File Request
File Request lets you ask a contact to upload documents directly to their record in Levitate. You send a request link through an email merge field, and the contact uploads files through a branded drag-and-drop page — no login or account required. Uploaded files land on the contact's Files tab, appear in their activity timeline, and trigger a notification to you as the requester.
Note: File Request requires both the Surveys and Files features to be enabled on your account. If you don't see this option, contact Levitate Support to confirm your account configuration.
Note: File Request is intentionally not enabled by default for financial-industry accounts that need to archive activity for compliance. Because files arrive through a request link rather than as an email attachment, they don't cross your archiving protocol's mail-server journaling the way an attachment would — so they wouldn't be captured for regulatory recordkeeping (e.g., SEC 17a-4, FINRA 4511). Accounts that need archiving should continue collecting documents as email attachments, which are captured by your existing archiving protocol (Global Relay, Smarsh, Mimecast, etc.). If your account doesn't need to archive activity for compliance, File Request can still be turned on — contact Levitate Support.
Sending a File Request
File requests are sent using a merge field inside any email you compose in Levitate.
- Open the email composer and write your message to the contact.
- In the body of the email, insert the
{{File Request}}merge field where you want the upload link to appear. The merge field resolves to a personalized link for each recipient. - Send the email as usual.
Note: New file requests expire after 30 days by default. The contact will not be able to upload files after the link expires.
Sending via Text Message
File-request links can also be delivered by text message — as a one-off direct message, as a step inside an automated sequence, or as an automatic follow-up reminder for contacts who haven't uploaded yet.
One-Off Text Messages
When composing a direct text message to a contact, insert the {{File Request}} merge field anywhere in the message body. The merge field resolves to a personalized upload link for that contact, exactly as it does in an email. The contact taps the link and lands on the same branded drag-and-drop upload page.
Automated Text Sequences
To request files as part of a workflow, add a text message step to an automation and include the {{File Request}} merge field in that step's message body. When the automation runs for a contact, it sends a text containing their unique upload link. This lets you collect documents as part of onboarding flows, renewal sequences, or any other multi-step process without manual follow-up.
Text Message Reminders
Levitate can automatically send a follow-up text to any contact who received a file-request link but has not yet completed their upload. Reminders are sent only during your account's configured business hours, so contacts won't receive texts in the middle of the night or on days your office is closed.
Note: Text message reminders use the same business-hours window set in your account settings. If your business hours are not configured, confirm your settings with Levitate Support before enabling reminders.
Requesting Files Directly from a Contact
You can also start a file request from a contact's profile without composing a full email. Open the contact, click the Files tab, and use the Request Files button. This is handy when you want to ask for documents from one specific contact rather than as part of a larger email send.
The Contact's Upload Experience
When a contact clicks the link in your email, they are taken to a branded drag-and-drop upload page. They can drag files onto the page or click to browse their device, then submit the upload — no Levitate account is required.
Note: The upload page is served from files.levitate.ai. If your contacts' IT or email security systems block unknown domains, you may need to ask them to whitelist files.levitate.ai so the link resolves correctly.
If a contact returns to the same link after already uploading, the page shows the files they previously submitted rather than an empty form. This lets them review what they've already sent without accidentally uploading duplicates.
Note: If a contact opens a link that has expired or is no longer available, the page displays a "Files Unavailable" header so they know the request can no longer accept uploads.
File Size and Type Limits
Uploads through a file request link are subject to these limits:
- File size: 10 MB per file
- Number of files: up to 5 per request link
- Supported formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, JPG, PNG
The 10 MB limit applies to each file on its own rather than to the submission as a whole, so a contact can send five separate 10 MB documents through the same link. The file count is cumulative across visits — if a contact uploads three files, closes the page, and returns later, they can add two more before reaching the limit.
If a contact selects a file that is too large, the upload page rejects that one file by name and leaves the rest of their selection intact. Files in a format that isn't supported can't be added at all.
Note: These limits apply to contacts uploading through a file request link. Different limits apply when you send files out to a contact — see Send Files as a Link.
Where Uploaded Files Appear
Once a contact submits files, those files are available in three places:
- Contact's Files tab — the uploaded files are attached directly to the contact record and accessible from the Files tab on their profile.
- Activity timeline — a timeline entry is created for the file request submission showing the names and sizes of each uploaded file. Draft responses (files uploaded but not yet submitted) also appear on the timeline.
