How Willo handles your files
Size limits for images, PDFs and videos, what happens to a photo when you upload it, where published files are stored, and what deleting one does.
On this page
When you upload a file to the Assets tab, or attach one in chat and ask Willo to use it on your site, Willo prepares it for the web and publishes it at a permanent address.
What you can upload
| Kind | Formats | Largest file |
|---|---|---|
| Images | PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, HEIC (iPhone photos) | Resized as it uploads (below) |
| PDFs | 25 MB | |
| Videos | MP4, WebM, MOV | 50 MB |
A file over its limit is refused at upload, and the message gives the limit. Make the file smaller, or host a long video somewhere like YouTube and ask Willo to embed it. SVG and TIFF images are not accepted. There is also an hourly limit on uploads per business; if you hit it, wait and try again.
What happens to a photo
Photos from a phone or camera are far bigger than a web page needs, so Willo prepares them on the way in:
- iPhone HEIC photos are converted to JPEG in your browser before uploading, because most browsers can't show HEIC.
- Large images are resized so the longest side is at most 2400 pixels. That stays sharp on a large, high-resolution screen and loads quickly on a phone.
- Location and camera details are removed. Phone photos carry hidden information, sometimes including where they were taken. It is stripped, and the photo is turned the right way up first.
- Formats are simplified. Images other than PNG (JPEG, WebP, GIF) are saved as JPEG in your browser before upload, so a GIF loses its animation and a WebP its transparency. PNGs stay PNG, and a PNG without transparency is then stored as WebP, a smaller web format. For a logo with a see-through background, upload a PNG.
The stored image is what your site serves. Keep your originals if you might want them at full size later.
Videos
Video is stored as you upload it; nothing converts it. iPhones record in a format (HEVC) that some Windows and Android browsers show as sound with no picture. Before uploading iPhone video for your site, set the camera to Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible, or convert it to an H.264 MP4.
Where published files live
Images, PDFs and videos you publish are stored in your business's own backend, in a public storage area Willo keeps for your site. Each file gets a permanent web address that doesn't expire, and the same address works on your live site and in the draft preview.
Two things follow from that:
- Anyone with the address can open the file. Published files are public by design. Keep private material out of the Assets tab.
- Files depend on your backend. If your backend is paused because it used its included monthly usage, its images stop loading until it is resumed, even though your pages still load. See Backend troubleshooting.
Documents Willo writes
The Documents folder holds Willo's own writing for your business: brand and strategy documents, reports, proposals, and designed PDFs such as guides and lead magnets. These are business records, not site files. Text documents can be edited in place; designed PDFs and landing-page documents can't. See Documents.
Deleting a file
Deleting asks for a second click to confirm, and then removes the file for good. If the file is used on your site, it stops loading there straight away and the page shows a broken image or link. Before deleting, ask Willo "is this image used anywhere on my site?", and replace it first if it is.
Related: Upload and use an image, Storage for your site's own uploads.