Add Attachments Column in SharePoint Online List (Enable, Disable, Hide)

If you work with SharePoint lists, sooner or later you’ll need to let users upload supporting files – invoices, screenshots, approvals, or any other documents – directly against list items. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through everything about the Attachments column in a SharePoint Online list: how to add it to a view, show or hide it in forms, and even completely disable attachments when you don’t want them.

What is the Attachments column in SharePoint List?

Whenever you create a modern SharePoint list, SharePoint automatically adds a hidden system column called Attachments. This column:

• Stores files uploaded against a list item.
• Does not show in the list view by default.
• Appears on the New and Edit item forms unless attachments are disabled at the list level.

So you don’t “create” an Attachments column like a normal text or choice column. Instead, you enable or surface it in the list view and control whether users can use it in forms.

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Scenario overview

Assume we have a SharePoint Online list called Customer Details where we track customer information. Along with name, email, and other fields, we want to:

• Allow users to upload related documents (like contracts or ID proofs).
• Show an attachment icon in the list view so users can quickly see which items have files.
• Optionally hide the Attachments field completely for certain lists where documents are not required.

We’ll go step by step and cover both the UI options and some useful tips.

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Add or Show the Attachments Column in a SharePoint List View

By default, the Attachments column is not visible in the SharePoint list view, even though the list supports attachments. This is why you may see the paperclip icon on forms but nothing in the grid.

Let’s first add the Attachments column to a modern list view.

Steps using “Show/hide columns”

1. Open your SharePoint Online site and navigate to the list where you want to show attachments.
2. At the top of the list, click on any column header (for example, Title or your custom column).
3. From the dropdown, click Column settings.
4. Select Show/hide columns. You can see the screenshot below for your reference.

5. In the Edit view columns panel that appears on the right, scroll down until you see Attachments.
6. Check the Attachments column.

7. Click Apply.

Once you do this, you’ll see an attachments icon (a small paperclip) in the new column. It will:

• Be empty if the item has no attachment.
• Show a paperclip icon if there is at least one attachment.

This is usually enough when you just want a quick visual indicator of whether an item has any files in the SharePoint list view.

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Enable Attachments Column from “Edit current view” Option

If you prefer the classic-style view editor or want a bit more control, you can also enable the Attachments column from the Edit current view page.

Here’s how:

• Go to your SharePoint list.
• At the top right of the list, open the view dropdown (for example, All items).
• Click Edit current view. Here is a screenshot

• You’ll be taken to the view settings page.
• In the Columns section, you’ll see a list of available columns.
• Find Attachments and check the checkbox next to it.
• Choose the Position from Left if you want to control where this column appears.
• Scroll down and click OK.

Your list view will now show the SharePoint Attachments column. This method is handy if you’re already customizing other view options like sorting, filtering, or item limits.

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Disable or hide the Attachments column in the SharePoint list view

Sometimes you might not want to show whether an item has attachments in the view, even though the SharePoint list still allows attachments on forms. In that case, you can simply remove the Attachments column from the view.

To hide it again:

1. Open the SharePoint list and click the view dropdown (for example, All items).
2. Choose Edit current view.
3. In the Columns section, uncheck Attachments.
4. Click OK.

Or, using the modern Show/hide columns panel:

1. Click any column header.
2. Select Column settings → Show/hide columns.
3. Uncheck Attachments.
4. Click Apply. Here is a screenshot for your reference.

This does not stop users from uploading files. It only removes the visual column from the view. Users will still see the Add attachments option on the New or Edit form.

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Disable Attachments for a SharePoint List (Advanced Settings)

If you want to completely block users from adding files to a particular SharePoint Online list, you need to disable attachments at the list level. This is useful when:

• You want to keep the list lightweight and only store structured data.
• You manage documents centrally in a document library instead of attaching them to list items.
• You want to avoid users uploading sensitive or unnecessary files.

Here’s how to disable attachments:

1. Open the SharePoint list. Click the Settings (gear) icon at the top right.
2. Choose List settings. On the List Settings page, scroll down to the General Settings section.
3. Click Advanced settings. Here is a screenshot for your reference.

4. On the Advanced settings page, look for the Attachments section.
5. Choose Disabled for Attachments to list items are. Here is a screenshot for your reference.

6. Click OK at the bottom.

What happens after you disable attachments:

• The Attach file option disappears from the New and Edit item forms.
• Any existing attachments will no longer be visible through the UI.
• Users cannot add new attachments to items in this list. You can see in the screenshot below the attachment column is not there.

If you change your mind later, you can come back to the same page and set Attachments to list items are to Enabled.

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Re-enable SharePoint List Attachment Column if They Were Disabled

If you inherit a list or someone has already disabled attachments, you may want to turn them back on.

To re-enable:

1. Go to List settings → Advanced settings.
2. Under Attachments, select Enabled.
3. Click OK.

Once enabled:

• New items will again show the Add attachments option.
• The list will accept file uploads.
• You can add the Attachments column to the view using the steps we covered earlier.

Working with Attachments in SharePoint List New and Edit forms

When attachments are enabled at the SharePoint list level, the New and Edit forms automatically include the attachments area. In modern SharePoint lists, you usually see an Add attachments button at the top of the form or near the bottom.

A typical flow looks like this:

1. Click New to create a list item.
2. Fill in the required columns (Title, Customer Name, etc.).
3. Click Add attachments.
4. Browse and select one or more files from your computer.
5. Save the item.

Some quick notes and best practices:

• Users can upload multiple files to a single list item.
• File size limits depend on your tenant and SharePoint Online limits.
• If you must enforce stricter naming rules or a maximum number of attachments, consider using Power Apps forms or custom logic.

If attachments are disabled (as described in the previous section), this Add attachments option will not appear at all.

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When Should You Use Attachments vs Document Libraries?

Even though the Attachments column is convenient, it’s not always the best solution. It’s good to think through when to use list attachments and when to use a SharePoint document library.

Use list attachments when:

• You need a quick way for users to add supporting files to individual items.
• The number of documents per item is small.
• You don’t need advanced document features like versioning labels, content types, or custom metadata for each file.

Use a document library (often linked by a lookup or a URL field) when:

• You expect many documents per “record”.
• You want rich metadata, content approval, or workflows on individual documents.
• You need to share files independently of the list item.

A simple approach is:

• Use the SharePoint list for structured data (Customer Name, Status, Region).
• Use a SharePoint document library for all files, with columns like Customer ID or Customer Name.
• Link them with a hyperlink or by using views/filters in the SharePoint library.

Wrapping up

The Attachments column in a SharePoint list is one of those features that “just works” once you understand where to enable it and how it behaves. You don’t create it like a normal column; instead, you decide:

• Should this list allow attachments at all?
• If yes, do I want to show an attachment indicator in the view?
• Do I want users to rely on list attachments or move them to a dedicated document library?

Once you answer these questions and follow the steps above, you’ll have a clean, user-friendly list where attachments behave exactly the way you want.

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Bijay Kumar

After working for more than 18 years in Microsoft technologies like SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI), I thought will share my SharePoint expertise knowledge with the world. Our audiences are from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. For my expertise knowledge and SharePoint tutorials, Microsoft has been awarded a Microsoft SharePoint MVP (12 times). I have also worked in companies like HP, TCS, KPIT, etc.