Insert an existing attachment
Asked by Jochen L?rken:

Hi,

we have copied pages and attachments from a local Enterprise Confluence installation to the cloud version.

All attachments are transferred but when trying to use the "add picture video or file" while editing a page it does not let us select a file from the already available attachments.

Instead it is opening a windows explorer asking to upload a file from the local system.

Is this an issue with the "new" editor of the confluence cloud version?

How can we select files from the existing cloud instead of a local one?

Thanks in advance


Answers:
author: Jochen L?rken
body: -deleted-


author: Kristian Klima
body: Hi [@Jochen L?rken](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5587472) and welcome to the community.

When you said copied... does was it an export/import space or manual copy paste?

When you plain copy content from one resource to Confluence (or other tools), the image is sometimes copied not as a physical file but as a link to a file in that original resource (I've seen that happening during copy/paste migrations of content from other CMS into Confluence.

This is certainly not a new editor experience :)

Since you are migrating Confluence content from DC/Server to cloud, you can you the Migration Assistant, which will properly transfer all your attachments to Cloud.

Alternatively, you can try copy paste individual images from a local page to a cloud page, or download and reupload - which would be tedious but OK if it's only a matter of a couple of pages.

<https://support.atlassian.com/migration/docs/confluence-cloud-migration-assistant-to-migrate/>

comments: author: Jochen L?rken
body: We've copied the pages with an own script in the UI (basically copy content in editing mode from one browser window to another :-)) and the attachments via RestAPI.

So my question is not about getting attachments from A to B.

All attachments are correct in the cloud.

The button in the editor is simply not giving me the option to choose from existing file and opening a windows explorer instead while the enterprise version is giving me this option (see pictures).

![cloud attachment2.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/346302iBAD36335626F3BAD/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "cloud attachment2.png")

![cloud attachment.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/346301i5C21FA0AE91D3ACE/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "cloud attachment.png")


author: Kristian Klima
body: Oh, OK [@Jochen L?rken](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5587472) , I see what you mean and I misunderstood the core of the issue.

On that regard, you're correct, Cloud doesn't have the option to browse attachments... See the [feature request](https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFCLOUD-65344).

Having said that, the workaround, especially for image reuse, is to create a page (set of pages) with on which images would within an excerpt macro (one image per excerpt). This effectively creates an image repo for reuse on other pages.


author: Jochen L?rken
body: I am not sure I got you.

The attachments are there and have all kind for formats like files, .pdf's and images.

I would manually fix the pages if needed if the editor would allow me to pic an existing attachment to be inserted in the page I am currently editing.

The attachments are there, the editor simply does not give me the option to browse "local" (cloud) attachments.

If this is something related to the "new" editor I want to go back to the old one ;-)


author: Jochen L?rken
body: I added a comment to the Feature Request.

I have seen this request is open since 2019 so I doubt that a "solution" will come soon ;-)

Do you have any other idea?


author: Kristian Klima
body: You can copy/paste images to a confluence page from an image editor and other source, or simply drag and drop files from an Explorer / Finder folder.

They're automatically added as attachments once you save (publish/update) the page. Which is, as far as I remember, the same as it worked on Server.

Other than that, just what I already share - creating a page repo with excerpts for image re-use.


author: Jochen L?rken
body: I think we will go the complex way.

We will analyze the new page to find out which attachments are used on the page and not only there.

Second we will download those attachments automatically and re-edit the page uploading them at the same position.

A manual test showed that this is not giving us duplicate attachments which is good cause its one step less.

Lets see if we manage to code this.

Easier would be: Atlassian fix your editor according to the Feature Request please ;-)


Tags: cloud

confluence-cloud