Uploading Files
What the platform accepts, what the per-plan limits are, and how to handle large or unusual files.
Supported file types
| Category | Formats accepted |
|---|---|
| Documents | PDF, DOCX, DOC, TXT, RTF, ODT, PAGES |
| Images / Photographs | JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, WEBP, HEIC |
| Audio | MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG, AAC |
| Video | MP4, MOV, WEBM, AVI, MKV |
| Spreadsheets | XLSX, XLS, CSV, ODS (treated as documents — text is extracted from cells) |
A file's category is detected from its MIME type. You can override the detected category per file in Step 3 of the wizard if the AI misclassifies a mixed accession.
Limits by plan
The platform enforces per-file size limits, storage caps, and per-accession item limits.
| Community | Professional | Team | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly items | 20 | 250 | 1,000 | 5,000+ |
| Total storage | 500 MB | 10 GB | 100 GB | Unlimited |
| Items per accession | 10 | 25 | 75 | Unlimited |
| Document / image size | 10 MB | 50 MB / 500 MB | 50 MB / 500 MB | Unlimited |
| Audio | — | 500 MB | 500 MB | Unlimited |
| Video | — | 2 GB | 2 GB | Unlimited |
| Retention | 28 days | Permanent | Permanent | Permanent |
A video item counts as 3 items against the monthly quota — they're substantially more expensive to process than documents or images.
How uploading works
- Drag and drop onto the upload area, or click Browse files.
- Files queue and upload in parallel; the page shows per-file status (Pending, Uploading, Uploaded, Error).
- Uploads continue in the background. You can navigate away and come back — your draft accession stays in In Progress on the Dashboard.
- After upload, processing starts automatically.
What happens after upload
For each file, the platform runs:
- Vision analysis for all items — documents are analysed visually and receive a transcribability score; photographs and artefacts are identified with object type, materials, condition, dimensions
- Classification — assigns the file to a category and populates the relevant metadata schema
- Authority resolution — links extracted subjects, people, places, and organisations to LCSH / FAST / Getty AAT / Getty TGN / VIAF / GeoNames / Wikidata
OCR and transcription are opt-in. After processing, documents and media items display a transcribability score. Click "Run OCR" or "Transcribe" on any item to extract the full text.
Common upload questions
Can I add more files to an existing accession? Yes. Open the accession and click + Add Files in the top right. New files run through the same processing pipeline.
A file failed to upload — what happened? Most commonly: file size over your plan's per-category cap, an unsupported file type, or a network drop. The row shows the error. Re-upload after fixing the underlying issue.
Can I cancel a file mid-upload? Yes — there's an X on each in-flight row. The file is removed from the accession; storage and quota aren't consumed.
My photograph is a multi-page TIFF. You can process the file as a single document, or split it into one image per page. See Multi-page TIFFs.
Should I upload a derivative or the master? Upload the highest-quality version your plan's file-size cap allows. The Archiver doesn't re-derive previews from masters automatically.
Can volunteers upload files remotely? Yes — use the Field Capture mobile app. Volunteers can photograph items on-site with their phone, even when offline, and sync when back online. See Volunteer Field Capture.