File Management

# Drag files into chat window
"Analyze this quarterly report" [drag report.pdf]

# Multiple file upload
"Compare these three spreadsheets" [drag file1.xlsx, file2.xlsx, file3.xlsx]

# Image analysis
"What information can you extract from this chart?" [drag chart.png]
```text

#### Dashboard Upload
Use the file management dashboard for bulk operations:

```text Dashboard Upload
📁 Files Dashboard → Upload
├── 📎 Drag & Drop Area
├── 📂 Browse Files Button
├── 📋 Bulk Upload Queue
└── ⚙️ Upload Settings
   ├── Auto-categorization
   ├── OCR processing
   └── Team sharing options
```text

### Integration-Based Upload

#### Cloud Storage Integration
Automatically sync files from cloud storage services:

```json Cloud Storage Sync
{
  "integrations": {
    "cloud_storage": {
      "folders": ["/Work/Reports", "/Shared/Projects"],
      "auto_sync": true,
      "sync_frequency": "hourly"
    },
    "cloud_storage_alt": {
      "folders": ["/Business/Documents"],
      "auto_sync": false,
      "manual_sync": true
    },
    "enterprise_storage": {
      "folders": ["/Company/Presentations"],
      "auto_sync": true,
      "sync_frequency": "daily"
    }
  }
}
```text

#### Email Attachment Processing
Automatically extract and process email attachments:

```text Email Integration
# Automatic attachment processing
Gmail → New Email with Attachments → Auto-extract to mixus

# Manual attachment upload
"Process the attachments from my latest email about the quarterly review"

# Filtered attachment sync
Only process: .pdf, .xlsx, .pptx files from specific senders
```text

### Programmatic Upload

#### Automated File Upload
Upload files through automation integrations:

```text Automated Upload Options
# Upload files using:
• Integration with cloud storage services
• Email attachment processing
• Webhook-based file triggers
• Scheduled file imports
• Zapier automation workflows
```text

## File Organization

### Automatic Categorization

#### AI-Powered Classification
Files are automatically categorized based on content:

```text Auto-Categorization Examples
📊 Spreadsheets → "Data & Analytics"
├── Sales reports
├── Financial statements
├── Performance metrics
└── Budget forecasts

📄 Documents → "Reports & Documentation"
├── Project proposals
├── Technical specifications
├── Meeting minutes
└── Policy documents

🖼️ Images → "Visual Content"
├── Charts and graphs
├── Screenshots
├── Diagrams
└── Infographics
```text

#### Content-Based Tagging
Automatic tag generation based on file content:

```json Auto-Generated Tags
{
  "file": "Q1_2025_Sales_Report.pdf",
  "auto_tags": [
    "sales", "revenue", "quarterly", "2025", "performance", 
    "targets", "growth", "analysis", "metrics"
  ],
  "categories": ["business", "finance", "reports"],
  "content_type": "financial_report",
  "confidence": 0.94
}
```text

### Manual Organization

#### Folder Structure
Create custom folder hierarchies for organization:

```text Folder Organization
📁 My Files
├── 📁 Projects
│   ├── 📁 Project Alpha
│   │   ├── 📄 Requirements.docx
│   │   ├── 📊 Budget.xlsx
│   │   └── 📋 Timeline.pdf
│   └── 📁 Project Beta
├── 📁 Reports
│   ├── 📁 Monthly
│   ├── 📁 Quarterly
│   └── 📁 Annual
└── 📁 Reference Materials
    ├── 📁 Industry Research
    └── 📁 Best Practices
```text

#### Custom Tags and Metadata
Add custom tags and metadata for enhanced organization:

```json Custom Metadata
{
  "file": "marketing_strategy_2025.pptx",
"custom_tags": ["strategy", "marketing", "planning", "2025"],
  "metadata": {
    "department": "marketing",
    "project": "annual_planning",
    "status": "final",
    "version": "3.2",
    "author": "marketing_team",
    "review_date": "2025-09-15"
  }
}
```text

## File Processing and Analysis

### Text Extraction and OCR

#### Document Text Extraction
Automatic text extraction from various document formats:

