Uploading and Browsing Files

Last updated: February 10, 2026

Metal offers several ways to upload files and a powerful file browser for viewing and managing your documents. This article covers the upload experience, the file table, previewing documents, and bulk actions.

Uploading Files

There are several ways to get files into Metal:

Drag and Drop

Drag files from your computer directly onto the file browser. A blue overlay appears showing the destination folder and the file size limit (200 MB per file).

File Importer Dialog

Click the upload button or use the File Importer to access a multi-source dialog:

  • Upload -- drag and drop or click to select files from your computer

  • My Files -- browse and select files already in your personal folder

  • Shared Folders -- browse and select files from shared folders

  • Egnyte -- browse and import from your connected Egnyte account

  • SharePoint -- browse and import from your connected SharePoint sites

When uploading through the dialog, you can:

  • Review the file list before uploading

  • Remove individual files

  • Set a destination folder and company

  • Provide passwords for password-protected files

Upload Progress

Active uploads appear in an Upload Progress panel in the bottom-right corner of the screen. It shows:

  • A circular progress indicator for each file (0-100%)

  • A count of files being uploaded

  • Error indicators for any failed uploads (hover for details)

  • A link to the file once the upload completes

The panel is collapsible and warns you before leaving the page during an active upload.

Browsing Files

The file browser displays your files in a table view with the following columns:

Column

Description

Name

File name with type icon

Document Type

Detected document category (e.g., Financial Statement, CIM, Investment Memo)

Company

Associated company (editable inline)

Source

Where the file came from (direct upload, Egnyte, SharePoint, etc.)

Status

Processing status (Completed, Processing, Error, Password Required)

Created

Upload date

Updated

Last modified date

Topics

Detected topics

  • Click a folder to navigate into it.

  • Use the breadcrumb trail at the top to jump back to any parent folder or the root.

  • Use the back arrow to go up one level.

  • Use the search bar to find files by name within the current folder.

Files are displayed 100 per page with pagination controls at the bottom.

Managing Files

Selecting Files

Click the checkbox next to any file to select it. Select multiple files to enable the bulk actions toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

Bulk Actions

With one or more files selected, the toolbar offers:

  • Download Files -- download selected files to your computer

  • Export Tables -- export table data from spreadsheets

  • Delete -- permanently remove selected files

Editing File Details

  • Company: Click the company badge on any file to change its associated company inline.

  • Document Type: Automatically detected during processing; can be reviewed from the file detail view.

Deleting Files and Folders

  • To delete a file, select it and click Delete from the bulk actions toolbar, or right-click for the context menu.

  • To delete a folder, open its settings and click Delete Folder. You will need to type the folder name to confirm.

  • Deleting a folder removes all of its contents, including subfolders and files. This cannot be undone.

Associating Files with Companies

Files can be associated with a company in several ways:

  • Inherit from folder: Files in a folder linked to a company automatically inherit that association.

  • Set manually: Change the company on individual files via the file table.

  • Auto-detection: Metal can automatically detect the associated company during processing.

Assigning companies to files helps with filtering and search, especially when using Metal's research tools.

Previewing Files

Click on any processed file to open a preview. Metal supports inline previews for:

  • PDF documents

  • Word documents (DOCX)

  • Excel spreadsheets (XLSX)

  • Text and JSON files

  • Images

For files larger than 30 MB, you can download the file instead of previewing inline.

What's Next

  • Managing Files and Folders -- Learn about the folder structure and how to organize your files

  • Sharing and Permissions -- Control who can access your folders and files

  • Understanding File Processing -- Learn what happens after you upload a file

  • Supported File Types -- See the full list of accepted formats

  • File Size Limits -- Check the maximum size for each file type