New File Upload Feature in Squarespace: A Game Changer!

If you’ve ever tried to gather CVs, request documents, or ask clients for key files through your website, then you’ve probably felt the growing pain familiar to every Squarespace user: “Why on earth can’t I just let people upload a file with the form?” Today, after years of cobbling together third-party widgets and awkward workarounds, relief has finally arrived. Squarespace has introduced native file uploads for forms. Yes, they might have been fashionably late to the no-brainer feature party, but now we can do something that should have been possible ages ago.

This article walks you through exactly how to wrangle the new file upload option, sidestepping the most common problems, and shows practical ways to make it work for your real-world needs. And in true Pixelhaze style, we’ll keep it personable, to the point, and full of real advice that’ll actually help you solve the issue.

Why This Matters

Let’s be blunt: having people email you attachments separately or use third-party solutions for simple uploads is clunky. It is bad for trust, frustrating to manage, and frankly, a waste of everyone’s time.

Imagine you’re running a recruitment agency, creative studio, or consulting business. You send out a form. People fill it in, but you still need to chase that all-important document via email. Or worse, you’re stuck cobbling together Google Forms, Typeform, or my personal favourite, the never-quite-working Google Drive embed. Time flies, but not in a good way.

This update changes things for the better. Now, job applicants can submit CVs directly through your website. Consultation clients can attach relevant documentation without faffing around. Even art portfolios and event sign-up forms become smarter overnight. Your workflow becomes seamless and professional, and your users finally get the digital experience they expect in 2024.

What does all this mean? This new feature ensures you no longer lose hours playing “Find the Attachment” in your overflowing inbox.

Common Pitfalls

As much as I’d love to tell you that ticking a box is all it takes, file uploads in Squarespace can throw up some surprising stumbles if you’re not careful. Here are the top tripwires, learned the hard way, so you don’t have to:

• Assuming It’s All Automatic: Many users think adding a file upload field will just ‘work’ without any setup in notifications or storage. That isn’t the case. If mishandled, your uploaded files can vanish into the ether.
• Not Considering Storage: Your forms can connect to your email, Google Drive, or Google Sheets. Which one is right for you? Pick carelessly, and you might max out your email inbox or find submissions tangled in a spreadsheet.
• Ignoring Design: Form styling can be finicky. Block spacing, backgrounds, and fluid engine quirks can make your form look like the digital equivalent of last night’s washing pile. Ignore design, and people won’t trust your form with their best work.
• Skipping Mobile Checks: It’s all too easy to perfect a form on desktop, but open it on your phone and discover a jumble. Remember, most users will see your site on mobile first.

If any of those issues sound familiar, you’re in good company. This guide fixes all of them. Let’s get into step-by-step practicalities.

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Build or Edit Your Core Form

Start from scratch or clone an existing form. Open up the relevant page on your Squarespace site (I recommend a blank section to save headaches with layout).

1. Click the “Add Block” button.
2. Choose “Form” from the options.
3. Plonk it in your chosen row or section.

If you’re using a premium builder like SquareForge (which, full disclosure, we built here at Pixelhaze), you can pull up a ready-made contact or recruitment template. Either way, keep it simple to begin with. Once the form is on the page, you’ll see those standard fields: name, email, and the infamous message box.

Step 2: Customise Your Fields for Purpose

Here’s where you make the form fit your real need, whether that’s job applications, document requests, or project intake.

1. Click any existing field to edit the label, make it required (or not), or delete it altogether.
2. Hit “Add Field” to see the latest options. Among them, you’ll spot the new “File” or “File Upload” field (wording may vary slightly between templates and Squarespace versions).

For example:

• Recruitment: Make first name, last name, and email required. Add a dropdown called “Position Applied For” with your job titles as options.
• Consultancy: Add a “Project Description” box and “Upload Your Brief” file upload.
• Event Booking: Use checkboxes, date pickers, and a file upload for any relevant ID or guest lists.

When adding the file upload, you’ll be asked:

• Is the field required?
• How many files can they submit? (You can allow one, or multiples.)

Choose carefully. Requiring a file makes sense for jobs, but it’s not always needed for contact forms.

Step 3: Style for Clarity and Trust

A form should be inviting and look like it belongs on your site. Clashing colours, poor spacing, and ugly fields make users nervous about clicking ‘Send.’

1. Click the form to open design options. Use the pencil/edit icon.
2. Adjust background colours. A subtle dark grey or gentle off-white behind the form differentiates it from the general page content.
3. Consider adding a shape block or container for visual interest.
4. Use borders or a simple outline to give the form focus, which is especially helpful for busy pages.
5. Check the “submit” button. Customise the text to something action-based (“Send Application”, “Share Files”, or “Let’s Go”—these are improvements over the generic “Submit”).

You can also adjust field spacing, font sizes, and border radii to better match your brand.