- Requester notification — the person who sent the file request receives a notification when the contact completes the upload, so you know when documents are ready to review.
FAQs
Q: Can I send a file request to multiple contacts at once?
A: Yes. Because the file request is delivered via a merge field in an email, you can include the {{File Request}} merge field in a bulk or campaign email. Each contact receives a unique link tied to their own record.
Q: What happens if the file request link expires?
A: After the 30-day default expiration period, the link is no longer active and the contact cannot upload files through it. If you still need documents from the contact, send a new email with a fresh {{File Request}} merge field.
Q: Can I see if a contact started uploading but didn't finish?
A: Yes. Draft responses — where a contact has interacted with the upload page but has not yet completed the submission — appear on the contact's activity timeline so you can follow up if needed.
Q: Where do I go to review uploaded files?
A: Navigate to the contact's profile and click the Files tab. All files the contact has submitted through file requests are stored there. You can also see a record of each submission, including file names and sizes, in the contact's activity timeline.
Q: What happens if a contact's file is too large?
A: The upload page rejects any file over 10 MB and shows an error naming that specific file. The contact's remaining files still upload normally. Ask them to split the document into smaller files and send those separately, or to re-save it at a reduced size — in Preview on a Mac, File > Export with the Reduce File Size filter; in Adobe Acrobat, Save as Other > Reduced Size PDF. A rejected file doesn't count against their 5-file limit.
Note: Don't ask a contact to zip a file to get under the limit. ZIP archives aren't a supported format, so the upload page will reject the file again.
Q: Can a contact upload a file type that isn't on the supported list?
A: No. The upload page only accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, JPG, and PNG files. Other formats are rejected when the contact tries to add them. If you need a different format, ask the contact to convert or export the document to PDF before uploading.
Send Files as a Link
The Send Files flow is the outbound counterpart to a file request. Instead of asking a contact to upload something, you attach one or more files to an email you compose and Levitate delivers them as a secure download link rather than as a raw attachment. The link resolves for the recipient without a Levitate account, and the files are stored against the contact's Files tab so you have a record of what was sent. This also bypasses email attachment size limits — send files as large as 20 MB apiece, up to 20 MB total across everything attached to a single send, without hitting the recipient's inbox cap.
Composing a Send Files email
Open the email composer from a contact profile and enable Send as download link before attaching your files. Levitate replaces the raw attachment in the outbound message with a Securely Download Files link, so the recipient's inbox stays lightweight and any download activity is trackable.
The Files will be replaced with a secure download link in the email body note under the attachment list confirms Levitate will swap the raw attachment for a secure link on send.
Uploading files to send
You can also initiate a Send Files flow from the contact's Files tab using the Send Files button. This opens a drag-and-drop upload modal — drop the files you want to send, or click to browse your device, then click Next to attach them to a new email you compose to the contact.
Where sent files appear
After the email sends, the files show up on the contact's Files tab with a Source column noting how they were delivered. Secure Send means the file was delivered as a secure download link; Single Email means the file was attached directly to a one-off email. The Uploader column records the Levitate user who initiated the send, and the file remains available for the contact and your team to reference later.
Note: Secure download links expire after a set window. If a contact tries to open the link after expiration, they'll see a message that the link is no longer active — resend the file to generate a fresh link if they still need it.
File activity on the contact timeline
The contact timeline now records two additional file events: when you send files to a contact via a secure download link, and when a shared file is deleted. Both events appear on the timeline so you have a complete, chronological history of what was delivered and what was removed — without cross-referencing the Files tab.
Deleting a shared file
To remove a file you sent, open the contact's Files tab, locate the file, and select the delete option on its row. Deleting a shared file removes it from every contact it was shared with — the deletion applies across all records, not just the contact you are currently viewing. A deletion event is recorded on the timeline of each affected contact so the history stays complete even after the file is gone.
Note: Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. The secure download link previously sent to contacts will stop resolving once the file is deleted. If a contact still needs the file, resend it to generate a new link.
Household-scoped download links
When sending files, you can scope the download link to a household rather than to an individual contact. A household-scoped link is shared across all members of that household — any household member can use the same link to download the file, so you don't need to send a separate link to each person in the household.
To use this option, select Household as the link scope when composing a Send Files email or when initiating a send from the contact's Files tab.