```text Text Extraction Capabilities
📄 PDF Documents
├── ✅ Searchable Documents: Direct text extraction (19 formats: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, images, HTML, TXT, etc.)
├── ✅ Scanned Documents & Images: OCR processing for PDFs and image formats
├── ✅ Forms and Tables: Structure preservation
└── ✅ Multi-language: Support for 50+ languages

📝 Word Documents
├── ✅ Text content and formatting
├── ✅ Headers, footers, and metadata
├── ✅ Tables and lists structure
└── ✅ Comments and tracked changes

📊 Presentations
├── ✅ Slide text and speaker notes
├── ✅ Chart data and labels
├── ✅ Image text via OCR
└── ✅ Slide structure and flow
```text

#### Image Text Recognition
Extract text from images and screenshots:

```text OCR Examples
# Screenshot analysis
"Extract all text from this software interface screenshot"

# Chart data extraction
"Read the values and labels from this bar chart"

# Document scanning
"Convert this photo of a handwritten note to editable text"

# Multilingual support
"Extract text from this Spanish document image"
```text

### Data Analysis Capabilities

#### Spreadsheet Processing
Advanced analysis of Excel and CSV files:

```text Spreadsheet Analysis
📊 Data Analysis Features:
├── 📈 Statistical calculations and summaries
├── 📉 Trend identification and forecasting
├── 🔢 Financial calculations and modeling
├── 📋 Data validation and quality checks
├── 📊 Visualization recommendations
└── 🔍 Pattern recognition and insights

# Example analysis requests:
"Analyze this sales data and identify seasonal trends"
"Calculate ROI for each marketing campaign in this spreadsheet"
"Find anomalies in this financial data"
"Create a summary of key metrics from this report"
```text

#### Content Analysis
Intelligent analysis of document content:

```text Content Analysis Types
📄 Document Analysis:
├── 📝 Summarization and key point extraction
├── 🎯 Topic identification and classification
├── 💼 Sentiment analysis and tone detection
├── 🔍 Entity recognition (names, dates, companies)
├── 📊 Data extraction and structuring
└── 🔗 Cross-reference and citation analysis

# Example analysis requests:
"Summarize the key findings from this research report"
"Extract all action items from these meeting minutes"
"Identify compliance requirements in this contract"
"Compare proposals and highlight differences"
```text

## File Sharing and Collaboration

### Team Sharing

#### Permission Management
Control who can access and modify files:

```json Permission Settings
{
  "file": "strategic_plan_2025.pdf",
  "permissions": {
    "owner": "john.doe@company.com",
    "viewers": [
      "team-leads@company.com",
      "executives@company.com"
    ],
    "editors": [
      "strategy-team@company.com"
    ],
    "download_allowed": false,
    "expiry_date": "2025-12-31"
  }
}
```text

#### Team Folders
Create shared spaces for team collaboration:

```text Team Folder Structure
📁 Team Shared Folders
├── 📁 Marketing Team
│   ├── 📁 Campaigns
│   ├── 📁 Assets
│   └── 📁 Reports
├── 📁 Product Team
│   ├── 📁 Specifications
│   ├── 📁 User Research
│   └── 📁 Roadmaps
└── 📁 Executive Team
    ├── 📁 Board Materials
    ├── 📁 Strategic Plans
    └── 📁 Financial Reports
```text

### External Sharing

#### Secure File Links
Generate secure links for external sharing:

```json Secure Link Settings
{
  "link_type": "secure_external",
  "expiry": "7_days",
  "password_protected": true,
  "view_only": true,
  "download_allowed": false,
  "access_log": true,
  "recipient_email_required": true
}
```text

#### Guest Access
Provide limited access to external collaborators:

```text Guest Access Levels
🔐 Guest Access Options:
├── 👁️ View Only: Read files and see AI analysis
├── 💬 Comment: Add comments and suggestions
├── 📤 Upload: Add files to specific folders
└── ⏰ Time-Limited: Access expires automatically

# Use cases:
- Client review of proposals
- Vendor document submission
- Consultant access to specific data
- Partner collaboration on projects
```text

## Search and Discovery

### Content Search

#### Full-Text Search
Search across all file content and metadata:

