---
title: File formats
description: Exactly which file types Vythos reads, which it refuses by name, and how Google's own formats are handled.
---

<span class="vy-eyebrow">Reference</span>

# File formats

Vythos reads text. A file it can't read is never silently dropped — it's
reported with its name and the reason, wherever you meet it: in a sync report,
in the file picker, or when you try to make it a rule.

## Read

| Format | Extensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF | `.pdf` | Text-based PDFs. A scan with no text layer has nothing to read |
| Word | `.docx` | Tables included |
| Excel | `.xlsx`, `.xlsm` | Sheets arrive as rows |
| PowerPoint | `.pptx` | Slide text and notes |
| Markdown | `.md`, `.markdown` | |
| Plain text | `.txt` | |
| CSV / TSV | `.csv`, `.tsv` | |
| HTML | `.html`, `.htm` | |
| JSON | `.json` | |
| Rich text | `.rtf` | |

## Google's own formats

Read in full, with their structure intact:

| In Google Drive | What comes through |
|---|---|
| Google Docs | The document, headings and tables kept |
| Google Sheets | Every sheet, as rows |
| Google Slides | Slide text and notes |

Google Forms, Drawings, Sites, Jamboards and Apps Script files are refused by
name: there's no useful text to export.

## Not read

Refused by name, with the reason, rather than downloaded and failed:

| Group | Formats |
|---|---|
| **Legacy Office** | `.doc`, `.xls`, `.ppt` — re-save as `.docx`, `.xlsx` or `.pptx` |
| **Apple iWork** | `.pages`, `.numbers`, `.key` — export as PDF or Office |
| **Images** | `.png`, `.jpg`, `.gif`, `.webp`, `.heic`, `.tif`, `.svg` |
| **Design files** | `.psd`, `.ai`, `.indd`, `.sketch`, `.fig` |
| **Video** | `.mp4`, `.mov`, `.avi`, `.mkv`, `.webm` |
| **Audio** | `.mp3`, `.wav`, `.m4a`, `.aac` |
| **Archives** | `.zip`, `.rar`, `.7z` |

Reading rules out of an image — a brand guideline exported as PNG, a scanned
signed contract — isn't supported. If the rule is in a picture, put the words
in a document.

## Practical advice for rule documents

- **PDF is fine**, as long as it was exported rather than scanned. If you can
  select the text in a PDF viewer, Vythos can read it.
- **Tables survive** in Word, Excel, Google Docs, Google Sheets and Markdown —
  which matters most for rate cards.
- **A spreadsheet is read as rows**, so a rate card as a spreadsheet works.
  Give columns clear headings.
- **Check what came through.** The Add rule card has *Read the document*, which
  shows exactly what Vythos took. Worth doing once for each kind of document.

## When a file is refused

| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| *Vythos does not read Google forms / drawings / …* | There's no text to read. Use a Doc |
| A legacy format refusal | Re-save it in the modern format |
| *'…' is empty* | The file has no readable text — usually a scan |
| *That's a folder* | Pick the file inside it |