How to Upload Documents to Claude

Step by step

1. 30 sec

   Open Claude and start a new conversation

   Navigate to claude.ai and sign in to your account. Click the + icon or 'New Chat' button to create a fresh conversation thread.

   Note: Starting a new conversation ensures your document upload won't interfere with previous chat context.
2. 15 sec

   Locate the attachment button

   Look for the paperclip icon or attachment button in the message input area at the bottom of the screen. On mobile, this appears as a + icon next to the text input field.

3. 45 sec

   Select your document

   Click the attachment button to open your device's file browser. Navigate to and select the document you want to upload. Claude supports PDF, TXT, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CSV, XLS, XLSX, and common image formats.

   Note: Files must be under 10MB. For larger documents, consider splitting them into smaller sections or compressing images.
4. 30 sec

   Wait for upload confirmation

   The file will appear as a thumbnail or filename in your message composition area. Wait for the upload progress to complete before proceeding.

5. 30 sec

   Add your prompt or question

   Type your request about the document in the message field. Be specific about what you want Claude to do—summarize, analyze, extract information, or answer questions about the content.

   Note: Claude works best with clear instructions like 'Summarize the key findings' or 'Extract all email addresses from this document.'
6. 15 sec

   Send the message

   Press Enter or click the send button to submit your document and prompt. Claude will process the file and respond based on your instructions.

   Note: You can upload multiple files in a single message by repeating the attachment process before sending.