File Uploads & Documents

Learn how to upload images, documents, and files to supercharge your AI conversations.

What You Can Upload

Gab AI can analyze and work with a wide variety of files. Uploading a file gives the AI direct access to its contents, so it can summarize, analyze, answer questions about, or transform the information inside.

• Images — photos, screenshots, diagrams, charts, artwork (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF)
• Documents — PDFs, Word docs, text files, spreadsheets
• Code files — source code in any language for review, debugging, or explanation
• Data files — CSV, JSON, and other structured data for analysis

How It Works

When you upload a file, Gab AI reads its contents and includes them in the conversation context. This means the AI can "see" everything in the file and respond to questions about it — just like a colleague reading a document you handed them.

How to Upload Files

Uploading is simple — click the paperclip icon in the composer, select your file, and then type your prompt. The key is pairing your file with a clear instruction about what you want the AI to do with it.

Working with Images

AI vision capabilities let you analyze photos, screenshots, charts, and more. The AI can describe what it sees, extract text, identify objects, read handwriting, and even analyze data from charts. Great uses for image uploads:

• Screenshot analysis — paste error messages, UI designs, or dashboards for analysis
• Photo identification — plants, animals, landmarks, products
• Chart reading — extract data and insights from graphs and visualizations
• Text extraction — pull text from photos, handwritten notes, or scanned documents
• Design feedback — get critique and suggestions on logos, layouts, or artwork

Pro Tip

For screenshots and text-heavy images, make sure the text is legible. Crop to the relevant area rather than uploading an entire screen if you only need the AI to focus on one part.

Document Upload Best Practices

Documents like PDFs and text files are incredibly useful for AI analysis, but there's an important concept to understand: the context window. Here's how to get the best results when working with documents:

What's a Context Window?

The context window is the total amount of text the AI can "hold in mind" at once — your file contents, your prompt, and the conversation history all share this space. Think of it like a desk: the bigger the document you spread out, the less room there is for everything else.

Avoiding Context Overload

One of the most common mistakes with file uploads is overloading the context window. When you stuff too much information in, the AI's quality drops — it may miss details, give vague answers, or lose track of your instructions. Signs you're overloading context:

• The AI gives generic or surface-level responses
• It seems to 'forget' details from earlier in the document
• Responses contradict what's actually in the file
• The AI ignores parts of your prompt

Rule of Thumb

If your uploaded files plus your conversation history exceed the model's context limit, the oldest parts get trimmed. Keep uploads focused and conversations on-topic to maintain quality.

Writing Effective File Prompts

The prompt you pair with a file upload is just as important as the file itself. Here's a formula that works well: The formula: What the file is + What to find/do + How to format the output

How It Works

When you upload a file, Gab AI reads its contents and includes them in the conversation context. This means the AI can "see" everything in the file and respond to questions about it — just like a colleague reading a document you handed them.

1. Click the paperclip icon — In the bottom-left of the chat composer, click the paperclip (attachment) button. You can also drag and drop files directly into the chat.
2. Select your file — Choose one or more files from your device. You'll see a preview of the attached file above the text input.
3. Write a clear instruction — Tell the AI exactly what you want it to do with the file. Don't just upload a file with no context — always include a prompt.

Pro Tip

For screenshots and text-heavy images, make sure the text is legible. Crop to the relevant area rather than uploading an entire screen if you only need the AI to focus on one part.

1. Be selective about what you upload — If you only need information from pages 5-10 of a 200-page document, extract those pages first. Uploading the entire document wastes context space and can reduce the quality of responses.
2. Ask focused questions — Instead of "tell me about this document," ask targeted questions like "What are the three main conclusions in the results section?" The more focused your question, the better the answer.
3. Break large tasks into steps — For complex documents, work through them in stages. First ask for a summary, then dive into specific sections with follow-up questions.
4. One file per topic when possible — If you're comparing two documents, it can help to upload them one at a time with specific comparison prompts rather than uploading everything at once.

What's a Context Window?

The context window is the total amount of text the AI can "hold in mind" at once — your file contents, your prompt, and the conversation history all share this space. Think of it like a desk: the bigger the document you spread out, the less room there is for everything else.

Rule of Thumb

If your uploaded files plus your conversation history exceed the model's context limit, the oldest parts get trimmed. Keep uploads focused and conversations on-topic to maintain quality.

• Always pair file uploads with a clear, specific prompt — never upload without instructions
• Be mindful of the context window: upload only what you need, not entire large documents
• Break complex document analysis into focused, step-by-step questions
• For images, crop to the relevant area and ask specific questions about what you see
• If AI responses seem vague or miss details, you may be overloading the context — try reducing file size or narrowing your ask

Last updated: 2026-06-18