Supported File Formats (Including Live HTML & AI Artifacts)
Every file format Peony previews in its secure in-browser viewer — PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV, images and design files (PSD, AI, SVG, DXF), video, audio, fonts, ZIP/RAR archives, code, and live .html/.htm. PDF, Office, images, text and HTML upload on any plan; video and audio uploads require the Business plan. Peony renders HTML natively with JavaScript executing, so interactive AI-generated artifacts run as intended.
Last updated October 23, 2026
Peony previews files in a secure in-browser viewer — viewers see the document, never the underlying file. This page lists every format Peony can display, including live HTML, and how each one renders.
Which file formats can Peony preview?
Peony previews well over a hundred file types in the browser — no plugin, no download. The full set, by category:
| Category | Formats | Upload on |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), Apple Pages (.pages), PostScript (.ps, .eps), XPS (.xps) | All plans |
| Spreadsheets | Excel (.xls, .xlsx), CSV (.csv) | All plans |
| Presentations | PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) | All plans |
| Web & AI artifacts | HTML (.html, .htm), rendered live with JavaScript running | All plans |
| Code | CSS, JavaScript (.js, .mjs), PHP, C/C++ source and headers | All plans |
| Images & design | JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, SVG, TIFF, BMP, Photoshop (.psd), Illustrator (.ai), AutoCAD DXF | All plans |
| Video | MP4, WebM, OGV, QuickTime (.mov), 3GP, AVI, MPEG, WMV, FLV | Business+ |
| Audio | MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, Opus, FLAC, AIFF, MIDI, WMA | Business+ |
| Fonts | TrueType (.ttf), Embedded OpenType (.eot) | All plans |
| Archives | ZIP, RAR | All plans |
| Text | Plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md) | All plans |
Which formats can I upload on my plan?
PDF, Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), CSV, images and design files, fonts, archives, code, text and HTML/HTM upload on any plan, including Free. Video and audio uploads need Business+ — attempting one on Free returns Video and audio uploads require a Business plan. Once a file is uploaded, it previews for every viewer regardless of the viewer's plan. See Plans & Pricing.
Caveat
Preview support varies by browser, file size, and file encoding. Most non-native formats preview for files up to 25 MB; plain text previews up to 5 MB.
Most formats that preview render under Peony's full security layer — per-viewer dynamic watermark Data Room+, screenshot protection, NDA gate, page-level analytics, instant revoke, and a full audit trail. Live HTML is the one exception to the watermark; see Which files carry the watermark. The original file never leaves Peony's servers; only the rendered view streams to the viewer. See How File Storage Works.
Does Peony support HTML and AI-generated artifacts?
Yes: Peony renders .html and .htm files natively in the viewer, with JavaScript executing, so an interactive artifact generated by Claude, ChatGPT, or any tool (a dashboard, calculator, model, or mini-app) runs live for the recipient instead of being flattened into a static image or a PDF. For the step-by-step setup and which security controls apply to live HTML, see Sharing AI Artifacts (Live HTML) Securely.
How does Peony render each type?
| Renders via | Formats |
|---|---|
| Peony's own in-browser viewers | PDFs, images, audio, common web video (.mp4, .webm, .ogv, .mov), CSV, and plain text |
| Live in the viewer, with JavaScript executing | HTML / HTM, so interactive artifacts stay interactive |
| A secure document viewer | Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) |
| Peony's document viewer, generally for files up to 25 MB | Everything else: design files like PSD/AI, additional image and video types, fonts, code, and archive listings |
Audio files
Audio plays in Peony's own player in the browser, so visitors listen without downloading the file.
- Formats: MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, Opus, FLAC, AIFF, MIDI and WMA.
- Plan: uploading audio needs Business+. On Free you'll see
Video and audio uploads require a Business plan.Once uploaded, it plays for every visitor regardless of their plan. - Playback: support is broad, but an unusual codec or container still depends on the visitor's browser. If a file won't play, convert it to MP3 or M4A.
- Security: audio sits under the same controls as other files: permissions, analytics, instant revoke and the audit trail.
For video, see Video.
What if my file format isn't listed?
Peony recognizes and organizes more file types than it previews in the browser. Formats like OpenDocument (.odt, .ods, .odp), macro-enabled Office (.docm, .xlsm, .pptm), JSON (.json), XML (.xml), Python (.py), and 7-Zip (.7z) upload and stay organized in your room, but to preview them in-browser, convert to PDF first — PDF is a first-class format with the full viewer and security layer. Very large multi-GB videos can time out on slow connections; retry or compress. If there's a format you need that isn't supported yet, contact support — the list grows.
Common Questions
My HTML file shows the raw source code instead of rendering — how do I fix it?
.html and .htm files render live in Peony's in-browser viewer, with JavaScript executing, so a Claude or ChatGPT artifact runs for the recipient exactly as it would in a browser. If a file still shows its source, upload it again and check that the extension is .html or .htm. If it still won't render, see What if my artifact won't render? HTML uploads on every plan.
Do viewers see the rendered page or the source, and can they download it?
Viewers see the rendered, running page — not the source. As with any file, download is off unless you turn it on for that link, so recipients interact with the live artifact without pulling the underlying .html file.
A downloaded HTML file flashes or never loads when I open it locally — is that a Peony bug?
No. A standalone .html file opened straight from your computer behaves differently from the same file rendered inside Peony's viewer, and a blank flash is usually a local connection or browser-cache issue. View it through the Peony link instead, where it renders reliably. If it keeps failing inside Peony, capture a short screen recording and contact support.
Why can't I upload a video, audio, or HTML file?
Video and audio require the Business plan or above. On Free you'll see Video and audio uploads require a Business plan. PDF, Office documents, images, code, text and HTML upload on any plan. See Plans & Pricing.
My large video won't upload or times out.
There is no per-file size limit on any plan, and uploads are resumable, so a multi-GB video interrupted by a slow or dropped connection continues from where it stopped. If it still fails, retry on a stable connection. For persistent upload failures on any file type, see Upload failed: 1 file could not be uploaded.