The AI reads an attachment before it answers. You can add one with the + button in the message box, by dragging and dropping, by pasting an image or by typing #.
The + buttonLink to the The + button section
Click the + button (“Add files and more”) to the left of the message box, or use the CtrlShift1 shortcut (⌘Shift1 on a Mac). The “Add” group offers:
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| “Files or photos” | Pick one or more files on your device. |
| “Take a screenshot” (computer) or “Camera” (touch screen) | Attach a capture of a screen or a window, or take a photo. |
| “Add from…” › “Library” | Reuse a file you already uploaded (The Library). |
| “Add from…” › “Google Drive” | Pick a file from your Google Drive, if the Google Drive connector is connected (Connectors). |
| “Add from…” › “Notes” | Attach one of your notes. |
| “Add from…” › “Chats” | Attach another of your conversations. |
| “Add from…” › “Knowledge bases” | Attach a knowledge base created in the Studio. |
| “Add from…” › “Web page” | Enter the address of a web page to read. |
| “Add from…” › “YouTube video” | Enter the address of a YouTube video; its transcript is read. |
| “Add from…” › “Add to project” | Put the conversation in a project, whose sources and instructions the AI uses (“Move to another project” if it is already in one; see Projects). |
| “More” › “Scan a document” | Photograph pages and attach them as a single PDF (see below). |
| “More” › “Record a meeting” | Record the audio of a meeting and attach its transcript (Record a meeting). |
For a web page, you can also simply paste its address into your message: the AI reads it (Have a page or a video read). Depending on the setup, “Microsoft OneDrive” can also appear under “Add from…”. A grayed-out item tells you why it is not available (for example “You do not have permission to upload files.”). For the rest of the menu (“Create…”, “Deep research”, “Connectors”), see The message box.
On a phoneLink to the On a phone section
The + button opens a sheet with four tiles at the top: “Camera”, “Photos” (your photo library), “Files” and “Library”. The other sources are below, in the same groups as on a computer.
Drag and drop, and pasteLink to the Drag and drop, and paste section
- Drag and drop: drag one or more files onto the conversation; “Drop any files here to upload” appears. A folder is refused: “Folders cannot be added. Drop the files themselves.”
- Paste an image: copy an image (a screenshot, an image from a page) and paste it into the message box.
- Type
#in the message box: a list suggests the files in your Library, your notes and your knowledge bases; type a few letters to search. You can also paste a web or YouTube address after#.
What the AI readsLink to the What the AI reads section
| File type | What the AI does with it |
|---|---|
| It reads the text. For a scanned PDF with no text, Moon AI reads the text in the page images. | |
| Word (.docx), OpenDocument (.odt), EPUB | It reads the text. |
| Excel (.xls, .xlsx), CSV | It reads the data. For calculations, charts or an edited file, it uses the isolated computer. |
| PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) | It reads the text of the slides. |
| Text, Markdown, HTML, XML, source code | It reads the content. |
| Outlook email (.msg) | It reads the message. |
| Audio | The audio is transcribed, then the AI reads the transcript. |
| Video | The soundtrack is transcribed (60 minutes at most), then the AI reads the transcript. The video’s images are not read: see Videos. |
| Image, photo | It looks at it, if the selected model can read images. |
| .zip archive | It sees the list of files inside; the isolated computer can open it to go further. |
| .ifc or .ifczip model | It reads it in the isolated computer (details). |
For a very long document, the AI relies on the passages relevant to your question rather than on the whole text. If reading a scanned PDF stops before the end, the answer tells you which pages were not read.
Executable programs and scripts (for example .exe, .msi, .bat, .sh, .php) are refused.
VideosLink to the Videos section
The soundtrack of an attached video is transcribed, and the AI answers from that transcript.
- The AI does not see the video’s images. For what the video shows, attach screenshots or describe it.
- A video with no speech is flagged as such: there is nothing to transcribe.
- A video longer than 60 minutes is not transcribed. Send a shorter clip, or the audio only.
- As with an audio file, the transcription counts toward your usage limit.
