How to Attach Files to Maz in Ninety
You can attach files to any Maz conversation, and Maz answers from what's in them. Attach up to five files per message: PDF, Word (.docx), text, Markdown, or CSV, each up to 2 MB. Maz can't read Excel files, so save the spreadsheet content as a CSV file before attaching it. You can keep adding files as the conversation goes on. Attaching files works in the main Maz chat and in every Maz workflow, including the SMART Rock Creator, Seat Creator, and Scorecard Optimizer.
Before you attach files to Maz:
Allowed file types: PDF (.pdf), Word (.docx), plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md), and CSV (.csv).
Spreadsheets must be CSV: Maz can't read Excel (.xlsx) files or Google Sheets. Download or save your spreadsheet as a CSV file first.
Who can attach files: Owners, Admins, Implementers, Managers, and Managees on any paid subscription plan. Observers cannot attach files.
Web app only: you can't attach files in Ninety's mobile app yet.
Supported files and limits for Maz attachments
Maz accepts the following file types:
File type | Extension | Allowed |
Yes | ||
Word | .docx | Yes |
Plain text | .txt | Yes |
Markdown | .md | Yes |
CSV (comma-separated values) | .csv | Yes |
Excel | .xlsx, .xls | No. Save as CSV first. |
Google Sheets | — | No. Download as CSV first. |
Older Word | .doc | No. Save as .docx first. |
PowerPoint | .pptx, .ppt | No. Save as PDF first. |
Images | .png, .jpg, and others | No. |
Maz also has these limits:
File size: up to 2 MB per file.
Files per message: up to five.
Files per conversation: no limit. You can attach up to 5 additional files to each new message in the same conversation.
Virus scan: Ninety scans every file before Maz can read it.
If you attach a file type that isn't allowed, or a file larger than 2 MB, the file isn't added, and a message below the chat box names the file and explains why.
Spreadsheets must be saved as CSV: Maz can't read Excel files or Google Sheets. To use spreadsheet content with Maz, download or save it as a CSV file first:
Excel: select File > Save As, then choose CSV.
Google Sheets: select File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv).
A CSV holds one sheet (tab) at a time, so export each tab you need as its own file.
Long conversations: Maz keeps everything in a conversation in mind, including every file you attach. As a conversation grows, Maz's answers can become less accurate. For the best results, attach only the files a task needs and start a new chat when you move on to a new task.
Attaching files to a Maz conversation
To attach files to a Maz conversation, use the paperclip icon in the chat box or drag and drop files onto it.
Open Maz by clicking the Maz button in the top-right corner of any page. You can also start a Maz workflow from its tool page, such as Rocks, the Accountability Chart®, or the Scorecard.
Click the paperclip icon to the left of the Reply to Maz… field and select up to five files. You can also drag and drop files onto the chat box. Each file appears above the field with its name and size.
Check your files before you send. To remove a file, click the X next to its name. Once you send your message, you can't delete an attached file from the conversation.
Wait for each file to finish scanning. While Ninety virus-scans a file, it shows Scanning… in place of its file size, and the send button is unavailable. When the scan finishes, the file shows its name and size with no error message, and you can send.
Type your request and send it. If you attached more than one file, name the file you mean. For example: "Using the Q3 planning doc, draft three Rocks." After you send, each file appears in the conversation with your message, showing its name and an icon for its file type: a PDF icon for PDF files and a document icon for all other supported files.
Review Maz's response. Maz can make mistakes, so check its work for accuracy:
Rocks, Seats, and Scorecard Measurables: Maz shows you what it plans to create or change and waits for your confirmation. For Measurables, Maz shows each one with an Add Measurable button, and nothing is created until you click it.
Scorecard scores: Maz enters scores without a separate confirmation step and replaces any score already entered for that period. Check your file's dates and values before you send your request.
Issues, To-Dos, and Headlines: Maz creates them right away, without asking you to confirm. Review them in Ninety afterward and edit anything that needs to change.
To add more files later in the conversation, click the paperclip icon again. You can attach up to five files with each message.
What you can do with attached files in Maz
The attached files let Maz work from your own documents, not just from data already in Ninety. Maz can read a file and then create or update items in Ninety. Here are common ways to use it.
