# Supported File Formats

- URL: https://betteranalyst.com/docs/my-data/supported-formats
- Updated: 2026-11-12
- Author: Better Analyst

Full list of supported file formats including Excel, CSV, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, audio, and video. Includes file size limits and format-specific tips.

Better Analyst supports a wide variety of file formats for data analysis. Here's a complete guide to what you can upload and how each format is handled.

## Spreadsheets

### Excel Files

| Extension | Description | Features |
| - | - | - |
| `.xlsx` | Modern Excel format | Full support, multiple sheets |
| `.xls` | Legacy Excel format | Full support, converted on upload |
| `.xlsm` | Macro-enabled Excel | Macros ignored, data preserved |

**Best practices for Excel:**

- Use the first row for column headers
- Avoid merged cells when possible
- Remove blank rows at the top
- Keep data in consistent formats

### CSV Files

| Extension | Description | Features |
| - | - | - |
| `.csv` | Comma-separated values | Universal compatibility |
| `.tsv` | Tab-separated values | Alternative delimiter |

**CSV handling:**

- UTF-8 encoding recommended
- Auto-detects delimiters
- Handles quoted fields
- Processes large files efficiently

If your CSV has encoding issues (weird characters), save it with UTF-8 encoding in your spreadsheet application.

## Documents

### PDF Files

| Type | Description | Processing |
| - | - | - |
| Native PDF | Text-based PDFs | Direct text extraction |
| Scanned PDF | Image-based PDFs | OCR processing |
| Mixed PDF | Combination | Hybrid extraction |

**PDF features:**

- Table extraction
- Multi-page support
- OCR for scanned documents
- Form data extraction

### Word Documents

| Extension | Description | Features |
| - | - | - |
| `.docx` | Modern Word format | Full text, tables, images |
| `.doc` | Legacy Word format | Converted on upload |

### PowerPoint

| Extension | Description | Features |
| - | - | - |
| `.pptx` | Modern PowerPoint | Slides, text, tables |
| `.ppt` | Legacy PowerPoint | Converted on upload |

### Text Files

| Extension | Description | Features |
| - | - | - |
| `.txt` | Plain text | Full text extraction |

## Media Files

### Audio

| Extension | Description | Features |
| - | - | - |
| `.mp3` | MPEG audio | Transcription available |
| `.wav` | Waveform audio | Transcription available |

**Audio processing:**

- Automatic transcription
- Speaker detection (when possible)
- Searchable text output

### Video

| Extension | Description | Features |
| - | - | - |
| `.mp4` | MPEG-4 video | Audio transcription |
| `.mov` | QuickTime video | Audio transcription |
| `.webm` | WebM video | Audio transcription |

**Video processing:**

- Audio track extracted
- Transcription generated
- Frame analysis (limited)

## Google Sheets

Connect Google Sheets directly:

1. Use the Google Sheets connector
2. Authorize access to your account
3. Select sheets to import

Benefits:

- Real-time data sync
- No file uploads needed
- Automatic updates

## File Size Limits

| Plan | Max File Size |
| - | - |
| Free | 5 MB |
| Pro | 500 MB |
| Team | 1 GB |
| Enterprise | 1 GB |

## Format-Specific Tips

### For Best Results with Spreadsheets

- **Headers**: Use the first row for column names
- **Data types**: Keep columns consistent (don't mix numbers and text)
- **Dates**: Use standard date formats
- **Formulas**: Values are extracted, not formulas

### For Best Results with PDFs

- **Native PDFs**: Work best - created from digital documents
- **Scanned PDFs**: Enable OCR for text extraction
- **Tables**: Use tabular mode for structured data
- **Complex layouts**: May need manual cleanup

### For Best Results with Documents

- **Structure**: Use headings and paragraphs
- **Tables**: Keep tables simple
- **Images**: Text in images isn't extracted

## Unsupported Formats

These formats are not currently supported:

- Database files (.db, .sqlite)
- Archive files (.zip, .rar)
- Executable files (.exe, .dmg)
- Design files (.psd, .ai)

Need a format that's not listed? Contact support to request it.

## Converting Files

If your file isn't in a supported format:

1. **Export to Excel or CSV** from your source application
2. **Save PDFs** from documents for text extraction
3. **Convert media** to supported formats using free tools

## Next Steps

- [Upload your first file](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/my-data/uploading-files)
- [Share files with others](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/my-data/sharing-files)
- [Convert PDFs to Excel](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/tools/pdf-to-excel)