What File Types Does ChatGPT Support? Complete List for 2025
Wondering if you can upload your file to ChatGPT? This complete guide covers all supported file types, size limits, and workarounds for unsupported formats.
ChatGPT's file upload feature (available to Plus subscribers) supports a variety of file formats. However, there are limitations on both file types and sizes that can frustrate users. This guide covers everything you need to know about ChatGPT file support.
Officially Supported File Types
ChatGPT natively supports these file formats:
Documents
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Text-based PDFs work best; scanned PDFs may have issues | ||
| Word Document | .docx | Modern Word format fully supported |
| Plain Text | .txt | Best compatibility |
| Markdown | .md | Fully supported |
Code Files
| Language | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Python | .py |
| JavaScript | .js, .jsx, .mjs |
| TypeScript | .ts, .tsx |
| Java | .java |
| C/C++ | .c, .cpp, .h, .hpp |
| C# | .cs |
| Go | .go |
| Rust | .rs |
| Ruby | .rb |
| PHP | .php |
| Swift | .swift |
| Kotlin | .kt |
Data Files
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CSV | .csv | Tabular data, spreadsheets |
| JSON | .json | Structured data |
| XML | .xml | Markup data |
Web Files
| Format | Extension |
|---|---|
| HTML | .html, .htm |
| CSS | .css |
Image Files
ChatGPT (GPT-4 with Vision) can analyze images:
- JPEG/JPG — Photos, screenshots
- PNG — Screenshots, graphics
- GIF — Static images (first frame of animated GIFs)
- WebP — Web images
Note: Image analysis is separate from document analysis. ChatGPT can describe and analyze images but doesn't extract text from image-based PDFs.
NOT Supported (Directly)
These formats cannot be uploaded directly to ChatGPT:
- Excel files (.xlsx, .xls) — Convert to CSV first
- PowerPoint (.pptx, .ppt) — Export to PDF
- Old Word format (.doc) — Save as .docx
- Rich Text Format (.rtf) — Save as .txt or .docx
- Audio files (.mp3, .wav) — No direct support
- Video files (.mp4, .mov) — No direct support
- Archive files (.zip, .rar) — Extract first
- Executable files (.exe, .app) — Not supported
File Size Limits
This is where most users run into problems:
| ChatGPT Tier | File Size Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Free | Limited access | File upload may not be available |
| ChatGPT Plus | ~25MB per file | Varies by file type |
| ChatGPT Team/Enterprise | Higher limits | Check your plan |
The real limit: Even if your file uploads, ChatGPT can only process a certain amount of text (its "context window"). Very large documents may be truncated.
How to Upload Any File Size with FileUploadGPT
The FileUploadGPT Chrome extension removes these limitations by:
- Parsing your file locally in the browser
- Splitting it into optimized chunks
- Sending chunks to ChatGPT with context markers
- Maintaining document coherence across all chunks
Supported by FileUploadGPT:
- PDF (any size)
- DOCX (any size)
- TXT (any size)
- MD (any size)
- HTML (any size)
- All code files
- CSV/JSON data files
Converting Unsupported Files
If you have an unsupported file type, here's how to convert it:
Excel to CSV
- Open your Excel file
- File → Save As
- Choose "CSV (Comma delimited)" format
- Upload the CSV to ChatGPT
PowerPoint to PDF
- Open your PowerPoint file
- File → Export → Create PDF/XPS
- Upload the PDF to ChatGPT
Audio/Video Transcription
- Use a transcription service (Whisper, Otter.ai, etc.)
- Export the transcript as TXT or DOCX
- Upload the transcript to ChatGPT
Tips for Best Results
- Use text-based PDFs: Scanned document PDFs (image-based) may not extract text properly
- Remove unnecessary content: Delete cover pages, blank pages, and irrelevant appendices
- Check file size: If your file is too large, use FileUploadGPT
- Use plain formats when possible: TXT and MD files have the best compatibility
- For code: Combine multiple files into one with clear file markers
Conclusion
ChatGPT supports most common document, code, and data formats, but file size limits can be frustrating. For large files or when you hit upload limits, FileUploadGPT provides a simple solution that works with any file size.