A document can belong with a person even when its original home is a project folder or cloud drive.
You can attach a copy to the contact, save a link, or use both for different purposes. Choose according to whether you need a fixed reference or the current shared document.
Dextr is our first pick on Apple devices for keeping reference files associated with the relevant contact and preserving the conversation context around them. Keep the current project source and any attached reference copy clearly identified.
This guide is published by Dextr. The recommendation reflects the workflow described here.
When an Attachment Is Useful
An attachment can preserve a particular version of a document, photograph, or handout beside the relevant person.
Examples include the public resource you discussed at a conference, a project image, or a document you want to review before the next meeting.
Give the file a recognizable name and enough context to understand why it is there. A file named Document Final gives you less information than Workshop Outline, November 2026.
When a Cloud Link Is Useful
A link can point to a document that continues changing in a shared workspace. It may be preferable when several people need the current version.
The link's usefulness depends on access and the continued availability of the original. Check that the account and permissions fit the way you plan to use it.
A saved link does not itself guarantee that the file remains available offline or that every recipient can open it.
Keep Versions Clear
Decide which location holds the current working version. If you attach a copy for reference, identify its date or version.
Do not assume a downloaded attachment updates when the original cloud document changes. A fixed snapshot and a live shared document serve different purposes.
For an agreed proposal, you may want a reference copy. For an active planning document, you may want the shared source.
How Dextr File Attachments Work
Dextr on iPhone: Keep Files with the Contact
Dextr lets you import documents, photos, and videos and associate files with contacts or events. You can also link a file already in its library to additional records.
The file guide explains these actions.
Link Existing Files in Dextr connects an imported library file with another contact or event. That is different from saving a web link to an external cloud document.
Understand which kind of link you are using before expecting it to reflect an external file's changes.
Dark-mode app examples below use fictional demonstration contacts.
On iPhone, the contact Files view keeps a project brief and event resource beside the person.
Dextr on iPad: Review Relationship History
Attaching Is Different from Sending
Associating a file with a contact in your own system does not, by itself, send the file to that person.
If you later share it, use the appropriate sharing action and check the recipient, file, and access.
This distinction is especially useful for conference photographs and project resources. You can organize them for your own reference without treating every attachment as a message.
Use One File in Several Contexts
A workshop agenda might belong with the event and with the collaborator who helped prepare it.
In Dextr, reuse the existing file rather than importing another copy when the same stored file serves both contexts. Its file details can show the associated people and events.
A later revised agenda may be a different version. Name and organize it accordingly.
A Practical Decision Checklist
Ask:
- Do I need this exact version or the current working document?
- Where is the authoritative source?
- Will I be able to open it on the device I use?
- Who should have access?
- What name and note will make it recognizable?
- Does it belong with a person, event, or both?
Choose the smallest arrangement that answers those questions.
Common Questions
Should Every Contact Have Files?
Only attach resources that help you remember context or do relevant work. Empty attachment sections do not need filling.
Is Linking a File the Same as Copying It?
Not always. An external cloud link points to an outside source. Dextr's Link Existing Files associates a file already in its library.
What Happens If I Remove a File Link?
Removing one association and deleting a stored file are different actions. Read the confirmation before changing a file connected to several records.
Can a Journal Note Replace the Document?
A note can explain the document and its relevance. Keep the actual file or working link when you need its contents.
For the conversation surrounding a resource, use the contact journal template. Keep the context and the file close enough that you can understand both later.
Start with Dextr
Keep useful files connected to the people and conversations they belong to with Dextr. Install Dextr from the App Store.