Sending Files and Images in Chat
Visitors and your team can share screenshots, photos and documents in a chat conversation. A screenshot of an error message is often the quickest way to explain a problem, so file sharing is on by default.
Sending files as a visitor
In the messenger, visitors can add files in three ways:
- Click the 📎 button next to the message box.
- Paste a screenshot into the message box.
- Drag and drop files onto the message box.
Each file shows as a small chip above the message box until the message is sent, and can be removed before sending. A message can be just files, or files with text. See What Visitors See in the Chat Messenger for the rest of the visitor experience.
Sending files from the inbox
In the inbox, click 📎, paste a screenshot, or drop files on the reply box. Files go with your reply, or with an internal note. Your team can always send files, even when visitor uploads are turned off. See Using the Chat Inbox.
How files appear
- Images appear in the conversation. Click one to see it full size.
- Other files appear as a download card showing the file name and size.
This works the same way for visitors in the messenger and for your team in the inbox.
Supported files and limits
| Allowed | |
|---|---|
| Images | PNG, JPEG, GIF and WebP |
| Files | PDF, TXT, CSV, LOG, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and ZIP |
| Size | Up to 10 MB per file |
| Per message | Up to 5 files |
| Visitor uploads | Up to 30 an hour per visitor |
Web pages (HTML), SVG images and programs are refused.
How files are kept private
Screenshots and documents can contain personal information, so they're handled carefully:
- Files are stored in your account's private storage, never in a public location.
- Files open only through links in the conversation. Each link lasts about a week, and new links are issued each time the conversation is opened. A link can't be changed to reach a different file.
- Images are checked by their actual content, not just their file name, before they're shown.
- Every file other than an image downloads rather than opening in the browser, so nothing uploaded can run as a web page.
What the AI agent does with files
The AI agent is told what was attached, for example error.png (image), but it can't open or read files. If a file matters to the question, it asks the visitor to describe what it shows. Your team can open the file in the inbox at any time; see Taking Over a Chat from the AI. For more on how the AI answers, see Configuring the Chat AI Agent.
Files in alerts and emails
Alerts, phone notifications and follow-up emails name the files that were sent. See Chat Notifications and Teams.
Turning visitor uploads off
- Go to Inbox, then Messenger settings, then the Install & security tab.
- Switch off Let visitors send files and images.
- Click Save settings.
Visitors then can't attach files, and the 📎 button no longer appears in the messenger. Your team can still send files from the inbox. For the rest of the tab, see Installing the Chat Messenger on Your Website.