---
title: Files and attachments | Lightfield
description: Choose where to upload a file, check what the agent can read, and troubleshoot email or record attachments.
---

A file in chat, a Knowledge document, an email attachment and a meeting transcript serve different purposes. Uploading a file in one place does not automatically attach it elsewhere or make it readable in every context.

## Who can use it

Every plan includes chat. Your role must allow the action you ask the agent to take, such as changing a record or drafting email. [Knowledge](/help/knowledge/index.md) has separate Personal and Workspace editing permissions. Email sending also requires a connected account with send permission.

## Choose where the file belongs

| You want to                        | Start here                                                    | Check the result                                                                                                 |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Ask a question about a document    | Attach it to the relevant chat and say what to read           | Ask the agent to cite or summarize a specific part; upload acceptance alone does not prove the content was read. |
| Reuse company facts in later work  | Add [Knowledge](/help/knowledge/index.md)                     | Confirm the file appears under the intended Personal or Workspace area.                                          |
| Open a received email attachment   | Open the email conversation and its **Attachments** section   | Download the file. Its presence in the email does not establish that the agent has read it.                      |
| Add a generated file to a deal     | Name the opportunity and ask the agent to attach the file     | Open the opportunity’s file section and download the result before treating the task as complete.                |
| Email a file                       | Attach it to the email draft                                  | Confirm the intended file and sender before sending.                                                             |
| Add an external meeting transcript | [Upload transcript text](/help/meetings/transcripts/index.md) | Confirm it appears as a source on the correct meeting; choose the primary transcript if needed.                  |

Use Knowledge for reference material you want reused. For a one-time question, start with a chat attachment so you can keep the task and the file together.

## Check upload limits

Chat upload limits differ by file type. See the [chat upload table](/help/chat/troubleshooting/#a-file-wont-upload/index.md) for PDFs, images, Office files, videos and archives.

An accepted video upload does not mean Lightfield will transcribe it into a meeting. The meeting transcript uploader accepts transcript text; see [Transcripts](/help/meetings/transcripts/index.md).

Outgoing email allows up to five attachments per message. The combined attachment-size limit depends on the sender:

| Sender               | Combined attachment size |
| -------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Gmail                | 20 MiB                   |
| Outlook              | 3 MiB                    |
| SMTP sequence sender | 3 MiB                    |

These limits apply to attachment bytes before email encoding. Gmail also limits the complete encoded message to 35 MiB, including its body and quoted history. Read any size message in the draft before retrying: a file that fits chat or Knowledge can still exceed an email limit. Remove unnecessary attachments or share an access-controlled file link instead.

## Review visibility before sharing

Check the recipient or record audience before attaching confidential material. Workspace Knowledge is shared with the workspace; Personal knowledge is private to you. A file link shared outside Lightfield also needs the right permissions in the service hosting it. See [Control who can see your data](/help/privacy-and-access/index.md).

## Open attachments from synced messages

When a synced chat message has a downloadable attachment, click its filename in the record’s **Activity log** or message thread to open the file preview. The preview can appear beside the record so you can keep reading the conversation. If the file type or size prevents a preview, use the download action when available.

A filename without an available action means Lightfield cannot retrieve that attachment from its provider. Open the original message in that app to get the file. Seeing a filename does not mean the file is available for the agent to read.

## Troubleshooting

### A PDF works in Knowledge but fails in an email draft

Check the draft’s sender, attachment size and error message. This is a different upload path from Knowledge. Remove the failed attachment and try a smaller copy, or use a file link whose audience you have checked. If it still fails, send support the provider, file type, size and exact error; avoid sending confidential contents unless requested.

### The agent says it attached a file, but I cannot find it

Open the intended record and check its file section. Ask the agent which record and filename it used, then verify that you can download the file. If the visible result is missing, give the agent the chat link and filename to investigate before repeating the request and creating more copies.

### An email attachment will not download

Check whether the sending or receiving mailbox is still connected in [Settings → Mail and Calendar](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/mail-and-calendar/). Follow the displayed error if access or reconnection is required.

## Related documentation

For an integration, follow [Uploading files](/using-the-api/file-uploads/index.md) and then the task-specific guide for [email attachments](/using-the-api/emails-and-attachments/index.md), [transcripts](/using-the-api/uploading-meeting-transcripts/index.md) or [Knowledge](/using-the-api/uploading-knowledge-files/index.md). API upload purposes have their own contracts; do not apply chat upload limits to them.

## Common questions

**Does a synced email attachment automatically become Knowledge?** No. Add material you want reused to [Knowledge](/help/knowledge/index.md). Do not assume that a stored email attachment has been read in the current chat; ask the agent to inspect the document and confirm the result.

**Can I upload a recording as a meeting transcript?** The transcript uploader accepts text, not raw audio or video. Obtain transcript text from the recording service, then follow [Transcripts](/help/meetings/transcripts/index.md).