# Baserow File Field: Upload and Manage File Attachments

> Attach real files to a row, not just links: Baserow's File field keeps its own copy of every document, video, or image and builds a thumbnail.

Source: https://opennix.org/en/docs/baserow/field-types/file-field/


The File field lets you attach several files of any type - images, documents, videos - to a single table row, and it stores an actual copy of each upload rather than a link, generating thumbnails automatically for every supported format. This article covers how to add a File field, three ways to upload files into it, how to manage files already uploaded, and how it differs from simply linking out with a URL field.

## Overview

A File field doesn't store a link to an outside resource - it stores the file itself. Baserow accepts images, documents, and videos, keeps them in its own storage, and generates a thumbnail right inside the table cell whenever the format supports a preview.

> Filenames longer than 64 characters are truncated, with the middle of the name replaced by an ellipsis.

## How to add a File field

1. Add a new field to your table.
2. Select **File** from the field type list.
3. Name the field, for example "Attachments" or "Product photo".
4. Click **Create**.

## How to upload files

### Upload from your device

Baserow supports three upload methods:

- **Cell uploader.** Click the `+` icon in a cell to open the file dialog - pick a file with a click or drag it into the drop zone.
- **Direct drag-and-drop.** Drag a file from your computer straight onto a File field cell.
- **Enlarged row view.** Open the [expanded row](/docs/baserow/rows/enlarging-rows/) and click "Add a file" or drag files into the upload box.

![Dragging and dropping files onto a File field in Baserow](/images/baserow/field-types/file-field-drag-and-drop-upload.webp)

### Upload from a URL

1. Click the `+` icon in the cell.
2. Choose **a URL** at the bottom of the dialog.
3. Paste the file's public URL.
4. Click **Upload**.

## Managing uploaded files

Manage files from the enlarged row view by hovering over a file to reveal its action icons.

- **Rename.** Click the pencil icon.
- **Download.** Click the download icon to save the file to your device.
- **Delete.** Click the trash icon to remove the file from the field.

Clicking a file opens a full-screen preview with the same management actions available.

![Managing files from the enlarged row view in Baserow](/images/baserow/field-types/file-field-manage-enlarged-row.png)

![Full-screen preview of a single file in Baserow](/images/baserow/field-types/file-field-fullscreen-preview.png)

## Previews and supported file types

For every supported format, Baserow generates a thumbnail automatically, visible right inside the table cell.

![File thumbnails shown inside a table cell](/images/baserow/field-types/file-field-cell-thumbnails.png)

Preview generation covers:

- **Images:** .png, .heic, .jpg, .webp, .gif, .svg, .psd, .tiff
- **Documents:** .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .txt, .pdf
- **Presentations:** .ppt, .pptx (without embedded video)
- **Audio and video:** .mp3, .mp4, .webM, .ogg, .ogv
- **Other:** .xml

## Pulling an image from a website URL

To fetch a logo or preview image automatically from a domain, write a formula that calls a service such as Clearbit or Google: `concat('https://logo.clearbit.com/', field('Website'))` returns a company's logo address from the domain stored in a URL field. Keep in mind the formula only produces a link - to get an actual file stored inside the File field itself, you still need to upload it using one of the methods above.

## Frequently asked questions

**What's the file size and storage limit?** On a self-hosted instance the default maximum is 1TB per file, configurable through the `BASEROW_FILE_UPLOAD_SIZE_LIMIT_MB` environment variable.

**How does the File field differ from the AI field?** The File field is about storing uploaded files, while the AI field runs generation tasks that can take a file or a URL as input.

**Can I just use a URL field to link to a file instead?** A [URL field](/docs/baserow/field-types/url-field/) only stores a link, so if the source file moves or gets deleted, the link breaks. A File field uploads and keeps its own copy inside Baserow, so nothing can break the reference and previews generate on their own.

## Related content

- [Baserow field types overview](/docs/baserow/fields/baserow-field-overview/)
- [Gallery view](/docs/baserow/view-types/guide-to-gallery-view/)
- [Enlarged row view](/docs/baserow/rows/enlarging-rows/)
- [URL field](/docs/baserow/field-types/url-field/)

## What's next

Any image uploaded to a File field can become the cover image on a card in [gallery view](/docs/baserow/view-types/guide-to-gallery-view/), and the [enlarged row view](/docs/baserow/rows/enlarging-rows/) is the easiest place to manage attachments already on a row. To see where the File field sits among every other type, go back to the [Baserow field types overview](/docs/baserow/fields/baserow-field-overview/).