Step 4: Set Up Email Notifications, Storage, and Spam Protection

This is a step users often miss, yet this is how you make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

1. In the form block settings, go to “Storage.”
2. You can add one or more notification routes:
   • Email: Type in the email address(es) that should receive completed forms. If it’s a recruitment form, make sure it goes to HR, not just your main enquiries address.
   • Google Drive: Connect your Google Drive so the files upload straight into a folder. This makes it easy to keep everything organised without clogging up email.
   • Google Sheets: Handy for tables of entries, but less useful if you care about the file attachments themselves.
3. Under “Advanced,” enable Google reCAPTCHA. This is your digital bouncer, stopping weird spam submissions and bot uploads.
4. Save and test the form with a real file to be sure everything lands where it should.

If you’re gathering sensitive data (e.g., job applications), double check legal compliance, such as GDPR, and make sure only the relevant people can access the uploaded files.

Step 5: Polish the User Experience

Avoid setting it and forgetting it. Walk through your own form, imagining you’re the user.

1. Is the file upload clearly labelled?
2. Does it accept the types of files your users are likely to send?
3. Are error messages helpful and polite? (Nothing worse than “1 ERROR: INVALID.”)
4. Are form blocks spaced nicely for both desktop and mobile devices?

Paying attention to these small steps pays off. Subtle design improvements can be the difference between a user actually submitting your form, or clicking away in frustration.

What Most People Miss

A good file upload form is about the whole experience. It makes people feel confident hitting ‘Send’ and makes your life easier.

Many folks stop at the technical step (for example, “Can I upload the file?”) and forget that clarity, trust, and follow-up bring the real value. Simple tweaks to field labelling, notification routing, and design can halve your support inbox overnight.

One lesser-known advantage is keeping everything central. With files going to the right place, such as a Drive folder or HR inbox, you avoid the chaos of scattered submissions. Professionalism and peace of mind come from having everything organised.

Pixelhaze “Pro” Mindset Shift:
Work smarter and plan from the end backwards. Who needs the uploaded file, in what format, and what will they do with it? Set up your submission workflow to answer that, and your process starts running itself.

The Bigger Picture

Once you’ve got file uploads working natively in Squarespace, a few things happen:

• Time saved. No more daisy-chaining third-party widgets or chasing up via email. Everything funnels to one organised inbox or Drive folder, ready for action.
• Better user experience. Visitors, especially job hunters and clients, appreciate not having to jump through hoops to submit documents. You look professional, and they feel confident in your process.
• Professional credibility. A seamless, bug-free submission form demonstrates that your business, agency, or creative shop pays attention to detail.
• Cleaner workflow. Attachments don’t get buried, lost, or misfiled. GDPR issues and awkward “Did you get my file?” conversations become far less common.
• Easy to scale. Ready to launch a new job campaign or intake batch? Duplicate or tweak your project form. No more patchwork solutions required.

If you’re building client sites for others, this feature is another strong reason to choose Squarespace. It works right away and keeps your builds streamlined.

Wrap-Up

For anyone who’s spent years frustrated by missing file uploads in Squarespace, the long wait is finally over. This might not be a flashy upgrade, but it’s the one that will save you the most hassle, time and time again.

Set up your forms. Label them clearly. Preview them on every device you own and save yourself hours every week, as well as all those awkward “Please resend the file!” emails.

If you want more helpful systems and real-world web design solutions, join the Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership. You’ll find more tools, live tutorials, and a friendly gang of fellow Squarespace builders ready to help you get even better.

Cheers,

Elwyn

Related Posts from Pixelhaze

• Become a Pro Web Designer: Earn Up to £800 Per Day with Squarespace
• Speed Up Website Development with Squarespace and SquareForge
• Squarespace 2024 Update: Key Features to Boost Your Website
• Moonshot: Become A Squarespace Web Designer FAQs – Autumn 2023
• Agencyjoy vs Streak CRM: What Is the Ideal Choice for Web Designers?

FAQ & Jargon Buster

How do I add a file upload to my Squarespace form?

Head to your form block, choose ‘Add Field,’ and select ‘File’ or ‘File Upload.’ Set it as required if needed.

Can I limit which file types users can submit?

Squarespace lets you restrict file types at a basic level (e.g., only images, documents), but it pays to clarify in your form label which formats you want.

What happens to files once uploaded?

They’ll go wherever you set in the ‘Storage’ tab. This is usually your email, Google Drive, or Google Sheets. Always double-check your chosen destination.

What’s SquareForge, and do I need it?

SquareForge is our premium builder tool for Squarespace, making complex forms and layouts faster. You don’t need it, but it’s a major timesaver and what we use across all Pixelhaze projects.

What is Google reCAPTCHA?

A security tool that checks users are real people, not spam bots. It is crucial if you want to avoid spammy submissions (and you do).

Jargon Buster

• Form Block: The visual element in Squarespace for building forms.
• SquareForge: Pixelhaze’s in-house Squarespace template builder. This saves time on layouts.
• Google Drive/Sheets: Integration options in Squarespace to store submissions.
• Required Field: A field users cannot skip. This is useful for making sure nobody forgets their CV.
• Fluid Engine: Squarespace’s layout tool, letting you move blocks and fine-tune the look on every device.
• Mobile Optimisation: The process of making sure your site looks and works right on phones, not just laptops.

That’s everything: a straightforward guide to the most overdue Squarespace form upgrade in years. If you have questions, are stuck, or want to share your best forms, join our free Academy community and say hello. See you there.