Files on the bot's computer
Browse the files a bot made, view documents, data, images, and video right in the app, download them, and ask the bot about any file.
Everything a bot makes in a thread is saved on that thread's computer. The Computer tab lets you browse it, like the file explorer on your own computer.
Open the file browser
- Click the monitor icon in the chat header.
- Make sure the Computer tab is selected.
If the computer was asleep, it wakes up. You'll see "Waking …'s computer…" for a moment.
The header shows how many folders and files there are.
Find your way around
| To | Do this |
|---|---|
| Open a folder | Click it. |
| Go back | Click a folder name in the path at the top, or press Backspace to go up one level. |
| Change the view | Switch between grid and list. |
| Find a file | Type its name in the search box (Search in …). |
You start in the workspace, the bot's main folder. Files you attached are
in its uploads folder. You can also look in other folders on the computer,
like /tmp.
View a file
Click a file to open it in the panel. These display right there:
| Kind | Examples |
|---|---|
| Documents | Markdown, plain text, PDF, HTML |
| Data | CSV and TSV, shown as tables |
| Code | Any programming language, with colors |
| Images | PNG, JPEG, GIF, SVG, and more |
| Media | Audio and video, with a player |
| Zip files | A list of what's inside, with the total unzipped size. Click a text file inside to read it. Nothing is unzipped onto the computer. |
For web pages and Markdown, switch between Preview (how it looks) and Source (the text behind it).
Other files show "No preview for this file type" with a Download button. To see a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint deck as it really looks, use the Live view instead: double-click the file in its File Manager, and the Code window shows a preview.
Press Esc to close the file.
Upload files
Drag files from your own computer onto the Computer tab. You'll see Drop to upload to followed by the folder on screen (Workspace at the top level). Let go, and the files are copied into that folder on the bot's computer.
- Open a folder first to upload straight into it.
- Each file can be up to 100 MB.
- A strip shows Uploading…, then "Uploaded report.pdf" or what went wrong.
Dropping files here puts them on the bot's computer only. To send a file in a message, drop it on the message box instead. See Attachments.
Do something with a file
With a file open:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Download | Saves a copy to your computer. |
| Copy | Copies the file's contents. |
| Ask about it | Sends the bot a message about this file, so you can follow up with things like "summarize this", "fix the typo on line 3", or "turn this into a chart". |
You can also download files a bot mentions in the chat: they appear as chips with Save a copy.
Publish a folder
To put a folder online as a website:
- At the top level, click Deploy… and choose the folder.
- Inside a folder, click Deploy followed by its name.
See Deployments.
Keep what matters
Files stay on the computer as long as the thread exists, including while it's asleep. But deleting the thread deletes the computer and all its files.
Before you delete a thread, download anything you want to keep. For longer projects, ask the bot to save work somewhere permanent, like a connected app or a git repository, if you use one.
Tips
- Ask the bot to name files clearly: "Save it as 2024-q3-report.md."
- Ask for a folder per project: "Keep everything for this in a folder called launch."
- Ask what it made: "List the files you created and what each is for."