```text Search Examples
# Content-based search
"Find all documents mentioning 'quarterly targets'"

# Metadata search
"Show files uploaded last week by the marketing team"

# Combined search
"Find Excel files containing budget data from 2025"

# Advanced search
"Locate presentations about AI strategy with charts"
```text

#### AI-Powered Search
Semantic search that understands context and meaning:

```text Semantic Search Examples
# Concept-based search
"Find documents about employee satisfaction" 
# Matches: surveys, feedback, engagement reports

# Question-based search
"What files contain information about our competition?"
# Matches: market analysis, competitor research, strategy docs

# Relationship search
"Show files related to the Q3 product launch"
# Matches: plans, timelines, budgets, post-mortems
```text

### File Discovery

#### Smart Recommendations
AI suggests relevant files based on context:

```text Smart Recommendations
🎯 Contextual Suggestions:
├── 📊 "Based on your current project, you might need:"
├── 🔄 "Files similar to what you're working on:"
├── 📅 "Recent files from your team:"
└── 🔗 "Related documents others have used:"

# Example scenarios:
- Working on budget → Suggests previous budget templates
- Analyzing data → Recommends related datasets
- Writing reports → Shows similar reports and templates
```text

#### Usage Analytics
Track file usage patterns for better organization:

```json File Analytics
{
  "file": "product_roadmap_2024.pdf",
  "analytics": {
    "views": 45,
    "downloads": 12,
    "ai_analyses": 8,
    "shares": 6,
    "last_accessed": "2024-03-15T14:30:00Z",
    "most_active_users": [
      "product-team@company.com",
      "engineering@company.com"
    ],
    "peak_usage_time": "Tuesday 10-11 AM"
  }
}
```text

## File Lifecycle Management

### Version Control

#### Automatic Versioning
Track changes and maintain file history:

```text Version History
📄 strategic_plan_2024.pdf
├── v1.0 - Initial draft (2024-01-15)
├── v1.1 - Executive review updates (2024-01-22)
├── v2.0 - Team feedback incorporated (2024-02-05)
├── v2.1 - Financial projections updated (2024-02-12)
└── v3.0 - Final approved version (2024-03-01)

🔄 Change tracking:
- Compare versions side-by-side
- See what content was added/removed
- Track who made changes and when
- Restore previous versions if needed
```text

#### Collaboration Tracking
Monitor collaborative editing and changes:

```json Collaboration History
{
  "file": "team_presentation.pptx",
  "collaboration_log": [
    {
      "user": "alice@company.com",
      "action": "uploaded",
      "timestamp": "2024-03-01T09:00:00Z"
    },
    {
      "user": "bob@company.com", 
      "action": "added_comments",
      "timestamp": "2024-03-01T14:30:00Z"
    },
    {
      "user": "alice@company.com",
      "action": "updated_content",
      "timestamp": "2024-03-02T10:15:00Z"
    }
  ]
}
```text

### Storage Management

#### Storage Quotas and Limits
Understanding storage limits and optimization:

```text Storage Information
💾 Storage Usage by Plan:
├── 🆓 Free Plan: 2GB total storage
├── 💼 Pro Plan: 50GB total storage  
├── 👥 Team Plan: 200GB total storage
└── 🏢 Enterprise: Unlimited storage

📊 Current Usage:
- Used: 1.2GB / 50GB (2.4%)
- Files: 1,247 files
- Largest: quarterly_data.xlsx (45MB)
- Oldest: company_handbook.pdf (2 years)
```text

#### Archival and Cleanup
Manage storage efficiently with automated policies:

```json Storage Policies
{
  "archival_policy": {
    "auto_archive_after": "1_year",
    "delete_after": "3_years",
    "compress_large_files": true,
    "notify_before_deletion": true
  },
  "cleanup_suggestions": [
    "Archive files older than 6 months with no recent access",
    "Compress large media files using lossy compression",
    "Remove duplicate files found across folders"
  ]
}
```text

## Best Practices

### File Organization

1. **Consistent Naming Conventions**
   ```text Naming Best Practices
# Use descriptive, consistent names
   ✅ Good: "Q1_2024_Sales_Report_Final.pdf"
   ❌ Poor: "report.pdf"
   
