File uploads

You can upload any kind of file directly to a Notion page for safe keeping — or to make it available for others to download. Make attachments related to a project accessible in just a click. Here's how an uploaded file looks on your page:

Guardian Dental Summary.pdf

2133.0KB

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Note: Free plans let you upload files up to 5MB. There is no limit for paid plans.

Add a file Create a file block Drag-and-drop Files in databases Arrange files Download a file Rename a file Replace a file Add color to a file Add a caption Comment on a file Delete a file FAQs Related guides

Add a file

There are three ways to add a file to Notion:

Create a file block

At any place on your page, create a file block that will prompt you to Upload a file from your computer or use an Embed Link to embed a file on your page like a PDF.

Click the + that appears to the left when you hover over a new line. Choose File and press enter.

Type /file and press enter.

A menu will pop up giving you the Upload or Embed Link options.

Select the file you want and click Open.

Drag-and-drop

You can also drag files into a Notion page from your desktop or a folder on your computer. Notion will upload and safely store it for future access and download.

Files in databases

You can also add files to databases to associate them with other information. For instance, you're creating a library of assets and you want to add tags and other context to each asset.

Add the Files & Media property to your database.

Click on that property (like a cell in that column of a table). You'll be prompted to upload your own file or embed a file from elsewhere.

You can also drag and drop files into cells under this property in a table. Or you can drag them into cards on a board or in a gallery. They'll appear in the Files field of the corresponding pages.

More on the Files & Media property here →

Arrange files

Use drag-and-drop to move files around your page. Hover over your file, then use the ⋮⋮ icon that appears as a handle to drag it.

You can also drag and drop files into columns.

Download a file

Hover over your file and click ••• at the top right or ⋮⋮ on the left. You can also right click on the file itself.

Select Download and choose where you want to save the file on your computer.

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Note: For visitors of publicly shared Notion pages, clicking on a file will open it in a new tab in their browser. In same cases, like images and PDFs, the file will display in the browser. For other types, such as zip files, the file will download.

Rename a file

Hover over your file and click ••• at the top right or ⋮⋮ on the left. You can also right click on the file itself, or use the shortcut cmd/ctrl + shift + r with the file highlighted.

Select Rename.

Type your new name and press enter.

Replace a file

Whenever you make changes to a file, you'll likely want to replace the existing upload in Notion with the latest version.

Hover over the file and click ••• at the top right or ⋮⋮ on the left. You can also right click on the file itself.

Choose Replace.

Upload the new file or choose Embed Link to enter a new URL. (If you've changed the file on whatever page it's been embedded from, the new version will display in Notion automatically.)

Add color to a file

Add colors to files to color code them, make them stand out, distinguish them from one another, or add a touch beauty to your page.

Hover over your file and click ••• at the top right or ⋮⋮ on the left. You can also right click on the file itself.

Hover your mouse over Color.

Choose a text or background color.

Add a caption

Captions can help you provide more context about your files.

Hover over your file and click ••• at the top right or ⋮⋮ on the left. You can also right click on the file itself.

Select Caption and enter whatever text you want.

You can format your caption with bold, italics, colors and other styles available for standard text in Notion.

Comment on a file

You can leave a comment on a file, just like any other type of content block:

Hover over your file and click ••• at the top right or ⋮⋮ on the left. You can also right click on the file itself.

Select Comment and enter whatever you have to say or ask about the file.

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Tip: Tag your workspace collaborators with @ to notify them of comments intended for them specifically.

Delete a file

Hover over your file and click ••• at the top right or ⋮⋮ on the left. You can also right click on the file itself.

Choose Delete.

FAQs

Is there a limit to the size or number of files I can upload?

Users on Free Plans have 5MB of upload space. Paid plans have unlimited uploads.

What if I accidentally deleted something permanently? Any way to get it back?

If you accidentally delete a page, a workspace, or even your entire account, we can help! Accidents happen 😅Just send us a message in the app by clicking ? at the bottom left on desktop (or in your sidebar on mobile). Or email us at team@makenotion.com.

We keep per-minute backups of our database, which allows us to restore a snapshot of your entire content at any minute in the past 30 days if you need it.

How can I empty my trash?

There isn't a way to empty the trash all at once. Our trash functions more like an archive so you can restore your deleted content if you want. Not that items in the trash don't count toward your block limit on a Free Plan. You can also permanently delete an individual page by going to Trash in your sidebar and hitting the trash can icon next to that page.

When I clicked on a file, it prompted me to download the file instead of opening in its native app.

Unfortunately, we don't have a way to open files in their native app yet (opening a .docx file in Word, for example). We'll work on it

Related guides

Something we didn't cover? Message us in the app by clicking ? at the bottom right on desktop (or in your sidebar on mobile). Or email us at team@makenotion.com ✌️