---
title: "Upload and download files"
description: "Add files from your computer to a workspace, decide what happens when names clash, and download a copy of any file."
canonical_url: "https://trytree.house/docs/files/upload-and-download"
last_updated: "2026-09-29"
---

# Upload and download files

Add files from your computer to a workspace, decide what happens when names clash, and download a copy of any file.

Uploads land in the folder you're working in: the selected folder, the open file's folder, or the workspace root. Check the target before you start. See [where new files and folders go](https://trytree.house/docs/files/create-and-edit#where-new-files-and-folders-go).

## Upload with the button

1. Select the folder you want the files in.
2. Select the upload icon (**Upload files**) next to **New folder** at the top of the sidebar.
3. Choose one or more files.

## Upload by dragging

1. Select the folder you want the files in.
2. Drag files from your computer onto the file tree in the sidebar.
3. When the tree shows **Drop to upload** (or **Drop to upload to** and the folder's path), let go.

The files go into the selected folder, not the folder row you happen to drop them on. Dropping onto the document area on the right doesn't upload anything, and you can't drop whole folders.

## When a file with the same name exists

If any of the files already exist in the target folder, Treehouse asks what to do before uploading anything:

- **Keep both** uploads the new file with a number added, such as `report (1).md`.
- **Overwrite** replaces the existing file. The old contents stay in its [version history](https://trytree.house/docs/files/version-history), so you can restore them.
- **Skip existing** uploads only the files that don't clash.
- **Cancel** uploads nothing.

While files upload, the sidebar shows **Uploading** with a count, such as 3 / 10.

## Size limits

| Plan | Largest single file |
| --- | --- |
| Seedling | 25 MB |
| Grove and Forest | 100 MB |

Uploads also count towards your workspace's storage and file limits. See [plans and limits](https://trytree.house/docs/account/plans-and-limits).

## Download a file

1. Open the file.
2. Select **⋯** in the top bar, then **Download**.

The **Info** tab of the details panel has a **Download** button too, and files Treehouse can't preview show one in the middle of the page.

Download always gives you the current version. To get an earlier one back, [restore it](https://trytree.house/docs/files/version-history) first.

## Moving lots of files

For more than a handful of files, or whole folders, a [synced folder](https://trytree.house/docs/desktop) is easier. Copy files into it with Finder or Explorer and they upload on their own, and the whole workspace is on your computer as ordinary files.

## Troubleshooting

### Some files failed to upload

Treehouse tells you how many failed and lists them. The rest of the batch still uploads. The usual causes are a file over your plan's size limit, a workspace that has reached its storage or file limit, or a folder dragged in by mistake. Fix the cause and upload the failed files again.

### The upload button is greyed out

The workspace is read-only because its subscription has lapsed. See [plans and limits](https://trytree.house/docs/account/plans-and-limits).

## Related

- [Create and edit files](https://trytree.house/docs/files/create-and-edit): Make new files and folders in the web app, edit markdown, code and HTML, and save your changes.
- [How sync works](https://trytree.house/docs/desktop/how-sync-works): What the sync engine does in the background, which files it skips, and how it protects your work when things go wrong.
- [Plans and limits](https://trytree.house/docs/account/plans-and-limits): What Seedling, Grove and Forest include, how usage is counted, and what happens when a workspace reaches a limit.