Upload File | extend

Upload and create a new file in Extend.

This endpoint accepts file contents and registers them as a File in Extend, which can be used for running workflows, creating evaluation set items, parsing, etc.

If an uploaded file is detected as a Word or PowerPoint document, it will be automatically converted to a PDF.

Supported file types can be found here.

This endpoint requires multipart form encoding. Most HTTP clients will handle this encoding automatically (see the examples).

Upload and create a new file in Extend. This endpoint accepts file contents and registers them as a File in Extend, which can be used for [running workflows](https://docs.extend.ai/2026-02-09/developers/api-reference/endpoints/workflow/create-workflow-run), [creating evaluation set items](https://docs.extend.ai/2026-02-09/developers/api-reference/endpoints/evaluation/create-evaluation-set-item), [parsing](https://docs.extend.ai/2026-02-09/developers/api-reference/endpoints/parse/parse-file), etc. If an uploaded file is detected as a Word or PowerPoint document, it will be automatically converted to a PDF. Supported file types can be found [here](https://docs.extend.ai/2026-02-09/product/general/supported-file-types). This endpoint requires multipart form encoding. Most HTTP clients will handle this encoding automatically (see the examples).

Authentication

AuthorizationBearer

Bearer authentication of the form Bearer <token>, where token is your auth token.

Headers

Query parameters

convertToPdfbooleanOptionalDefaults to false

When true, converts the uploaded file to PDF. Supported file types include images (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, WebP, HEIC/HEIF), Word documents, PowerPoint, Excel, and HTML.

Request

This endpoint expects a multipart form containing a file.

filefileRequired

The file contents to upload

passwordstringOptional

The password to unlock a password-protected PDF.

Response

Successfully uploaded file

objectenum

The type of object. Will always be "file".

Allowed values:

idstring

ID for the file.

Example: "file_xK9mLPqRtN3vS8wF5hB2cQ"

namestring

The name of the file

Example: "Invoices.pdf"

typeenum or null

The type of the file.

Availability: Present when the file type could be determined.

presignedUrlstring or null

A presigned URL to download the file. Expires after 15 minutes.

Availability: Present on GET /files/{id}. Not present on POST /files/upload or when the file is embedded in other resources (e.g., in run responses).

parentFileIdstring or null

ID of the parent file.

Availability: Present for files created via a Splitter in a workflow.

metadataobject

createdAtstringformat: "date-time"

The time (in UTC) at which the object was created. Will follow the RFC 3339 format.

Example: "2024-03-21T16:45:00Z"

updatedAtstringformat: "date-time"

The time (in UTC) at which the object was last updated. Will follow the RFC 3339 format.

Example: "2024-03-21T16:45:00Z"

contentsobject or nullDeprecated

Deprecated: Use the POST /parse_runs endpoint instead to parse and retrieve file contents. The parse runs endpoint provides more control over parsing configuration and better performance.

The parsed content of the file. This field will only contain data after the file has been parsed via a parse run, extract run, classify run, split run, edit run, or workflow run.

Availability: Only present and populated on GET /files/{id} when the file has been previously parsed and the corresponding query parameters are set to true. Will be null on POST /files/upload and for files that haven’t been parsed. The structure varies based on file type.

**Deprecated:** Use the `POST /parse_runs` endpoint instead to parse and retrieve file contents. The parse runs endpoint provides more control over parsing configuration and better performance. The parsed content of the file. This field will only contain data after the file has been parsed via a parse run, extract run, classify run, split run, edit run, or workflow run. **Availability:** Only present and populated on `GET /files/{id}` when the file has been previously parsed and the corresponding query parameters are set to true. Will be `null` on `POST /files/upload` and for files that haven't been parsed. The structure varies based on file type.

Errors

400

Bad Request Error

401

Unauthorized Error

402

Payment Required Error

403

Forbidden Error

404

Not Found Error

422

Unprocessable Entity Error

429

Too Many Requests Error

500

Internal Server Error

1	import { ExtendClient } from "extend-ai";
2
3	async function main() {
4	const client = new ExtendClient({
5	token: "YOUR_TOKEN_HERE",
6	extendApiVersion: "2026-02-09",
7	});
8	await client.files.upload(, {});
9	}
10	main();

1	{
2	"object": "file",
3	"id": "file_xK9mLPqRtN3vS8wF5hB2cQ",
4	"name": "Invoices.pdf",
5	"type": "PDF",
6	"presignedUrl": "https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tests/xhtml/testfiles/resources/pdf/dummy.pdf",
7	"parentFileId": "file_Zk9mNP12Qw4yTv8BdR3H",
8	"metadata": {
9	"pageCount": 30,
10	"parentSplit": {
11	"id": "string",
12	"type": "Invoice",
13	"identifier": "other_2_9",
14	"startPage": 1,
15	"endPage": 10
16	}
17	},
18	"createdAt": "2024-03-21T16:45:00Z",
19	"updatedAt": "2024-03-21T16:45:00Z",
20	"contents": {
21	"rawText": "string",
22	"pages": [
23	{
24	"pageNumber": 1,
25	"pageHeight": 792,
26	"pageWidth": 612,
27	"markdown": "# Heading\n\nThis is a paragraph with bold and italic text.\n\n- List item 1\n- List item 2\n\n> This is a blockquote",
28	"html": "<div>This is the html of the page.</div>"
29	}
30	],
31	"sections": [
32	{
33	"startPageNumber": 1,
34	"endPageNumber": 3,
35	"markdown": "# Section Header\n\nContent spanning multiple pages...\n"
36	}
37	],
38	"sheets": [
39	{
40	"sheetName": "Sheet1",
41	"rawText": "Column1,Column2\nValue1,Value2"
42	}
43	]
44	}
45	}