For an online video, give its address instead: see Have a page or a video read.
File without an extensionLink to the File without an extension section
Some devices send a file without saying what type it is: a PDF named “scan” with no extension, or a phone recording, for example. Moon AI then recognizes the file type from its content: the document is read and the recording is transcribed, as if they had the right extension. An image keeps the type it was sent with.
Very large filesLink to the Very large files section
When a file contains a lot of text (more than 3 million characters, for example a very large CSV), only its beginning is used to search your documents. The file’s window says so: “Only the beginning of this file is searchable (… %).” The AI is told about it: it does not present a total calculated on that beginning as complete. When the isolated computer is available, the AI can read the whole file there, up to 50 MB.
Images and modelsLink to the Images and models section
Not every model reads images. If the selected model does not, adding an image is refused with the reason, for example “The selected model cannot read images.”; on a phone, the “Camera” and “Photos” tiles are grayed out. In Auto mode, Moon AI picks a model that reads images when you attach one (Modes). An iPhone HEIC photo is converted to JPEG.
When the AI works in the isolated computer, the photo attached to your message is copied there too, like an attached file.
File size and number of filesLink to the File size and number of files section
- The maximum size of a file depends on your plan. Above it, the file is refused with “This file is too large for your plan.” See pricing.
- The files you send are stored in your Library and count toward your storage (The Library).
- When a limit on the number of files per message applies, a counter appears above the attachments.
Photos attached to your messages are also stored as files. They appear in the Library under “Photos in your conversations”, and deleting a conversation deletes its photos.
Scan a documentLink to the Scan a document section
The built-in scanner photographs paper pages (an invoice, a contract, a receipt…), straightens them and attaches them as a single PDF that the AI reads. It is offered wherever a camera is available: phone, tablet, or computer with a webcam.
- + button › “More” › “Scan a document”.
- Lay the page flat, ideally on a darker background, and take the photo. When the device allows it, “Flashlight” turns on the flash. You can also “Import photos” you already took.
- Moon AI detects the edges of the page and straightens it. If they are not found, “Adjust the frame” lets you place the four corners; “Whole photo” keeps the entire photo.
- Add the next pages, then tap “Finish” (the number of pages is shown in parentheses).
- On the review screen, for each page: “Crop”, “Rotate”, “Filter” (“Color”, “Grayscale”, “Black and white”, “Original”, with “Apply to all pages”), “Retake” or “Delete”. “Organize pages” changes their order; “Add a page” extends the document.
- Tap “Attach”: the PDF is added to your message.
Good to know:
- A scanned document has 20 pages at most.
- If the document is larger than allowed, it is made lighter automatically: “The document will be compressed to fit the N MB limit.”
- The photos are saved again without their metadata (for example, where the photo was taken).
- If you close the scanner without attaching, or if the upload fails, the pages are kept: the next time you open it, “Previous scan resumed” gives them back.
- In a Confidential Chat, the pages are attached as images (10 at most) rather than as a PDF.
Long pasted textLink to the Long pasted text section
A pasted text longer than 5,000 characters does not fill the message box: it becomes a card above it, with its title and the label “Pasted text · N characters”.
- Click the card to open it, review it or edit it; the cross removes it.
- Hold Shift while pasting to keep the text in the message.
- The text is sent with your message, as if you had typed it: it goes through Moon Blur and is not stored in the Library.
- A very long text (more than 200,000 characters) is attached as a text file, if you are allowed to add files.
To stop creating cards, turn off “Paste long text as an attachment” in “Settings” › “General” › “Typing”.
In a Confidential ChatLink to the In a Confidential Chat section
A “Confidential chat” is not saved. You can attach files to it, with a few differences:
- files are read in the page and are not stored in your Library;
- Google Drive and adding to a project are not offered;
- a scanned document is attached as images;
- the isolated computer is not available.
Your files and Moon BlurLink to the Your files and Moon Blur section
The text of attached documents goes through Moon Blur before it is sent to the model. Images, photos and scanned pages attached as images are not masked. See What Moon Blur does not cover.