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Files, images, and other media bring your Notion workspace to life — from company logos and product photos to contract PDFs and design assets. With the Notion API, you can programmatically upload, attach, and reuse these files wherever they’re needed. In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
  • Upload a new file using the Direct Upload method (single-part)
  • Retrieve existing files already uploaded to your workspace
We’ll also walk through the different upload methods and supported file types, so you can choose the best path for your integration.

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Upload methods at a glance

The Notion API supports three ways to add files to your workspace:
Upload methodDescriptionBest for
Direct UploadUpload a file (≤ 20MB) via a multipart/form-data requestThe simplest method for most files
Direct Upload (multi-part)Upload large files (> 20MB) in chunks across multiple requestsLarger media assets and uploads over time
Indirect ImportImport a file from a publicly accessible URLMigration workflows and hosted content

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Supported block types

Uploaded files can be attached to:
  • Media blocks: file, image, pdf, audio, video
  • Page properties: files properties in databases
  • Page-level visuals: page icon and cover
Need support for another block or content type? Let us know here.

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Supported file types

Before uploading, make sure your file type is supported. Here’s what the API accepts:
CategoryExtensionsMIME types
Audio.aac, .adts, .mid, .midi, .mp3, .mpga, .m4a, .m4b, .mp4, .oga, .ogg, .wav, .wmaaudio/aac, audio/midi, audio/mpeg, audio/mp4, audio/ogg, audio/wav, audio/x-ms-wma
Document.pdf, .txt, .json, .doc, .dot, .docx, .dotx, .xls, .xlt, .xla, .xlsx, .xltx, .ppt, .pot, .pps, .ppa, .pptx, .potxapplication/pdf, text/plain, application/json, application/msword, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.template, application/vnd.ms-excel, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.template, application/vnd.ms-powerpoint, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.template
Image.gif, .heic, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .svg, .tif, .tiff, .webp, .icoimage/gif, image/heic, image/jpeg, image/png, image/svg+xml, image/tiff, image/webp, image/vnd.microsoft.icon
Video.amv, .asf, .wmv, .avi, .f4v, .flv, .gifv, .m4v, .mp4, .mkv, .webm, .mov, .qt, .mpegvideo/x-amv, video/x-ms-asf, video/x-msvideo, video/x-f4v, video/x-flv, video/mp4, application/mp4, video/webm, video/quicktime, video/mpeg
Ensure your file type matches the contextFor example:
  • You can’t use a video in an image block
  • Page icons can’t be PDFs
  • Text files can’t be embedded in video blocks

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File size limits

  • Free workspaces are limited to 5 MiB (binary megabytes) per file
  • Paid workspaces are limited to 5 GiB per file.
These are the same size limits that apply to uploads in the Notion app UI. Use the Retrieve a user or List all users API to get the file size limit for a bot user. Public integrations that can be added to both free or paid workspaces can retrieve or cache each bot’s file size limit. This can help avoid HTTP 400 validation errors for attempting to send files above the size limit. 
type APIUserObject = {
  object: "user",
  type: "bot",
  // ... other fields omitted

  bot: {
    // ... other fields omitted

    // Limits and restrictions that apply to the bot's workspace.
    workspace_limits: {
      // The maximum allowable size of a file upload, in bytes.
      max_file_upload_size_in_bytes: number,
    },
  }
}
For example, in a free workspace where bots are limited to FileUploads of 5 MiB, the response looks like: 
{
  "object": "user",
  "id": "be51669b-1932-4a11-8d35-38fbc2e1e4fd",
  "type": "bot",
  "bot": {
    "owner": {
      "type": "workspace"
    },
    "workspace_name": "Cat's Notion",
    "workspace_limits": {
      "max_file_upload_size_in_bytes": 5242880
    }
  }
}

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Other limitations

The rest of the pages in this guide, as well as the API reference for the File Upload API, include additional validations and restrictions to keep in mind as you build your integration and send files. One final limit to note here is both the Create a file upload and Send a file upload APIs allow a maximum length of a filename (including the extension) of 900 bytes. However, we recommend using shorter names for performance and easier file management and lookup using the List file uploads API. What’s Next Now that you know what’s supported, let’s walk through a real upload using the simplest method: uploading a single file in one request.