Supported File Formats (Including Live HTML & AI Artifacts)

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:

• Documents — PDF (.pdf), Word (.doc, .docx), Apple Pages (.pages), PostScript (.ps, .eps), XPS (.xps)
• Spreadsheets — Excel (.xls, .xlsx), CSV (.csv)
• Presentations — PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)
• Web, AI artifacts & code — HTML / HTM (.html, .htm), rendered live with JavaScript executing, so interactive AI-generated artifacts work as intended — plus CSS (.css), JavaScript (.js, .mjs), PHP (.php), and C/C++ source and headers (.c, .cc, .cpp, .h, .hh, .hpp). HTML and HTM uploads require the Business plan or above.
• Images & design — JPG (.jpg, .jpeg), PNG (.png), GIF (.gif), WebP (.webp), AVIF (.avif), SVG (.svg), TIFF (.tif, .tiff), BMP (.bmp), Photoshop (.psd), Illustrator (.ai), AutoCAD DXF (.dxf)
• Video — MP4 (.mp4), WebM (.webm), OGV (.ogv), QuickTime (.mov), 3GP (.3gp), AVI (.avi), MPEG (.mpeg, .mpg), WMV (.wmv), FLV (.flv). Video uploads require the Business plan or above.
• Audio — broad audio/* support, including MP3 (.mp3), WAV (.wav), M4A (.m4a), AAC (.aac), OGG (.ogg, .oga), Opus (.opus), FLAC (.flac), AIFF (.aiff), MIDI (.mid, .midi), WMA (.wma). Audio uploads require the Business plan or above.
• Fonts — TrueType (.ttf), Embedded OpenType (.eot)
• Archives — ZIP (.zip), RAR (.rar)
• Text — plain text (.txt) and Markdown (.md)

Which formats can I upload on my plan? PDF, Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), CSV, images and design files, fonts, archives, code and text upload on any plan, including Free. HTML/HTM, video and audio uploads require the Business plan ($30/admin/mo) or above — attempting one on Free returns HTML uploads require a Business plan. or 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 plan and above), screenshot protection, NDA gate, page-level analytics, instant revoke, and a full audit trail. HTML/HTM is the one exception to the watermark: live HTML renders in an isolated sandbox, so Peony cannot burn a per-viewer watermark into an artifact it does not control. Screenshot protection, analytics, revoke, and the audit trail still apply to HTML. 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, exactly as it would in a browser. It is not flattened into a static image or a PDF. Uploading HTML requires the Business plan or above; once uploaded, it renders for every viewer.

This matters because most data rooms convert HTML to a PDF before showing it — which kills any interactivity and turns a working app into a flat page. Peony keeps the artifact live and wraps it in the control layer: screen-capture is blocked on desktop (and reduced on mobile by setting Screenshot protection to Advanced), every page-view is logged, and you can revoke access instantly. You get the live artifact and complete oversight of who opened it, for how long, and on what device. The one exception is the dynamic watermark: because the HTML runs in an isolated sandbox, Peony does not burn a per-viewer watermark into the artifact itself — that overlay applies to PDFs, Office files, images, video, audio, and text, not to live HTML.

For the step-by-step setup, see Sharing AI Artifacts (Live HTML) Securely. For the deal-side playbook, see how to securely share a Claude artifact and which data rooms support HTML display, or jump to pricing for the tier that adds per-viewer dynamic watermarks.

How does Peony render each type?

• Native in-browser viewers — PDFs, images, audio, common web video (.mp4, .webm, .ogv, .mov), CSV, and plain text render directly in Peony's own viewers.
• HTML / HTM — rendered live in the viewer; JavaScript executes, so interactive artifacts stay interactive.
• Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) — render through a secure document viewer.
• Everything else (design files like PSD/AI, additional image and video types, fonts, code, and archive listings) — previews through Peony's document viewer, generally for files up to 25 MB.
• Audio — broad support, though playback of an unusual codec or container still depends on the viewer's browser.

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? It won't anymore. .html and .htm files now 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 you uploaded the file before this shipped, re-upload it. Uploading HTML requires the Business plan or above.

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? Those three types require the Business plan or above. On Free you'll see HTML uploads require a Business plan. or Video and audio uploads require a Business plan. PDF, Office documents, images, code, and text upload on any plan. See Plans & Pricing.

My large video won't upload or times out. Very large multi-GB videos can time out on slow connections. Retry on a stable connection or compress the file first. For persistent upload failures on any file type, see Upload Issues.

Next Steps

• Sharing AI Artifacts (Live HTML) Securely
• Upload and Organize Files
• Upload Issues
• How File Storage Works
• Access Control Layers