supermemory/apps/docs/add-memories/examples/file-upload.mdx

---
title: "File Upload"
description: "Upload PDFs, images, and other files to Supermemory"
---

Upload files directly to Supermemory for automatic content extraction and processing.

## Upload a PDF

Extract text from PDFs with OCR support.

<CodeGroup>

```typescript TypeScript
const file = fs.createReadStream('document.pdf');

const response = await client.documents.uploadFile({
  file: file,
  containerTags: 'documents'
});

console.log(response.id);
// Output: pdf_123
```

```python Python
with open('document.pdf', 'rb') as file:
    response = client.documents.upload_file(
        file=file,
        container_tags='documents'
    )

print(response['id'])
# Output: pdf_123
```

```bash cURL
curl -X POST "https://api.supermemory.ai/v3/documents/file" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@document.pdf" \
  -F "containerTags=documents"

# Response: {"id": "pdf_123", "status": "processing"}
```

</CodeGroup>

## Upload Images with OCR

Extract text from images.

<CodeGroup>

```typescript TypeScript
const image = fs.createReadStream('screenshot.png');

await client.documents.uploadFile({
  file: image,
  containerTags: 'images'
});
```

```python Python
with open('screenshot.png', 'rb') as file:
    client.documents.upload_file(
        file=file,
        container_tags='images'
    )
```

```bash cURL
curl -X POST "https://api.supermemory.ai/v3/documents/file" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@screenshot.png" \
  -F "containerTags=images"
```

</CodeGroup>

## Browser File Upload

Handle browser file uploads.

<CodeGroup>

```javascript JavaScript
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append('file', fileInput.files[0]);
formData.append('containerTags', 'uploads');

const response = await fetch('https://api.supermemory.ai/v3/documents/file', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}`
  },
  body: formData
});

const result = await response.json();
console.log(result.id);
```

```typescript React
function handleUpload(file: File) {
  const formData = new FormData();
  formData.append('file', file);
  formData.append('containerTags', 'uploads');

  return fetch('https://api.supermemory.ai/v3/documents/file', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}` },
    body: formData
  });
}
```

```bash cURL
# Browser uploads use FormData, same as file upload
curl -X POST "https://api.supermemory.ai/v3/documents/file" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@document.pdf" \
  -F "containerTags=uploads"
```

</CodeGroup>

## Upload Multiple Files

Batch upload with rate limiting.

<CodeGroup>

```typescript TypeScript
for (const file of files) {
  const stream = fs.createReadStream(file);

  await client.documents.uploadFile({
    file: stream,
    containerTags: 'batch'
  });

  // Rate limit
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 1000));
}
```

```python Python
import time

for file_path in files:
    with open(file_path, 'rb') as file:
        client.documents.upload_file(
            file=file,
            container_tags='batch'
        )

    time.sleep(1)  # Rate limit
```

```bash cURL
# Upload each file separately with delays
for file in *.pdf; do
  curl -X POST "https://api.supermemory.ai/v3/documents/file" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY" \
    -F "file=@$file" \
    -F "containerTags=batch"

  sleep 1  # Rate limit
done
```

</CodeGroup>

## Supported File Types

### Documents
| Format | Extensions | Processing |
|--------|------------|------------|
| PDF | .pdf | Text extraction, OCR for scanned pages |
| Microsoft Word | .doc, .docx | Full text and formatting extraction |
| Plain Text | .txt, .md | Direct text processing |
| CSV | .csv | Structured data extraction |

### Images
| Format | Extensions | Processing |
|--------|------------|------------|
| JPEG | .jpg, .jpeg | OCR text extraction |
| PNG | .png | OCR text extraction |
| GIF | .gif | OCR for static images |
| WebP | .webp | OCR text extraction |

### Size Limits
- **Maximum file size**: 50MB
- **Recommended size**: < 10MB for optimal processing
- **Large files**: May take longer to process