Previewing Files in Sapience
Read and Preview an ever-growing library of file types without needing the software.
Previewing Your Files In-App
Last Updated: 2026.07.07
Overview
You don't have to download a file to see what's in it. In your Files view, most files have a Preview button that opens the content right inside Sapience — a spreadsheet as an interactive grid, a PDF in a viewer, an image, a note in its full editor, and more. It's the quickest way to check a file without leaving the app.
How to Preview a File
- Go to your Files (the
/#/filesview).
- Click a file to open its card.
- Click Preview.
The file opens in a preview window, sized to your screen (and maximised on mobile).
What You Can Preview
File typeWhat you seeExcel (.xlsx) and CSVAn interactive grid, parsed right in your browser — scroll and read it like a real spreadsheetJSONNeatly pretty-printed text, easy to readPDFThe document in a PDF viewerImagesThe picture itselfMarkdown & HTMLThe formatted contentWord & PowerPointA readable preview of the documentNotesThe full note viewer — the same rich view as opening the note directly, with its table of contents, Edit, and Actions
Spreadsheets are a highlight: .xlsx and .csv both open as interactive grids (CSV previews didn't exist at all before), so you can actually read the data instead of a flat conversion.
Notes Get the Full Viewer
When you preview a note from the Files view, it opens in the complete note viewer — the very same experience as opening the note from your notes list, including its table of contents, the Edit button, and the Actions menu. So previewing a note isn't a stripped-down peek; it's the real thing in a window.
Good to Know
- No download needed. Preview shows the content in place — handy for a quick look before deciding what to do with a file.
- Spreadsheets are interactive.
.xlsxand.csvrender as real, scrollable grids.
- Notes are fully featured. A note preview gives you the whole viewer, not a cut-down card.
- If a file type has no Preview button, it's simply not one of the previewable types — you can still download it.
Summary
Open the Preview button on a file in your Files view to see it inside Sapience — Excel and CSV as interactive grids, JSON pretty-printed, PDFs and images inline, and notes in their full viewer with table of contents and Edit. It's the fastest way to check a file's contents without downloading it.