Work with images, files, and spreadsheets

Images, PDFs, uploaded files, and spreadsheets turn a canvas into a review space instead of a pile of disconnected attachments. Place the file where the discussion belongs, comment on it, arrange supporting notes around it, and use preview or download only when the file needs to leave the canvas.

This article gives the shared action map for media, file, and spreadsheet objects. Use the focused guides when you need the full behavior:

• Image objects, file objects, and spreadsheet objects explain each object type.
• The Element menu covers selected-object commands.
• The inline toolbar covers quick selected-object actions.
• Export covers whole-canvas PDF export, print, and Download all images.

Availability and permissions

Add files and media

Use Upload files from the toolbar to add images, PDFs, and other supported file types. You can also paste supported images or copied canvas objects with Cmd/Ctrl+V, drag files into the canvas, or place file-related content through creation flows that produce file or image elements. After upload, ALLO shows a processing state while thumbnails, previews, or derived images are prepared.

Do not assume a newly uploaded file is broken just because every action is not ready instantly. While processing is pending, ALLO lets you select, move, resize, comment on, align, or delete the placeholder while disabling Preview, Download, Replace, Edit, Remove background, or thumbnail actions.

Preview files

Use Preview when you need to inspect a PDF, image, or supported uploaded file without downloading it. Preview is the safer default during reviews because it keeps everyone in the canvas and preserves context around comments. The shortcut is Space when a previewable object is selected.

Preview is especially useful for PDFs and documents that need discussion around them. Keep the preview near the canvas context, then add comments, notes, or Object Chat follow-up without forcing everyone to download a separate copy first.

If Preview is missing, the file type may not support preview, processing may not be finished, or the preview failed. Try opening the element menu again after the upload finishes. If the file still cannot preview, download may be the fallback if downloads are allowed.

Download files and images

Use Download on an element when you need a local copy of that specific file or image. The shortcut is Shift+D when the selected object can be downloaded and your access allows it. Use Download all images from the header menu when you need every image from the canvas and the workspace allows that action.

If Download is missing but Preview works, the likely cause is a download restriction, not a broken file. Shared canvases can allow viewing while preventing file extraction. Ask the canvas owner to adjust sharing or send the file separately if you need a local copy.

Replace, crop, remove, and restore image backgrounds

Use Replace image when the image changed but the canvas structure should stay. This preserves the object's position and surrounding context better than deleting the image and uploading a new one.

Remove background can be unavailable while an upload or generated image is pending, when the selected image source is unsupported, when edit permission is missing, or when the workspace image-processing capability is unavailable.

If the result is wrong or no longer needed, use Restore image when available. Restore appears only when ALLO still has the original image state for that object. For image-specific details, see Work with image objects on a canvas.

Upload or refresh thumbnails

Use Upload a thumbnail when a file or sub-canvas preview is unclear, outdated, or not representative of the content. Thumbnails help collaborators recognize the object before opening it.

For sub-canvases, a useful thumbnail can be the difference between a clear navigation board and a row of mystery tiles. Pair the thumbnail with a clear name.

Work with spreadsheets

Use Spreadsheet from the toolbar when the canvas needs a lightweight table directly in the visual workspace. Spreadsheets are useful for matrices, voting summaries, simple trackers, comparison tables, agenda timing, or structured notes that still belong near diagrams and comments.

Spreadsheet actions can include editing cells, formatting text and cell backgrounds, adding links, adding checklist-style cell content, using mentions where cell editing supports them, merging cells, clearing cells, inserting or removing rows and columns, resizing the table, commenting on the object, moving it, grouping it with labels, duplicating it, or deleting it. Spreadsheet objects also support lightweight formulas and functions for simple calculations inside the canvas.

When you are editing inside a spreadsheet, clicks and keystrokes may affect cells instead of moving the whole object. Exit cell editing or select the object boundary when you want object-level actions. For details, see Use spreadsheet objects on a canvas.

Do not use a canvas spreadsheet as a replacement for a heavy data workbook. It is best for lightweight collaborative structure inside the canvas. For multiple sheets, external data connections, formal reporting, protected ranges, or large analysis, keep the source spreadsheet elsewhere and place the relevant exported view or file on the canvas.

Useful shortcuts

File review workflow

For a PDF review, upload the PDF, place it near a title or instructions, ask reviewers to use comments anchored to the file or nearby notes, then resolve threads as decisions are made. If you need the document to become the starting point for the canvas, use PDF and Office import. If the final review needs to leave ALLO, export the page or print after confirming the PDF preview is loaded.

For an image review, place the image, crop it if needed, add arrows or text labels for callouts, then use comments for decisions. If a new revision arrives, use Replace image instead of rebuilding the review area.

For a spreadsheet review, keep the table near the material it summarizes, use formulas only for simple calculations that collaborators can understand in context, and use comments when a value needs review or approval.

For a workshop board, upload source material before participants join. Waiting for large files to process during a live session is a fast way to lose the room.

What can go wrong

If upload fails, check file size, file type, network connection, and whether you still have edit permission. Try one file first instead of uploading a large batch again.

If preview fails, wait for processing, refresh the canvas, or try downloading if allowed. For PDFs, very large or complex files can take longer to process.

If Remove background is missing, check whether the image is still pending, the object is a supported image state, the workspace capability is available, and you have edit permission.

If export or print misses an image, wait for uploads and thumbnails to finish before exporting. Exporting while media is still processing can produce incomplete output. If it still fails, use Fix a failed canvas export.

If a file appears missing after sharing, the collaborator may have view access to the canvas but not permission to download, or the file may be masked by workspace restrictions. Share the canvas with the right role and confirm whether downloads are intentionally blocked.

If a spreadsheet will not move, you may be editing cells. Exit cell editing, select the spreadsheet edge, then move or resize the object.