Add files or photos
Attach documents, PDFs, images, and spreadsheets to a chat from the composer's + menu.
What it is
Upload documents, images, and spreadsheets into a chat so Claude can read, summarise, or work with them. Reachable from the + button on the left of the chat composer, by drag-and-drop, or by pasting an image.
How to use it
- Click + on the left of the composer and pick Add files or photos, or drag files onto the composer, or paste an image from the clipboard.
- Attached files appear as chips above the composer — click the × to remove one.
- Send your message. Claude reads the content as part of the turn.
Supported formats
- Documents: PDF, DOCX, CSV, TXT, HTML, ODT, RTF, EPUB, JSON. XLSX works if code execution and file creation is enabled on your account.
- Images: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP.
Limits in a single chat
- 30 MB per file.
- Up to 20 files per chat.
- Images up to 8000×8000 pixels (1000×1000 or larger works best).
Good to know
- PDFs under 100 pages are analysed for text and visuals (charts, diagrams). Over 1000 pages is text-only. Use the PDF viewer’s page number when referring to a page.
- Non-PDF documents are text-only — images embedded inside a DOCX or slide deck aren’t read.
- For persistent context across many chats, use Projects instead. Same 30 MB per-file limit; no count limit.
- For what Claude can create back (PDFs, Word, spreadsheets, slides), see File creation.