   # Include dates in sortable format
   ✅ Good: "2024-03-15_Meeting_Minutes.docx"
   ❌ Poor: "Meeting Minutes March 15.docx"
   
   # Use clear version indicators
   ✅ Good: "Product_Roadmap_v2.1.pptx"
   ❌ Poor: "Product Roadmap Final Final.pptx"
```text

2. **Strategic Folder Structure**
   ```text Folder Organization
# Organize by function, then by time
   📁 Projects/Project_Alpha/2024/Q1/
   📁 Reports/Monthly/2024/March/
   📁 Templates/Documents/Proposals/
   
   # Use consistent naming across teams
   📁 [Department]_[Project]_[Year]/
   📁 Marketing_Campaign_2024/
   📁 Engineering_Migration_2024/
```text

3. **Metadata and Tagging**
   ```text Tagging Strategy
# Use standardized tags across the organization
   Tags: [department], [project], [status], [priority]
   
   # Example tag sets:
   Marketing: campaign, social, email, analytics
   Sales: leads, proposals, contracts, reports
   Product: roadmap, specs, research, feedback
```text

### Security and Compliance

1. **Access Control Best Practices**
   - Apply principle of least privilege
   - Regularly review and update permissions
   - Use team folders for shared access
   - Monitor file access patterns

2. **Data Protection**
   - Avoid uploading sensitive personal data
   - Use secure sharing for external collaborators
   - Enable expiration dates for shared links
   - Regular compliance audits

3. **Backup and Recovery**
   - Understand data retention policies
   - Keep local copies of critical files
   - Document file restoration procedures
   - Test recovery processes regularly

## Limitations

### File Size and Type Limits
- **Maximum file size**: 100MB per file (varies by plan)
- **Unsupported formats**: Executable files, encrypted archives
- **Processing limits**: Large files may take longer to process
- **OCR accuracy**: Depends on image quality and language

### Storage Constraints
- **Total storage**: Varies by subscription plan
- **Processing queue**: High-volume uploads may be queued
- **Retention policies**: Files may be archived or deleted based on policies
- **Geographic restrictions**: Some features may vary by region

## Troubleshooting

### Upload Issues

#### File Upload Failures
**Problem**: Files fail to upload or process  
**Solutions**:
- Check file size limits for your plan
- Verify file format is supported
- Ensure stable internet connection
- Try uploading smaller batches of files

#### Processing Delays
**Problem**: Files take long time to process  
**Solutions**:
- Large files naturally take longer to process
- Check processing queue status
- Try uploading during off-peak hours
- Contact support for files stuck in processing

### Access and Sharing Problems

#### Permission Errors
**Problem**: Cannot access shared files  
**Solutions**:
- Verify you have necessary permissions
- Check if sharing link has expired
- Ensure you're logged into correct account
- Contact file owner to verify sharing settings

#### Search Not Finding Files
**Problem**: Cannot find files through search  
**Solutions**:
- Wait for new files to be indexed (up to 15 minutes)
- Try alternative search terms or keywords
- Check if files are in accessible folders
- Verify file hasn't been moved or deleted

## Related Features

- [AI Tools](/ai-tools/overview) - Use files with AI analysis tools
- [Knowledge Base](/files-memory/knowledge) - Build searchable knowledge repositories
- [Team Collaboration](/multiplayer/overview) - Share files across your team
- [Integrations](/integrations/overview) - Connect cloud storage services

## What's Next?

Ready to start managing files effectively in mixus? Here are your next steps:

1. **[Upload your first files](/files-memory/upload)** and try AI analysis
2. **[Set up cloud storage integrations](/integrations/setup)** for automatic sync
3. **[Create team folders](/multiplayer/setup)** for collaboration
4. **[Build a knowledge base](/files-memory/knowledge)** with your documents

---

*Need help organizing your files or setting up integrations? Contact our [support team](mailto:support@mixus.com) or check our [file management FAQ](/support/faqs).*