Upload documents in a chat

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 2 min read upload-documents-na-va.md

Upload or drag files into ServiceNow® Otto for Virtual Agent to extract relevant data from a file. The assistant analyzes and understands the content of the files, and you can ask questions about the content of the files or get a summary.

Before you begin

ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent standard and enhanced chat support uploading documents to the assistant. For more information about the different chat capabilities, see Standard chat and Enhanced chat. Uploading a document within a chat is available to you when an admin activates this feature in the admin guided setup. For more information, see Configure assistants overview.

Uploaded file formats include text and image files such as PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), JPEG, and PNG. The maximum size of a file is 5 megabytes (MB). For premium chat, you can upload files by selecting the file upload icon or by dragging and dropping files directly into the chat input box. You can upload a maximum of 10 files per conversation and a total upload limit of 50 MB. Supported file formats are:

PDF
JPEG
PNG
TXT
PPTX
Word
Excel
CSV

Role required: requestor

Procedure

Navigate to the portal home page that is using ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent.
Launch the ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent chat window.
Select the paperclip icon to upload the file or drag the file into the chat.

One or more files can be uploaded to the chat. For legacy chat options, the maximum file upload is three files. For premium chat, the maximum file upload is ten. You see the progress as the file uploads, until its completion. If the file fails to upload, or the content can't be properly parsed, take corrective action.

The file is checked for viruses, and an error message appears when a file is non-security compliant. After the file passes the virus scan, the document is secure, and sensitive data isn't retained beyond the chat session. You can't ask follow-up questions about the file after the chat session ends.

[Omitted image "dw-upload-multi-files.png"] Alt text: Window displaying multiple uploaded files.
To ask questions about another file, exit the chat, and upload or drag a new file to the assistant.

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---
title: Upload documents in a chat
description: Upload or drag files into ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent to extract relevant data from a file. The assistant analyzes and understands the content of the files, and you can ask questions about the content of the files or get a summary.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/upload-documents-na-va.html
release: australia
product: Virtual Agent
classification: virtual-agent
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 2
breadcrumb: [Using ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent, Use, Virtual Agent, Conversational Interfaces]
---

# Upload documents in a chat

## Before you begin

ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent standard and enhanced chat support uploading documents to the assistant. For more information about the different chat capabilities, see [Standard chat](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/nava-standard-chat.md) and [Enhanced chat](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/nava-enhanced-chat.md). Uploading a document within a chat is available to you when an admin activates this feature in the admin guided setup. For more information, see [Configure assistants overview](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/configure-now-assist-va.md).

Uploaded file formats include text and image files such as PDF, Word \(.doc, .docx\), JPEG, and PNG. The maximum size of a file is 5 megabytes \(MB\). For premium chat, you can upload files by selecting the file upload icon or by dragging and dropping files directly into the chat input box. You can upload a maximum of 10 files per conversation and a total upload limit of 50 MB. Supported file formats are:

- PDF
- JPEG
- PNG
- TXT
- PPTX
- Word
- Excel
- CSV

Role required: requestor

## Procedure

1. Navigate to the portal home page that is using ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent.

2. Launch the ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent chat window.

3. Select the paperclip icon to upload the file or drag the file into the chat.

One or more files can be uploaded to the chat. For legacy chat options, the maximum file upload is three files. For premium chat, the maximum file upload is ten. You see the progress as the file uploads, until its completion. If the file fails to upload, or the content can't be properly parsed, take corrective action.

The file is checked for viruses, and an error message appears when a file is non-security compliant. After the file passes the virus scan, the document is secure, and sensitive data isn't retained beyond the chat session. You can't ask follow-up questions about the file after the chat session ends.

\[Omitted image "dw-upload-multi-files.png"\] Alt text: Window displaying multiple uploaded files.

4. To ask questions about another file, exit the chat, and upload or drag a new file to the assistant.