Attach a file
Give Bilby your own report, spreadsheet or screenshot, and ask questions about it in the chat.
3 min read · Updated 31 Oct 2026
Before you begin
How attachments work
A file you attach stays with its chat. Bilby reads it but doesn't change it, and you can come back to it later in the same chat. Bilby cites it like any other source, marked Attachment.
Summarise the main obligations in this circular, who they apply to, and the deadlines.
Step 1: Add the file
Press + at the bottom left of the question box (Open tools), then Add photos & files, and choose the file. You can choose several at once.
Two quicker ways:
- Drag the file onto the chat. Bilby shows "Drop files here to upload".
- Paste a picture, such as a screenshot, straight into the question box.
The file appears above your question. To take it off, press × on it.
Step 2: Ask about it
Say what you want from the file, as you would to a colleague who has it in front of them, and send. For example: "Summarise the main obligations in this circular, who they apply to, and the deadlines." Bilby reads the file and answers with chips that point to the parts it used.
Step 3: Find it again
Ask more about the file later in the same chat: there's no need to attach it again. It's also in Library, under Your files, marked Uploaded.
Note
Working in a vault? A file attached in one chat only helps that chat. To give it to every chat in the vault, open the vault's Attachments & artifacts and choose Add to Files.
What Bilby can read
| File | What to know |
|---|---|
| Bilby reads the pages. A chat with more than five PDFs may be too much at once, and Bilby warns you. | |
| Word, PowerPoint and Excel | Older .doc, .ppt and .xls files too. Bilby reads the text and tables, and the pictures inside Word and PowerPoint files. Files over 25 MB are too large. |
| Images | JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP and SVG, such as a screenshot, a chart or a photo of a page. |
| Text, CSV, Markdown and code | Read as text. |
If Bilby can't read it
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Invalid file type. Please upload images, PDFs, Word, PowerPoint or Excel files, code, or text files. | Save the file as a PDF, or as one of these types, and add it again. |
| Bilby says the file is password-protected | Remove the password, then add the file again. |
| Bilby says the file is too large | Split it, or send only the part you need. Office files can be up to 25 MB. |
| Bilby says a Word or PowerPoint file has no text it can read | It may hold scanned pages. Export it as a PDF and add that instead. |
| We couldn't process these PDF documents together. … Try fewer PDFs in a new chat. | Start a New chat with fewer PDFs. |
Tip
Have a stack of documents, such as several annual reports? Ask Bilby to work through them one by one. See Ask Bilby to split a big job.
Try it in Bilby
Attach a document and ask about it.
Press + and Add photos & files to attach your file, then press Send.