Working with Files

Sending Files

Users can exchange files in chats. Files can even be sent to yourself.

How to Send a File?

To send a file, select a chat and click the paperclip icon in the message input field. In web and desktop apps on PC, files can be dragged and dropped directly into the chat area for sending. In the mobile app, permission to access files is required to attach a file.

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Viewing Sent Files

Which Formats Can Be Viewed in the App?

On iOS, the standard system viewer is used. On Android and Web/Desktop, a built-in image viewer and a special built-in library are used for viewing documents. To view an image or video, tap on it. To view a document, tap the View button in the message with the attachment.

Platform	File Formats
Web/Desktop	Documents: docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf, txt. Web and desktop applications use only the built-in viewer for document preview. Images: bmp, gif, animated gif, jpeg, png, webp Videos: mp4, m4v, mov, webm Audios: recorded voice messages only
Android	Documents: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, txt, html, htm. In the Android app, documents can be viewed not only in the built-in eXpress viewer but also in the standard system app that supports the given format. To do this, disable the Use internal document viewer option in the mobile app settings. If role model rules or confidential mode are enabled, prohibiting file downloads to the device, the built-in viewer is used. Images: bmp, gif, animated gif, jpeg, png, webp Videos: mp4, m4v, mov, webm Audios: recorded voice messages only
iOS/iPadOS	Documents: pdf, pdf/a, doc, docx, xlsx, xls, pptx, ppt, jpg, heif, bmp, tif, png, svg, emf, gif, pages, keynote, numbers, rtf, txt, html, xps. The iOS app uses the standard operating system document viewer. If role model rules or confidential mode are enabled, prohibiting file downloads to the device, the built-in viewer is used. Images: bmp, gif, animated gif, jpeg, png, webp Videos: mp4, m4v, mov Audios: recorded voice messages & mp3, wav, and any else audio formats, supported by iOS

What Happens If the Format Cannot Be Viewed?

If the app does not support viewing (e.g., unsupported codecs or formats), the file will need to be downloaded to the device and viewed in a third-party app.

Which video formats play on all devices — in the question What Format Should I Send Video in so It Can Be Viewed on All Devices?

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Can the Mobile App Download Files Automatically?

Yes. Open Settings (the avatar button) > Chat and channel settings and enable Media autoloading. Files sent in chats will immediately be available for viewing and forwarding, so you won't have to download them. Files go to the app's encrypted cache. The setting does not save them to the gallery or the “Downloads” folder.