Supported File Formats
Scholarly accepts a wide range of file types. Here is what you can upload and what features are available for each format.
Documents
| Format | Extensions | Flashcards | Podcast | Video Lecture | AI Slides | AI Chat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Word | .docx, .doc | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PowerPoint | .pptx, .ppt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text | .txt, .md | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Office file previews
Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) files can open directly in Scholarly's shared file preview from chat, research, and saved files. Newly uploaded Word and PowerPoint files keep the original Office file for preview and download while Scholarly uses a processed PDF for AI chat and creation tools. Older uploads continue to open as the PDF that was already stored.
Native Office previews are limited to 25 MB. A larger Office file remains downloadable with a paid plan, but the preview shows a clear size-limit message instead of loading the document. Legacy .doc and .ppt files continue to open through their converted PDF.
PowerPoint speaker notes
Speaker notes stored in a .pptx file are extracted before PDF conversion and included with their matching slide for AI chat and creations. Legacy .ppt files do not support this notes extraction.
Text, Data, and Code (Library Files)
These are saved as library files. Text-based formats can be edited inline. Native .xlsx files use a workbook preview; download them with a paid plan to edit externally.
| Category | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Plain text | .txt, .md |
| Spreadsheet / data | .csv, .tsv, .json, .xlsx (native workbook preview) |
| Calendars | .ics |
| Diagrams / vector | .svg, .mmd (Mermaid), .tex (LaTeX) |
| Web | .html |
| Code | Python (.py), JavaScript (.js), TypeScript (.ts/.tsx), Java (.java), C/C++ (.c/.cpp/.h), Rust (.rs), Go (.go), Ruby (.rb), PHP (.php), Swift (.swift), Kotlin (.kt), SQL (.sql), and 30+ more |
Images
| Format | Extensions | Flashcards | AI Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG | .jpg, .jpeg | Yes | Yes |
| PNG | .png | Yes | Yes |
| GIF | .gif | Yes | Yes |
| WebP | .webp | Yes | Yes |
| BMP | .bmp | Yes | Yes |
| TIFF | .tif, .tiff | Yes | Yes |
| HEIC / HEIF | .heic, .heif | Yes | Yes |
| AVIF | .avif | Yes | Yes |
Upload photos of a printed document, a whiteboard, a diagram, or handwritten notes to create flashcards or discuss them with the AI.
Audio
| Format | Extensions | Recording | Flashcards |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP3 | .mp3 | Yes | Yes |
| M4A | .m4a | Yes | Yes |
| WAV | .wav | Yes | Yes |
| WebM | .webm | Yes | Yes |
| OGG | .ogg | Yes | Yes |
Audio files create a recording page with automatic transcription, summary, and AI chat.
Recordings can be used by supported creators, and their transcripts can be copied into other text-based workflows. Check the creator's source picker; not every tool lists recording pages directly. A narration created by Text-to-Speech is saved to your library as an MP3 to listen to, but it is not offered as a source in create flows or chat, attach the document it was read from instead.
Video
| Format | Extensions | Transcript | Flashcards | AI Chat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 | .mp4 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MOV | .mov | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WebM | .webm | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| M4V | .m4v | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AVI | .avi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MKV | .mkv | Yes | Yes | Yes |
An uploaded video gets its own page with an automatic transcript, chapters generated from the content, a summary, and AI chat grounded in the transcript.
URLs
| Source | Flashcards | Podcast | AI Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website URL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube video URL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Direct file URL (audio, PDF, etc.) | Yes | Depends on type | Yes |
Paste a URL in the upload modal. Scholarly detects the content type and routes it to the right feature.
Pasted Text
Not a file at all? Paste notes, a transcript, or an article into the Paste text tab of the Add content dialogue and it becomes a source like any upload. See Paste Text.
Google Drive Files
If you connect Google Drive, you can pick files straight from Drive instead of uploading them. The Drive picker supports:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Google Docs, Sheets, Slides |
| Documents | PDF, Word (.docx) |
| Presentations | PowerPoint (.pptx, .ppt) |
| Text and data | Plain text, Markdown, CSV |
Picked Drive files work as sources in any create window, in AI chat, and in Deep Research, see Connections to connect Drive and manage access.
Scanned PDFs
Image-only PDFs can be used across Scholarly's PDF workflows even when they have no selectable text. Clear, legible scans produce the best results; image quality and handwriting legibility can affect what the AI reads.
File Size
Each file can be up to 8 MB on Free, 100 MB on Premium Lite where offered, 300 MB on Premium, and 1 GB on Laureate.
Large Word and PowerPoint files are converted before processing, so a very complex .docx or .pptx may be rejected with a clear message even when it is under the size limit, try a smaller file, or upload a PDF instead.
See Plans and Limits for the full breakdown.
Related
- Uploading Content, every way to bring a source in.
- Plans and Limits, file size, PDF page, and per-creation source limits.
- Connections, using Google Drive files as sources.
- Fixing Common Problems, rejected uploads and Office files that will not convert.