Google Gemini 3 file upload and reading: supported formats, size limits, and in‑chat document analysis

Google Gemini 3 supports file upload and advanced document reading in both its consumer apps and API environments, enabling users to analyze, summarize, and extract insights from a wide range of file types in real time.

The system’s file handling capabilities are designed for practical research, productivity, and integrated automation workflows across the Google ecosystem.

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Users can upload multiple files for in‑chat analysis across Gemini apps and the API.

Gemini 3 allows direct upload of documents, spreadsheets, images, audio, and video in both the web and mobile interfaces.

Files are attached via a plus button, drag‑and‑drop menu, or imported directly from Google Drive or device storage.

After upload, Gemini parses file contents and integrates them into the reasoning context for that chat session.

Uploaded files can include research articles, business reports, data tables, presentations, code archives, and multimedia.

Session context persists for the duration of the chat; once the thread ends, file references are cleared for privacy and security.

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Gemini 3 supported file formats and input sources

File type	Formats/extensions	How it is used
Documents	PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT	Summaries, extraction, Q&A
Spreadsheets	XLS, XLSX, CSV	Data insights, table analysis
Images	PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF	OCR, visual data, captioning
Audio	MP3, WAV, M4A	Transcription, summary
Video	MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM	Scene analysis, keyframe summaries
Code/repos	ZIP, GitHub links	Code review, documentation, structure
Google Drive files	All supported formats	Integrated with Drive permissions

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Upload limits are defined per file, per prompt, and by session context.

Gemini 3 allows up to ten files to be uploaded and referenced in a single prompt or chat.

Each file has a maximum size—generally 100 MB for documents, 2 GB for video, and slightly lower for spreadsheets and images—depending on the platform and file type.

These limits ensure the model can effectively parse, reason, and summarize content without context overflows or truncated responses.

Uploads are session-specific: content remains accessible only during the active chat and is not retained across threads for privacy reasons.

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Gemini 3 file upload limits

Constraint	Limit / guidance
Files per prompt/chat	Up to 10
Document file size	Up to 100 MB per file
Video file size	Up to 2 GB per file
Session retention	Until chat thread ends
API project storage	Up to 20 GB per project

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Document analysis includes text extraction, summarization, and cross-modal insights.

After upload, Gemini 3 extracts text, tables, and structured data from documents and spreadsheets.

For images, the model applies vision and OCR tools to interpret embedded text and visual elements.

Audio files are transcribed and can be summarized or searched for specific information.

Users can prompt Gemini to summarize, compare, or answer detailed questions about any part of the uploaded material.

In API and developer environments, files can be indexed and referenced programmatically, supporting advanced workflows such as retrieval-augmented generation and multi-session analysis.

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Gemini 3 document reading and analysis features

Capability	How it works
Text extraction	Reads PDFs, DOCX, TXT for direct Q&A
Table/data extraction	Analyzes XLS, CSV for trends, summaries
Image-to-text (OCR)	Extracts and reasons over image text
Audio transcription	Converts speech to text for analysis
Video scene/keyframe review	Summarizes visual and audio segments
Cross-file referencing	Relates data across multiple uploads
API-based file usage	Files can be stored and queried at scale

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Developer workflows leverage the Gemini Files API for scalable document context.

For larger projects, developers can use the Gemini Files API to upload, store, and index up to 20 GB of files per project.

Uploaded files can be referenced in multiple prompts and sessions without re-uploading, making it possible to build custom applications for document review, automated extraction, or research aggregation.

API quotas and storage policies are documented in the official Gemini developer resources, with additional controls for privacy, project scoping, and usage limits.

This infrastructure supports both rapid prototyping and production-scale integration of Gemini’s file reasoning capabilities.

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