Attach files to a task
Keep the reference material for a task with the task: a photo of the whiteboard, the PDF you need to read, a voice note you captured on the move. Attachments sync to every device you use, and the file itself downloads only when you open it.
Availability: attachments are rolling out gradually. If you don’t see Attach file… in a task’s menu, your account doesn’t have them yet.
Add a file
- Web and desktop app: open the task, click the ••• menu and choose Attach file….
- Mobile app: open the task, tap ••• and choose Take Photo or Attach File.
Files attached to an email you send to your Nirvana inbox address are not kept yet; the email’s text still becomes the task.
Images show a thumbnail right away. Everything else appears as a file tile with its name and size.
What you can attach
| Kind | Types |
|---|---|
| Images | JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC and HEIF |
| Documents | PDF, plain text, Markdown, CSV, Word, Excel and PowerPoint (both the old and the new formats) |
| Audio | MP4/M4A, AAC, MP3, WAV, WebM and Ogg |
| Video | MP4, MOV, WebM, M4V and 3GP |
Anything else is refused when you add it, including executables and archives.
Limits: each file can be up to 100 MB. Total storage is 100 MB on a Basic account and 500 MB on Pro and Plus. When you’re out of room, Nirvana tells you at upload time. Remove attachments you no longer need to free space, then retry.
Open an attachment
Click or tap the attachment. Where it opens depends on the file and the app:
| File type | Web app | Desktop app | Android | iOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Images, audio, video, PDF | In Nirvana | In Nirvana | In Nirvana | Your device’s viewer |
| Plain text, Markdown | In Nirvana | In Nirvana | Another app | Your device’s viewer |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV | Saved to your downloads | The app that handles that file | Another app | Your device’s viewer |
In Nirvana’s viewer, use ← and → to step through a task’s attachments and Esc to close. The viewer’s toolbar also lets you open the file outside Nirvana or download a copy.
A video or image your device can’t decode (some iPhone recordings, for example) is offered for opening in another app instead.
Where your files live
The list of attachments syncs everywhere. The file itself is downloaded to a device the first time you open it there, then kept locally so it opens instantly afterwards. Two labels tell you where a file is:
- In the cloud — not on this device: the file is safe; opening it downloads it.
- Only on the device that added it: the upload from that device hasn’t finished. Open Nirvana there and give it a moment.
Manage all your attachments
See every attachment across all your tasks, sorted or grouped, with the storage you’re using:
- Web and desktop app: open the Nirvana menu and choose Manage Attachments.
- Mobile app: go to Settings › Attachments.
From each row you can Show task, Free up memory (remove the local copy while keeping the file in the cloud) or Delete.
Remove an attachment
Tap × on the tile, or choose Remove from its menu, and confirm. This is permanent: a removed attachment can’t be restored. Attachments are also removed for good when their task is deleted from the Trash.
If something looks wrong
- Attachment failed to sync: choose Retry upload from the attachment’s menu.
- You’re out of attachment storage: remove or free up attachments in Manage Attachments, then retry.
- Not a supported file type: convert the file to one of the types above, or link to it in the task note instead.
Still stuck? Reach out and tell us the device, the file type and what you saw.