When a new form submission is received in Ninja Forms, upload the files to Google Drive
When a visitor sends a Ninja Forms form with a file attached, this workflow copies that file into the Google Drive folder you select, so uploads are kept in Drive as well as on your site.
Ninja Forms
Google Drive2 steps Setup ~5 min Used on 1.2k sites Free to import
What this workflow does
Files sent through a WordPress form usually sit in your site's uploads folder. Your team can't open them without logging in, and they take up space on the server. This workflow puts a copy of each uploaded file in Google Drive, where the people who need it can reach it.
The Ninja Forms trigger runs whenever a form on your site is submitted. The submission's fields, including the file upload field, are passed to the next step. The Google Drive step then uploads a file to the folder you pick in your Drive. You map the file from the submission into that step.
The template has one upload step, so it handles one file per submission. If your form has several upload fields, add a Google Drive step for each. The entry stays in Ninja Forms as before, and Task History records each run so you can check which file went to Drive.
CVs from a careers page
Applicants attach a CV to a Ninja Forms application. Each file goes to a hiring folder in Google Drive that recruiters already share.
Artwork for print orders
Customers upload a logo or design with their request, and the print team finds it in a Drive folder without logging in to WordPress.
Supporting documents for applications
A grant or membership form asks for a PDF. The document lands in Drive, ready for reviewers to open and comment on.
How this workflow runs
What happens at each step once the workflow is on, and what you need before you import it.
Ninja Forms New Form SubmissionRuns each time a Ninja Forms form on your site is submitted. The answers and the uploaded file from the file upload field are available to map.
- Google Drive Upload a File
Uploads a file to the Google Drive folder you select. Map the uploaded file from the Ninja Forms submission into this step, then run a test to confirm the file arrives.
What you need
- FlowMatticCore
- Ninja Forms PluginPlugin
- Google Drive AccountAccount
After importing, map your own data. To keep the template universal, not every step is pre-filled. Open each step in the builder and connect your accounts and fields (channels, lists, sheets, recipients) before you switch the workflow on.
Make it yours
Changes worth making after you import it.
- Add a Filter after the trigger that continues only when the upload field is not empty, so submissions without an attachment don't reach the Drive step.
- Have more than one upload field? Duplicate the Google Drive step for each field so every attached file is copied.
- Submit a test entry with a small file after import so FlowMattic captures the upload field, then map it in the Google Drive step.
Questions about this workflow
Does my Ninja Forms form need a file upload field?
Yes. The workflow copies the file a visitor attaches, so the form must include a field that accepts uploads.
Are the files removed from my WordPress site after they reach Google Drive?
No. The workflow only copies the file to Drive. Ninja Forms and WordPress keep their copy and the entry as usual.
Can each Ninja Forms submission get its own Drive folder?
Not as imported. The upload goes to one folder you choose. You could add a Google Drive step before it that creates a folder, then upload into that folder.
Which Google account do the uploaded files go to?
The Google account you connect in the Google Drive step. Pick a folder in that account, or a shared folder it can write to.
More File Management workflows
Other ready-to-import templates from the same category.
Import this workflow into your WordPress site
Download the JSON, import it from the Workflows screen and connect your accounts. Every run stays on your server, with no per-task fees.
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