Work with file objects on a canvas

File objects keep source material next to the work that depends on it. Instead of sending a PDF, deck, contract, audio file, or reference document through a separate chat thread, place it on the canvas, add notes around it, and ask reviewers to comment where the decision belongs.

Use file objects when the file is part of the canvas conversation. Use the workspace Files area when you are trying to find files across a workspace, filter by type, or return to the canvas where a file was used.

Availability and permissions

When to use file objects

Use file objects for review material, source documents, research evidence, decks, audio or video references, PDFs, exported reports, legal drafts, and handoff packages. They work best when the file needs discussion in visual context: a PDF next to approval notes, a deck next to launch risks, or a contract next to questions for the legal team.

Do not use a file object as the only long-term file system for a workspace. The canvas is where the file is discussed and arranged. If you need to search, filter, or clean up files across projects and canvases, start from Files overview. If storage or quota warnings appear, use Files, storage, and quota before deleting objects blindly.

This campaign review keeps uploaded files beside the visuals, notes, links, and comments that explain them.

Add files to a canvas

Use Upload files from the canvas toolbar, paste files from the clipboard, or drag files into the canvas when your browser supports it. A file can appear on the canvas before its upload finishes. Its card preview, Preview action, and other file actions can appear a little later.

Image uploads become image objects, which have their own review and editing actions. See Work with image objects for crop, replace, background removal, thumbnails, and image download behavior.

PDFs, documents, media, and other non-image files appear as file cards on the canvas. When you upload a batch, ALLO places the new cards in a layout near the drop point rather than making you separate every object by hand.

If a file is larger than the current workspace upload limit, ALLO can reject it and show an upload-limit message. The visible limit depends on the workspace plan and configuration, so trust the in-product message over old screenshots or team notes.

Understand what happens after upload

After you add a file, it can look present on the canvas before the upload is complete. Its card preview, interactive preview, and some actions can become available later.

A file card can have three separate capabilities:

Card previews are available for more file types than interactive previews. Some Office, OpenDocument, diagram, and publishing files show a card preview but do not have an in-app preview. Download is available when ALLO can provide the original file. See Preview, open, and download files for the full format and size list.

A file that is still uploading is not necessarily a failed upload. You may still be able to select, move, resize, comment on, align, or delete it while actions such as Preview, Download, Replace, Edit, or Upload a thumbnail are disabled. Wait for the upload to finish before treating missing actions as a bug.

If you leave the canvas while files are uploading, ALLO may cancel the upload. Return to the canvas and check whether the file is ready, failed, or disappeared. For important meeting prep, upload large files before participants join; live sessions are a bad time to discover that a 90-page PDF is not ready yet.

Preview files before downloading

Use Preview when you need to inspect a file without leaving the canvas. Preview is the right default for reviews because the file stays near surrounding notes, arrows, comments, and decisions.

Interactive preview supports a narrower group: text and tabular files, PDF, Illustrator files ALLO can open as PDFs, Photoshop files with a previewable image, media, and supported Office/HWP documents. Other stored files can still be downloaded when allowed. For creating a canvas from a document rather than previewing a file object, see Import PDF and Office files. For the full format and size list, see Preview, open, and download files.

ZIP files have a separate Preview. It shows a list of folders and files, including names, sizes, and the total count, but it does not open files inside the archive. The preview accepts archives up to 20 MB and shows at most 2,000 entries. Invalid or oversized archives may not offer a preview. Encrypted or unsafe files can still appear in the list with a lock or warning, but they cannot be opened in ALLO. Download remains available when ALLO can provide the original archive.

AI questions about a ZIP use the file list only. ALLO cannot read or claim the contents of a file inside the archive. Download the archive and open the needed file outside ALLO when you need its contents.

Download files

Use Download when you need the source file outside ALLO. Download is separate from Preview. A collaborator may be allowed to see a file in preview but not download a local copy because of canvas access, workspace rules, file availability, plan limits, or retention.

If Download is missing but Preview works, do not assume the file is broken. Ask the canvas owner or workspace admin whether downloads are intentionally restricted. If the file comes from a shared canvas in another workspace, that workspace can control downloads.

For whole-canvas export, PDF export, print, and Download all images, use Export and header menu. A file-object download saves that file. A canvas export creates a separate deliverable from the page or canvas.

Object menu actions for files

Select the file object and open the Element menu when you need actions that are not shown beside the object. The actions you see depend on the file type, how many objects you selected, your access, whether the upload has finished, your device layout, and workspace rules.

Common file actions include Preview, Download, Rename, Upload a thumbnail, Copy link, Add comment, Duplicate, Group, Lock, Bring to front, Send to back, and Delete. Some file types also show media-specific controls through preview, such as PDF page navigation, audio playback, video playback, text preview, or CSV table preview.

Supported uploaded PDF and Office documents can also show Convert to canvas. Use it when the file has become important enough to need its own connected review space. ALLO creates a sub-canvas beside the source file instead of making you upload the document again. See Convert an uploaded document to a canvas.

Use Copy link when someone needs to jump to the exact file object on the canvas. For the difference between object links and access links, see Private links and share links in Canvas. Use comments when the feedback belongs to the file. Use Upload a thumbnail when the default thumbnail is blank, stale, or not representative of the file contents.

Review files with collaborators

The strongest file-review workflow is simple: upload the document, place it near the question or decision, add short text instructions nearby, and ask reviewers to use object comments instead of separate chat messages. That keeps feedback attached to the file even when the canvas becomes busy.

For a PDF review, place the PDF next to a checklist of decisions, use comments for page-level or object-level questions, and resolve threads as decisions are made. For a deck review, place the deck object near launch notes and ask each reviewer to comment on the object rather than sending disconnected feedback. For research review, group the file with summary notes and links so future readers understand why it was added.

If the file contains sensitive information, check the canvas sharing settings before inviting external reviewers. Anyone who can access the canvas may be able to inspect the file according to their role and workspace policy. See Share a canvas and Guest collaboration for role and link behavior.

What can go wrong

If upload fails, check the file size, plan limit, connection, available storage, and whether you still have edit access. Try one file first before repeating a large batch.

If Preview is missing, the upload may still be finishing, the format may not have an in-app preview, the file may be unavailable, or your permission may not allow it. If Download is available, the original file is still usable.

If a PDF or Office document opens with a preview-limit message, the document is too large for an in-app preview. Use Download when allowed.

If a collaborator can open the canvas but not the file, check both canvas sharing and the file's workspace restrictions. View access to the canvas does not always mean local download access.

If a thumbnail is wrong, stale, or blank, use Upload a thumbnail when the menu action is available. It helps people identify the file before opening it.