File Upload Blocked from Local Computer

[asthainiwasi]

Discussion Type

Product Feedback

Discussion Content

Hi everyone, I need help with file upload in GitHub Chat.

I’m using GitHub Student benefits and in chat I click “Upload from computer”, but local files are greyed out/unselectable (PDF/DOCX), so I can’t attach anything.

What I already tried
macOS
Browser has Full Disk Access
Files from Desktop/Downloads
Renamed files to simple names (resume.pdf, resume.docx)
Drag and drop
Incognito/private window
Different browsers
Still the same issue.

Is file upload restricted for some Student/Copilot Chat accounts, org contexts, or feature rollouts?
If anyone fixed this, please share exact steps.

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[mecodeatlas]

Thanks for posting in the GitHub Community, @asthainiwasi!

We're happy you're here. You are more likely to get a useful response if you are posting your question in the applicable category, the Discussions category is solely related to conversations around the GitHub product Discussions. This question should be in the Copilot Conversations category. I've gone ahead and moved it for you. Good luck!

[Aryan-Gore]

Yes — this is likely a feature limitation/rollout issue in GitHub Copilot Chat, not your system.

Why it happens
File upload is not fully enabled for all accounts
May be restricted by:
Student plan
Org/repo context
Gradual feature rollout
That’s why files appear greyed out
What you can try
Switch to personal repo / no org context
Try VS Code Copilot Chat (often supports upload better)
Check if feature works on another account

[Kunal-Prime]

Hey @asthainiwasi,

I’ve seen this exact issue a bunch lately.

The “Upload from computer” option is often greyed out if:

• You’re on the free/Student plan (it’s still rolling out)
• Or you’re in an org/repo that hasn’t enabled the feature yet

Quick things to try:

1. Try in a different browser (Chrome usually works best)
2. Switch to your personal account instead of org account
3. Use Copilot Chat inside VS Code — file upload works much better there

If none of that works it’s probably just not available on your plan yet.

Let me know what happens after you try!