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Uploading Files

Learn how to upload documents to your knowledge bases and manage your files.

Knowledge store file management The Knowledge Store interface shows your files, storage usage, and provides drag-and-drop upload.

Required Step: Finish Upload

After uploading files, click Finish Upload to process them. Files won't be searchable until this completes.

Upload Methods

Drag and Drop

  1. Go to Stores and select your store
  2. Drag files from your computer
  3. Drop them into the upload area
  4. Wait for upload to complete

Click to Upload

  1. Click the upload area or Browse Files button
  2. Select files from your file picker
  3. Click Open to start upload

Upload Process

Step 1: Select Files

Choose one or more files to upload. You can upload multiple files at once.

Step 2: Upload Progress

Each file shows a progress indicator during upload.

Step 3: Finish Upload

Click Finish Upload to process your files. The system validates, extracts text, chunks documents, and generates embeddings for search.

Processing Time:

  • Small files (< 1 MB): A few seconds
  • Medium files (1-10 MB): 10-30 seconds
  • Large files (10-100 MB): 1-5 minutes

Bulk Uploads

Upload multiple files at once and click "Finish Upload" once. The system processes them in parallel for faster completion.

Advanced: Processing Details

The Finish Upload button triggers this process:

  1. Validation - Checks file sizes and formats
  2. Transfer to OpenAI - Files are sent to OpenAI's infrastructure
  3. Text Extraction - Content is extracted from documents
  4. Chunking - Documents are split into optimal-sized chunks
  5. Embedding Generation - Each chunk is converted to a vector embedding
  6. Indexing - Embeddings are stored in the vector store
  7. Confirmation - Files appear in your file list when ready

Multiple files are processed in parallel (up to 5 files at once).

Step 4: Confirmation

Once processing completes, files appear in your file list with:

  • File name and size
  • Confirmation that embeddings are ready
  • Immediate availability to connected assistants

File Requirements

Size Limits

  • Maximum file size: 500 MB per file
  • Storage limit: 5 MB (Basic), 30 MB (Medium), 150 MB (Pro) per store

Supported Formats

Category Extensions
Documents .pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .md, .pptx
Data .json
Code .py, .js, .ts, .html, .css, .java, .c, .cpp, .go, .rb, .php, .sh
Other .tex

See Supported Formats for the complete list.

Managing Files

View Files

Your store's file list shows:

  • File name
  • File size
  • Upload date

Delete Individual Files

  1. Find the file in the list
  2. Click the delete icon (trash)
  3. Confirm deletion

The file is immediately removed and storage is reclaimed.

Bulk Delete

  1. Select multiple files (if supported)
  2. Click Delete Selected
  3. Confirm the bulk deletion

Storage Management

Monitoring Usage

The storage progress bar shows:

  • Current usage (e.g., "2.5 MB used")
  • Total capacity (e.g., "of 5 MB")
  • Visual percentage

Freeing Space

To free up storage:

  1. Delete files you no longer need
  2. Remove duplicate documents
  3. Replace large files with optimized versions
  4. Upgrade your tier for more space

Optimizing Files

Before uploading:

  • Remove unnecessary images from documents
  • Convert scanned PDFs to text (OCR)
  • Split very large documents into sections
  • Remove duplicate content

File Content Example

FAQ content in Markdown format Simple Markdown files like FAQs are easy to create and maintain. The assistant learns from this content automatically.

Best Practices

Document Preparation:

  • Clean your content: Remove headers, footers, and boilerplate
  • Use clear structure: Headings, sections, and lists help processing
  • Check formatting: Ensure text is selectable (not images)

Naming Conventions:

Use descriptive file names like product-return-policy-2024.pdf instead of doc1.pdf

Content Organization:

  • Upload related documents to the same store
  • Keep different topics in separate stores
  • Update files when content changes

Troubleshooting

Upload fails immediately

Common causes: - File size exceeds 500 MB limit - File format not supported - Network connection interrupted

Solutions: 1. Check file size and verify format is in supported list 2. Compress if needed: Reduce PDF size, remove images 3. Try different browser: Chrome or Firefox recommended 4. Check connection: Ensure stable internet

File uploads but 'Finish Upload' fails

Common causes: - Total upload exceeds store storage limit - Individual file exceeds 500 MB - Corrupted file

Solutions: 1. Check storage bar: Ensure you have enough space 2. Delete some files before clicking "Finish Upload" 3. Upload in smaller batches 4. Verify file integrity: Re-download and re-upload

Storage quota exceeded

Immediate solutions: 1. Delete unnecessary files 2. Optimize documents: Remove images from PDFs, split large files 3. Upgrade your tier (Basic: 5 MB → Medium: 30 MB → Pro: 150 MB)

Long-term strategy: - Regularly audit and clean up old content - Use multiple stores to organize efficiently - Keep only essential, current information

Assistant doesn't use uploaded content

Troubleshooting steps: 1. Verify "Finish Upload" was clicked: Check files appear in the file list 2. Confirm store is connected: Go to assistant settings 3. Test with specific questions: Ask about exact information from your documents 4. Check file content: Ensure text is extractable (not images) 5. Review assistant instructions: Tell the assistant to use its knowledge base 6. Wait 1-2 minutes after upload for propagation

Test query tip: Instead of "Tell me about returns", try "What is the return policy for damaged items?" (if your doc covers this)

Next Steps

Connect Your Store to an Assistant