found in the note field for an action or project.
You will then be presented with a menu providing the following attachment options:
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- Attach File
- Take Photo
- Photo Library
- Scan Document
- Record Audio
With the Attach File option, you will be presented with a document picker providing access to any files found in the Files app, while the other options provide targeted support for adding photos or audio recordings.
OmniFocus 3 for iPhone and iPad
Prior to OmniFocus 4, there were only two types of files that could be added natively in OmniFocus on iPhone and iPad using the Attachments pane in the Inspector:
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- Images
- Audio Recordings
However, there were several alternative methods for adding other types of files as attachments available in OmniFocus 3:
- iPad only: Use Drag and Drop to copy a file from another app — like Files — and drop it into OmniFocus. If you drop a file in the outline it will create a new action with that file attached. Alternatively, can attach a file to an existing action or project by dropping a file into the Attachments pane.
- Pro only: Install this Omni Automation plug-in, which then allows you to add any kind of file to a selected task. For more on installing and running plug-ins, please visit here.
- Use Mail Drop to send emails that include attachments into your OmniFocus database, and any attachments in the email will be included as embedded attachments with the new inbox item that is created.
- Use Shortcuts and our Add Item shortcut action, which includes the option to add attachments. Here is an example shortcut to try.
