Convert an uploaded document to a canvas

Use Convert to canvas when the document is already on the canvas and you decide it deserves its own review space. Instead of downloading the file, opening the canvas creation flow, and uploading the same file again, select the uploaded file object and convert it in place.

ALLO keeps the original file object where it is and creates a connected sub-canvas next to it. The new sub-canvas becomes the space for comments, notes, arrows, decisions, and follow-up work around the document.

Availability and permissions

Convert a document

1. Open the canvas that contains the uploaded document.
2. Select one supported PDF or Office file object.
3. Open the element menu.
4. Choose Convert to canvas.
5. Wait for the Converting to canvas progress state to finish.

When conversion finishes, ALLO creates the sub-canvas to the right of the source document, clears the old selection, and brings the new sub-canvas into view. The source file remains on the parent canvas so people can still see where the conversion started.

When this is better than importing again

Use Convert to canvas when the conversation already started around the file. A proposal PDF might be sitting beside stakeholder notes. A deck might already have comments around it. A spreadsheet report might be next to risks and decisions. Converting the existing file preserves that parent context and creates a deeper workspace without making another upload copy.

Use the original PDF/Office import flow when the file is not on a canvas yet, when you are creating a new canvas from scratch, or when the old file object is no longer the source you want to use.

What the new sub-canvas is for

The new sub-canvas is a normal canvas connected to the parent. Use it to review the document in detail, add page-level notes, collect comments, create summary sections, and prepare decisions. The parent canvas can stay readable while the document review moves into a focused space.

For example, a project kickoff canvas can keep the uploaded brief visible on the parent and create a sub-canvas for line-by-line review. A design review can keep the source deck beside the agenda and convert it into a child canvas where each slide gets comments and decisions. A finance report can stay visible as the source object while the child canvas holds assumptions, questions, and approvals.

Why the action may be missing

Convert to canvas appears only when ALLO has enough information to safely create the child canvas from the existing file. If the action is missing, check these conditions:

If the action still does not appear after those checks, use Import PDF and Office files from the creation flow or ask a workspace member with edit access to convert the document.

What can go wrong

If conversion fails, ALLO does not leave behind a half-created sub-canvas. Reopen the element menu and try again after confirming the file finished uploading and you still have edit access.

If the new sub-canvas appears in the wrong place for your layout, move it after creation. ALLO places it to the right of the source document so the parent canvas keeps a visible source-to-child relationship.

If collaborators can see the parent canvas but cannot open the converted sub-canvas, share the child canvas directly or adjust project access. Parent canvas access does not always guarantee child canvas access. See Use sub-canvases for the parent-child canvas model.