Finding files shared in a conversation Guide

When you share documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, and images in a conversation, the assistant keeps them together in a per-chat Files panel. This gives you a single place to review everything shared in that chat, preview individual items, and pick up where you left off.

What the Files panel shows

Each conversation has its own Files panel that lists every file and image shared in that chat. Instead of scrolling back through the message history to find an attachment, you can open the panel and see them all in one place.

The panel is scoped to the conversation you are in. Files you shared in one chat stay with that chat, which keeps each conversation self-contained and easy to review later.

Tip: Because the panel is per-conversation, it is a reliable way to confirm exactly what the assistant had access to when it answered — useful when you are reviewing an analysis or double-checking a summary.

Open the Files panel

1. Open the conversation whose files you want to review.
2. Look for the files control for the chat, commonly labeled something like Files in this chat.
3. Open it to see the list of everything shared in that conversation.

From the list you can review the files that have been uploaded and preview them without leaving the conversation.

Preview a file

Select any item in the panel to preview it. This lets you confirm you shared the right version, re-read a document the assistant analyzed, or check an image you asked questions about — all without re-uploading anything.

Previewing is a quick way to verify content before you ask the assistant to take a follow-up action, such as summarizing a report again or extracting a specific table from a spreadsheet.

Reuse what you have already shared

Once a file is in the conversation, you can reference it in later messages. You do not need to upload the same document twice to keep working with it. For example, you might:

• Ask the assistant to revisit a spreadsheet you shared earlier and pull out different figures.
• Return to a PDF later in the conversation and request a shorter summary or a specific section.
• Point back to an image you uploaded and ask a new question about it.

Supported file types

You can share a range of common document and image formats in a conversation, including:

• Images: PNG, JPG, GIF, and WEBP
• Documents: PDF and DOCX
• Spreadsheets and data: XLSX, CSV, and JSON
• Text and markup: TXT, MD, LOG, XML, and HTML

When you upload a supported file, it appears in the Files panel for that conversation alongside anything else you have shared.

Troubleshooting

A file you shared isn't in the panel

The Files panel only shows files from the conversation you currently have open. If a file is missing, make sure you are in the same chat where you originally shared it, then check that the upload finished successfully. If the upload did not complete, share the file again.

You want files from another conversation

Because each conversation keeps its own set of shared files, switch to the relevant chat to find the files you shared there. Keeping related work in a single conversation makes its Files panel the complete record for that thread.

An upload was rejected

If a file will not attach, confirm it is one of the supported formats listed above and that it is within the allowed size. If you have reached your account's storage limit, remove files you no longer need or review your plan's storage before trying again.

Keep conversations tidy

Grouping related files into the same conversation makes them easy to find later and gives the assistant clear context to work from. When you start a distinctly new piece of work, consider opening a fresh conversation so its Files panel stays focused on that task.