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Every chat has its own file area. It contains the files you upload and the files the assistant creates in the chat, for example with code execution or through an image connector. The assistant can read and continue working on these files in later messages. When a file changes, its earlier versions are kept.
Home > Chat > Folder icon next to the input field
Only you have access to the files of your chats.

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Open the file area

In the chat, click the folder icon Show or hide files to the right of the input field. On narrow screens, the icon is to the left of the input field. The Files window opens.
The folder icon only appears once the chat contains at least one file. In a new chat, attach a file to your message or let the assistant create a file.
Below the title, you see the number of files and the storage used compared to the storage available, for example 3 · 1.2 MB / 1.0 GB. Below that, folders are listed first, then files, each sorted alphabetically. Clicking a folder collapses or expands it; the number on the right shows the files it contains. Each file shows its size and its current version, for example v3. If the assistant creates or changes files during a response, the list updates automatically.

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Where the files come from

Files stored with an assistant do not appear in the chat’s file area. The assistant can still read them.

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Manage files

Hover over a file to show its actions. On touch devices, they are always visible.

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Folders

Folders are created through the path of a file and cannot be created directly. To move a file into a folder, rename it and include the folder in the path, for example reports/2026/revenue.xlsx. Missing folders are created. A folder disappears as soon as it no longer contains any files. Upper and lower case do not distinguish files: Report.pdf and report.pdf are the same file.

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Versions

If a file is saved under an existing name with different content, VARIOS AI creates a new version, for example when you upload a file with the same name or the assistant revises a file. Identical content does not create a new version. The Version history lists the versions with the newest first. The current version is marked current. Every version can be downloaded. Restore this version makes an earlier version the current one again. It is added as a new version, and the existing versions are kept. This way, a restore can be undone as well. At most 50 versions are kept per file. Older versions are removed automatically, the current version never.

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Use files in the conversation

The assistant knows the files of the chat. Simply ask it to work with a file, for example: “Summarize uploads/contract.pdf” or “Add a section on the open items to notes.md”. The assistant can list, read, write and edit files. It is meant to delete files only when you explicitly ask it to. It reads Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files as text. While the assistant accesses files, the chat shows a progress line, for example “Reading uploads/contract.pdf…”. If a response mentions a file the assistant has stored, the path becomes a download link.
Internally, the assistant addresses files with paths such as vfs:/chat/uploads/contract.pdf. You also see this path when you hover over a file name in the file area.

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Limits

Files with the extensions .php, .php3, .php4, .php5, .phtml, .aspx, .cgi, .pl, .py, .pyc, .pyo and .rb are not stored. Every extension in the name is checked, including report.pdf.php.

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Data protection

  • DLP: If DLP is active in the chat, files you upload in the file area go through the same Checking the documents step as attachments in the input field.
  • Sensitivity labels: If your administrator has enabled Sensitive File Protection for the assistant’s model, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files with a blocked sensitivity label are rejected. This also applies to files the assistant creates.
  • Virus scan: If a virus scan is set up, suspicious files are rejected with the message “The upload of the file has been blocked.”
  • Deleting the chat: If you delete a chat, all its files and all their versions are deleted as well.

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Troubleshooting

The chat does not contain any file yet. Attach a file to a message or let the assistant create a file. The preview while editing an assistant has no file area.
Check the size and extension of the file as well as the free storage of the chat, see Limits. The message appears at the top of the Files window. For the DLP check or sensitivity labels, see Data protection.
A file with the same name is stored as a new version, even if upper and lower case differ. You can find the previous version in the Version history.
Deleted files cannot be restored. To undo individual changes, use the Version history instead.