Preview files in the side panel

Files open in the side panel beside your chat as read-only preview tabs: the preview picks a viewer for the file's format, and you can switch viewers, zoom images and PDFs, and read a file without leaving the chat.

Note

Oda reads the file with your account's access. A preview never edits the file; to change it, open it in its usual application (Open files and folders in other apps).

Open a preview

Open the file: click a file in the Workspace files tab, a file reference in a message, or a file step in the chat.
The file opens as its own tab in the side panel, with its type glyph and its name.

The Workspace files tab and how a file is read from the workspace are covered in Browse workspace files.

Which viewer opens

File	Opens in
Text and code files, `.log`, and files with no extension or an unrecognised one	Text or code viewer
Markdown (`.md`, `.markdown`)	Rendered Markdown
Images (`.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.gif`, `.webp`, `.bmp`, `.ico`, `.svg`)	Image viewer
PDFs (`.pdf`)	PDF viewer
Word and PowerPoint (`.doc`, `.docx`, `.ppt`, `.pptx`)	Converted for reading
Spreadsheets (`.xlsx`, `.xls`, `.csv`, `.tsv`)	Spreadsheet viewer
HTML (`.html`, `.htm`)	HTML viewer

.md and .html files can also be read as their source text.
Known binary types with no viewer, such as videos, audio files, archives and programs, show Preview is not available for this file type yet. and are not read at all.
Some formats are not supported at all, for example the macro-enabled .xlsm workbook.
Text files load in parts as you read them; images, PDFs, spreadsheets and HTML files are read whole, so a file over the preview's size limit is refused, never shown in part.

Each viewer has its own page: Preview text, code and Markdown files, Preview PDF files, Preview Word and PowerPoint files, Preview spreadsheets and Preview HTML files.

Switch the viewer

Use Open with in the preview header to change how the same file is shown.

The control shows the viewer in use and lists the other viewers that fit the file; picking one switches the same tab to it and the file is read again.
Open with appears only when more than one viewer fits the file. PDFs, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and PNG images open in a single viewer, so they show no control. SVG and HTML files show it, because both can also be read as text.
Press Escape to close the list without changing the viewer.

Keep the preview up to date

The preview follows the file: when the file changes, it reloads so you read the current version.
If it is still showing the previous content, it says so: The file has changed, showing the previous content. Use Reload next to the notice to read the file again; your place in the file is kept.
Reload in the preview header reads that tab again at any time, and affects only that tab.

Zoom an image or a PDF

Images and PDFs share the floating zoom control at the bottom edge of the pane.

Fit width is the default: the content follows the pane's width as you resize it, and fit width never enlarges content past its natural size.
The menu offers 25%, 50%, 100%, 150% and 200%; the minus and plus buttons step by 25% within the range 25% to 400%.
On a trackpad, pinch to zoom the content around the pointer.
Move the pointer toward the bottom edge of the pane, or focus the control, to bring it up; it fades out after a pause. On a touch screen it stays visible, and Escape hides it.
Your zoom stays with the tab while it is open; tabs of the same file keep their own zoom and position. Closing the tab forgets it, so the next preview opens at Fit width.

Look at an image

An image opens in the pane at Fit width: a wider image shrinks to the pane's width, a smaller one keeps its natural size, and the pane never scrolls sideways.
An image that cannot be decoded says This image could not be displayed., and one whose complete contents do not arrive says Image preview requires the complete file contents.; a partial picture is never shown.
An SVG file shows as a picture; its code does not run.

Loading and failure states

While content arrives, the pane shows a spinner with no text; its label names the state for screen readers, such as Reading…. Content that has already loaded stays visible while more arrives.
When a read fails, the preview uses one shared set of messages:

Message	What it means
`File not found. It may have been moved or deleted.`	The file is no longer at this path.
`This page exceeds the {limit} limit and cannot be read.`	The file is over the preview's size limit. Open it in its usual application.
`Not a regular file, nothing to display.`	The path is not a regular file.
`Read failed: {message}`	Something else went wrong; the detail after the colon says what.

Where trying again can help, the preview offers Retry.

Questions, answered

How do I open a file in the preview?

Click a file in the Workspace files tab, a file reference in a message, or a file step in the chat. The file opens as its own tab in the side panel, with its type glyph and its name.

How does the preview choose a viewer for a file?

By the file's format: images, PDFs, Word and PowerPoint files, spreadsheets, HTML pages and text files each open in the viewer that fits them, as in the table above. A file with no viewer of its own opens as plain text when it can be read as text.

Why does my PDF have no Open with control?

Open with appears only when more than one viewer fits the file. PDFs, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and PNG images open in a single viewer, so they show no control. SVG and HTML files do, because both can also be read as text.

Why does the preview say it is showing the previous content?

The file changed while you were reading it, and the preview is still on the version it loaded. Use Reload to read the file again without losing your place; the preview also refreshes by itself when the file changes.

Can I zoom images and PDFs the same way?

Yes. Both use the same floating zoom control: Fit width by default, the preset sizes 25%, 50%, 100%, 150% and 200%, steps of 25% up to 400%, and trackpad pinch. Your zoom stays with the tab while it is open.

Why do the zoom controls disappear while I read?

They float over the pane and fade out after a pause so they stay out of the way. Move the pointer into the bottom strip of the pane, or focus them, to bring them back. On a touch screen they stay visible, and Escape hides them.

What happens to my zoom when I close the tab?

It is forgotten. Zoom belongs to the open tab: tabs of the same file keep their own zoom, and closing a tab resets it, so the next preview opens at Fit width.

What is the spinner with no text?

It is the loading indicator: content for the tab is still arriving. The spinner is icon-only, and its label is read by screen readers, for example Reading…. Content that has already loaded stays visible while more arrives.

Why does a video or an archive show no preview?

Preview tabs show files that have a viewer. Videos, audio files, archives and programs have none, so the side panel shows the file's type glyph with Preview is not available for this file type yet. and reads nothing. Some formats are not supported at all, such as the macro-enabled .xlsm workbook.

The preview says Read failed. What can I try?

Read failed: {message} names what went wrong, and Retry appears where trying again can help. A missing file says File not found. It may have been moved or deleted. and offers no retry, and a file over the preview's size limit says This page exceeds the {limit} limit and cannot be read.; open those in their usual application instead.