# 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.

Last updated: October 16, 2026

Source: https://www.willo.ai/docs/assets/file-handling

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 | PDF | 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](https://www.willo.ai/docs/troubleshooting/backend).

## 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](https://www.willo.ai/docs/business-records/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](https://www.willo.ai/docs/assets/upload-and-use-an-image), [Storage for your site's own uploads](https://www.willo.ai/docs/assets/storage-buckets).