File Preview

Files uploaded to your digital workplace will have previews generated if they are of a supported file type. This allows members of a digital workplace to view and interact with these previews without downloading the file itself. 

Documents, videos, images, and audio files each display in their own interfaces that provide functionality specific to that type of file. 

Sections in this article: 

Considerations and caveats

Preview generation

File previews are generated when the following conditions are met:

  • The file is of a supported type (see file-type sections below) 
  • The file does not have password protection
  • If the file is a video, it must be below 1 GB in size

For larger files, it takes more time to generate a preview. 

Embedding files elsewhere in your digital workplace

Depending on the type of file, see:

Embedding files outside of your digital workplace

While you can embed files outside of your digital workplace, how this is done may depend on the location. In general, for documents and videos, you can use the iFrame generated by selecting Embed; however, audio and image files require you to right-click Download and copy the link's URL to get the source URL.

This content will also need to be made publicly available; otherwise, it will only be viewable by those who are signed into the digital workplace and have sufficient access to the file.

Attachments

Adding a file as an attachment to content and comments also generates a preview. To view this preview, select the attachment.

Document preview update

On March 25, 2021, we introduced a new document preview experience (shown and discussed in this section). Documents uploaded after March 25 will be previewed in this new interface, while existing documents will initially be displayed in the old interface. These existing documents will be transitioned to the new interface using the following method.

The first time anyone views an existing document, the platform will enter it into a queue to generate a preview for the new interface. The time it takes to generate a new preview will depend on the number of items already in the queue. This is a one-time task per document; once a new preview has been generated, all subsequent views will be displayed using the new interface.

We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this method of transitioning documents to the new interface and seek to remove it when the impact of doing so would be minimal.

Unsupported file types

These types of files can't be directly uploaded to your digital workplace:

  • app
  • bat
  • bin
  • com
  • cmd
  • deb
  • dmg
  • exe
  • jar
  • msi
  • ps1
  • py
  • rpm
  • run
  • sh
  • vb
  • vbs
  • wsf
  • xap

To add these files to your digital workplace, compress the file (zip, rar, etc.) and upload the compressed file to your digital workplace.

Document preview

Documents that consist primarily of text are displayed in an interface that allows for navigating and searching the document. 

A preview of a PDF document.

Supported document file types

These types of documents will have a preview generated for them:

  • css
  • csv
  • doc
  • docm
  • docx
  • dot
  • dotm
  • dotx
  • html
  • msg
  • odp
  • ods
  • odt
  • oth
  • otm
  • otp
  • ots
  • ott
  • pdf
  • potm
  • potx
  • ppam
  • ppsm
  • ppsx
  • ppt
  • pptx
  • rtf
  • rtx
  • sgm
  • sgml
  • txt
  • vsd
  • vsdx
  • xls
  • xlsb
  • xlsm
  • xlsx
  • xltm
  • xltx
  • xml

Document preview tools

Tool
Usage
Layout Select how pages are arranged:
  • Single page
    Preview showing a single page at a time.
  • Double page
    Preview showing two columns of pages.
  • Grid view
    Preview showing multiple pages in a grid.
Page navigation Select the arrows to navigate the pages in a document, or enter a page number to jump to that page.
Selector Select how you can interact with a document:
  • Use the Select Tool to select elements within a document
  • Use the Hand Tool to pan around a document. This can be useful when zoomed in on a document.
Zoom Select to zoom in and out of a document.

This option is not available in double-page and grid-view page arrangements.
Rotate Clockwise Select to rotate all pages in a document clockwise by 90°.
Toggle Fullscreen Select to expand a document to your entire screen. Select again or X at the top of the screen to return to the regular preview size.
Search Enter a simple text query to find instances of it in a document. Locations where this text can be found are shown in the search pane next to a document. Select the results to navigate to the page where the term is located.

Select X on the search pane to close it.
The search panel of document preview.
Open File Manager Select to open a document's location in the File Manager application.

This tool is not visible if your digital workplace has not enabled File Manager. You must also have File Manager installed on your computer for the tool to function.

This is not available when previewing a document that is an attachment.
More Controls Click to show additional document options:
  • Share via Email: Creates an email in your preferred application that contains a link to a document's location. It also populates the subject field with the document's title and the sender's email address with your email (as configured in your email application).
  • Print: Prepares a document for printing using your browser's printer configuration settings.
  • Download: Save a copy of the document to your device.
  • Copy embed code: Generates a copyable embed code that you can use to surface a document elsewhere.
  • Edit with File Manager: Using File Manager, download and open a document using your device's preferred application for that type of file (the extent to which you can edit the file is dependent on this default application). Whenever you save the file, File Manager uploads it to your digital workplace as a new version of the existing file. For more information, see File Manager.

As the width of the preview interface shrinks, the other available tools are moved under this menu.
Document Preview Tools

Video preview

Video files are displayed in a video player that will render videos in 360p and 720p resolutions. In addition to toggling the resolution, you can adjust the volume, make the video fullscreen, and navigate to different times in the video using the timeline. 

When uploading a video to your digital workplace, we recommend it have the following properties:

  • File Type: MP4
  • Audio Codec: AAC-LC
  • Video Codec: H.264
  • Frame Rate: Content should be encoded and uploaded in the same frame rate it was recorded. Common frame rates include 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, or 60 frames per second
  • Resolution: 720p - 280p x 720px
  • Bit Rate:  5-10mbps

A preview of a video.

Supported video file types

These types of videos will have a preview generated for them:

  • asf
  • avi
  • flv
  • m4v
  • mkv
  • mov
  • movie
  • mp4
  • mpe
  • mpeg
  • mpg
  • ogv
  • qt
  • wmv

In addition to being of a supported file type, videos must also be under 1GB to generate a preview.

Image preview

Image files are scaled down to fit in the preview window. This scaling only impacts the preview and not the source image file.

A preview of an image

Supported image file types

These types of images will have a preview generated for them:

  • ai
  • bmp
  • cgm
  • djv
  • djvu
  • eps
  • gif
  • ico
  • ief
  • jp2
  • jpe
  • jpeg
  • jpg
  • pbm
  • pct
  • pgm
  • pic
  • pict
  • png
  • pnm
  • pnt
  • pntg
  • ppm
  • psd
  • qti
  • qtif
  • ras
  • rgb
  • svg
  • tif
  • tiff
  • wbmp
  • xbm
  • xpm
  • xwd

Audio preview

Audio files are displayed in an audio player that lets you adjust the volume and navigate to different parts of the track using the timeline.

A preview of an audio file.

Supported audio file types

These types of audio will have a preview generated for them:

  • mp3
  • ogg
  • wav
  • wma

Troubleshooting

Select an issue to find out how to resolve it: