Using Attachments for File-Based Queries in Perplexity

Attachments in Perplexity let you ask questions about your own files – perfect for analyzing documents, images, or transcripts. To use this feature, start a new thread and click the “+ Attach” button (or drag-and-drop your file) into the query bar. Perplexity will upload the file and incorporate its content into the conversation, maintaining context for follow-up questions in that thread. You can attach a variety of file types: text and PDF documents, code files, images, audio, and even video are supported by perplexity.ai. For media files, Perplexity will automatically transcribe audio and video into text so you can search their content by asking questions. Keep in mind size limits: each file can be up to 25 MB, and you can attach up to 10 files at once in a single query. Free users have basic file uploads with a limit (currently up to 3 file attachments per day on the free plan), whereas Pro subscribers enjoy unlimited file uploads and can leverage more powerful models (like GPT-4 or Claude) to analyze those files in depth. This means as a Pro user you can upload lengthy reports, datasets, or multiple images without worry, and get comprehensive answers or summaries. Attachments are incredibly useful for tasks like summarizing a PDF article, extracting insights from a research paper, debugging code, or even asking questions about a photo or diagram. Perplexity will pull out the relevant information from your files to answer your query, saving you time skimming through documents. For best results, ask clear questions after attaching a file (e.g., “Summarize the key findings of the attached PDF” or “What does this chart in the image suggest?”). The AI will cite information from your file just like it does from web sources.

Note: If your file is very large, Perplexity will intelligently focus on the most relevant portions rather than reading it word-for-word. Your uploaded files remain accessible in that thread for context, but you can always remove sensitive attachments afterwards.

Give it a try: Attach a file in Perplexity and ask a question about it. Whether you’re a student analyzing lecture notes or a professional summarizing a report, this feature can unlock insights from your own data – and with Pro, you can upload as many files as you need for AI analysis.