Uploading Files to Harvey

Learn how to upload files in Assistant and Vault, understand limitations, and troubleshoot common upload issues.

Last updated: Oct 22, 2026


Overview

Upload files to Harvey to analyze documents, run structured extractions, and collaborate across teams. This guide walks through how file uploads work in Assistant and Vault, which file types are supported, current size limits, and how to troubleshoot issues quickly.

Supported File Types and Size Limits

Harvey supports a wide range of formats in both Assistant and Vault.

File Type

Max Processable File Size

Additional Notes & Limits

Portable Document Format (.pdf)

500 MB

  • Max page limit for text extraction is 10,000 pages. PDFs over 10,000 pages which require text extraction will fail to process.

Word (.docx, .doc)

500 MB

  • Comments within Word documents are extracted and added to the footer.

PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)

500 MB

N/A

Excel (.xls, .xlsx)

20 MB

  • Max cell limit is 2 million cells. Excel files over 2 million cells will fail to process.
  • For .xls files, Harvey reads cell values only. Re-save as .xlsx if you want Harvey to read formulas, named tables, and comments.

Excel Binary Workbook (.xlsb)

8 MB

N/A

Email (.eml, .msg)

500 MB

  • Email attachments are automatically extracted.

Microsoft Outlook Personal Storage Table (.pst)

500 MB

  • Emails within the table are extracted and added to Vault in a new folder.
  • When uploading to Vault, extracted files count toward your project's file limit.

Comma-Separated Values (.csv)

20 MB

  • Max cell limit is 2 million cells. Files over 2 million cells will fail to process.

Text (.txt)

30 MB

N/A

HTML

8 MB

N/A

Images (.jpg, .png, .tiff)

500 MB

  • Extracts text (charts/diagrams not fully supported)

Common code languages (PHP, Python, Python Script, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, JSON, XML, C, CPP (C++), CSS, Ruby, TeX, Markdown)

15 MB

N/A

Audio (M4A, MP3, WAV, WebM, FLAC, OGG)

  • 500 MB (Assistant)
  • 4 GB (Vault)
  • Audio files are automatically transcribed to a Word (.docx) file with speaker labels, timestamps, and auto-detected language.
  • Maximum length is 2 hours per file.

ASiC-E / DigiDoc archive (.asice)

4 GB

  • Can only be uploaded to Vault. If you attempt to upload to Assistant, Assistant will reject the file upload and direct you to Vault.

HTTP Archive (.har)

500 MB

  • Can only be uploaded to Vault. The file will be extracted and split into per-page sub-documents.

Upload Files to Assistant

  1. Open a new thread.
  2. Enter your prompt.
  3. Select Files.
  4. Upload files from your computer, document management system (DMS), or Vault(s).
  5. [Optional] Under Sources, select knowledge sources such as Web Search, EDGAR, or LexisNexis® (if enabled).
  6. Select the Arrow Up Send icon to run your query.

You can add or replace files mid-thread and continue asking follow-up questions.


Upload Files to a Vault

  1. Select [icon:Vault] Vault from Harvey’s sidebar.
  2. Open an existing Vault or select + Create vault.
  3. Drag and drop files into the Vault, select Arrow Out Of Box Upload files, or upload them from a connected DMS like Google Drive or iManage.
  4. Monitor the upload log and progress indicators until processing completes.

If enabled by your organization, you can also import files directly from:

  • SharePoint
  • OneDrive
  • iManage
  • Google Drive
  • NetDocuments

Upload Files to a Review Table

For instructions on typical uploads, follow the steps to create a review table in our article, Using Review Tables.

Upload Files from Connected Document Systems (DMS)

Go to our Integrations page to explore help articles by the DMS you’re working with.


Tips for Success

  • Use clean PDF or DOCX files for best extraction accuracy.
  • Check your Vault project's file limit before uploading large PST files. A single archive can contain thousands of emails, each extracted as an individual file.
  • TXT, HTML, and XML files have lower size limits than other formats.
  • If review tables stall at scale, reduce the number of columns or run smaller batches.
  • Use Save to Vault when analysis expands beyond a single query.
  • Recalculate and save Excel files before uploading so their stored values match their formulas. Otherwise, Harvey's answers may differ from what you see on screen.

Troubleshooting Upload Issues

Follow the steps below based on the error message you receive.

If the error appears in Vault, click into file errors to view the error type. You can also download errors to an Excel sheet for granular error details, such as file size, type, and time.

Image of vault error log

Other Error Messages

  • Password-Protected File: Upload Password Protected Files
  • Empty Document: The file appears to have no content. Open the file locally to confirm that it contains either text or images.
  • Email attachments not appearing
    • Only attachments on the most recent message in an email thread are processed.
    • “Virtual attachments” created by Gmail or Outlook for files larger than 25MB are not supported.
  • PST Vault extraction did not complete
    • Extraction is cancelled if the number of emails in the archive would exceed your Vault project's file limit. Delete some files from the project to free up capacity, then re-upload the PST file.

Need Further Assistance?

Before contacting Support, gather:

  1. A clear description of the issue, including the exact error message.
  2. Screenshots of the upload status logs or screen recordings of the error.
  3. The affected document(s) attached.
  4. Your browser version and operating system.
  5. Whether you attempted uploading to other product areas, and what happened.

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