Setting up a CSV file for your Scorecard
A CSV file set up as a simple template helps Maz create Measurables (the numbers your team tracks on its Scorecard) and enter their scores accurately. Give each Measurable its own row, with these columns:
Column | What to enter | Required |
Title | The Measurable's name. To add scores to an existing Measurable, use the exact name it has on your Scorecard. | Yes |
Owner | The full name or email address of the person who owns the Measurable, as it appears in Ninety. | Yes, for new Measurables |
Goal | The target number, without symbols or commas. For example, 12000 or 3.5. | Yes, for new Measurables |
Goal Direction | How the score should compare with the goal, such as ≥ (at least) or ≤ (no more than). | Recommended |
Group | The Scorecard group the Measurable belongs in. Useful when your file adds Measurables to more than one group. The group must already exist on your Scorecard, because Maz can't create groups. | Optional |
Unit | Number, currency, or percentage. | Optional |
Description | What the Measurable tracks or why it matters, so anyone viewing the Scorecard has context. Maz adds it to the Measurable's details. | Optional |
Reporting periods | One column per reporting period, only if you already have scores to add. | Optional |
Mixing new and existing Measurables: one file can include both. Maz recognizes Measurables that are already on your Scorecard, doesn't create duplicates, and adds only their scores. For an existing Measurable, the row needs only its exact title and its scores. You can leave its other columns blank.
Adding existing scores: If you already have data for your Measurables, add a column for each reporting period after the other columns:
Match your team's Scorecard. Use the same reporting period as your team's Scorecard. For a weekly Scorecard, add one column per week. For a monthly Scorecard, add one column per month.
Label each column with a date. Use the date the period starts on your Scorecard, written as year-month-day (for example, 2026-10-26). This format avoids mix-ups between month and day, so scores fall within the correct period.
Enter numbers only. Leave out symbols such as $ and %, and leave out commas.
Leave missing scores blank. If a Measurable has no score for a period, leave that cell empty.
Here's an example of a weekly Scorecard template with three weeks of scores:
Title | Owner | Group | Goal Direction | Goal | Unit | 2026-10-12 | 2026-10-19 | 2026-10-26 |
Website Visitors | Jordan Lee | Marketing | ≥ | 12000 | Number | 12640 | 14010 | 13590 |
Cost per Lead | Jordan Lee | Marketing | ≤ | 45 | Currency | 44.70 | 42.10 | 38.95 |
Email Open Rate | Sam Patel | Marketing | ≥ | 25 | Percentage | 23.9 | 27.5 | 26.8 |
The same template as CSV text:
Title,Owner,Group,Goal Direction,Goal,Unit,2026-10-12,2026-10-19,2026-10-26
Website Visitors,Jordan Lee,Marketing,>=,12000,Number,12640,14010,13590
Cost per Lead,Jordan Lee,Marketing,<=,45,Currency,44.70,42.10,38.95
Email Open Rate,Sam Patel,Marketing,>=,25,Percentage,23.9,27.5,26.8
If you build your template in Excel or Google Sheets, save it or download it as a CSV file before attaching it. Maz can't read Excel files.
Creating new Measurables from a spreadsheet
Maz can create new Measurables from the rows in a CSV file. This helps when you're building a Scorecard for a new team or bringing over numbers you already track in another system. For the best results, give each Measurable its own row with its title, owner, and goal, and save the file as CSV.
Before you send your request:
Name the team and group. Tell Maz which team's Scorecard and which group to add the Measurables to.
Create any new group first. Maz can't create Scorecard groups. If the group in your request or file doesn't exist, Maz adds the Measurable to an existing group instead. To use a new group, create it on your Scorecard before you ask Maz, then name it in your request.
Example prompt: "Create a Measurable on the Leadership Team Scorecard in the Marketing group for each row in the attached CSV, using the title, owner, goal direction, goal, and unit in each row."
Maz proposes one Measurable at a time. Each proposal shows the action (Add Measurable) and the Measurable's title, owner, goal, and unit, plus its description if your file includes one. The group isn't part of the proposal itself. Maz names the group in its message just above the proposal.
Review the proposal, including the group Maz names in its message. To change the group, goal, owner, or description, reply to Maz and describe the change.
Click Add Measurable to create it. Nothing is added to your Scorecard until you click the button.
Click View details to open the new Measurable and check it.
Reply to Maz, for example, "continue," to move on to the next Measurable.
Owners: If your file includes the owner's name or email address, Maz assigns that person as the owner. If your file doesn't include an owner for a Measurable, Maz leaves the owner blank. Check the owner on each proposal before you click Add Measurable. To set or change it, tell Maz who should own the Measurable, or assign the owner on your Scorecard afterward.
You can also attach a CSV while using the Scorecard Optimizer, for example, metrics exported from your CRM. To learn more, see Optimizing Your Scorecard with Maz.
Adding Scorecard data from a spreadsheet
Maz can read scores from a CSV file and enter them for your Measurables, so you don't have to type each period's numbers into your Scorecard. If your numbers are in Excel or Google Sheets, save or download that sheet as a CSV file first. Maz can't read Excel files.
To prepare your file, give each Measurable its own row, using the exact title it has on your Scorecard. Give each reporting period its own column, using the same period as your team's Scorecard (for example, one column per week for a weekly Scorecard), and label each column with the date the period starts.
Example prompts:
"Add all 13 weeks of scores from the attached CSV to the Marketing group's Measurables."
"Add the last three weeks of data for the top three rows in the attached CSV to the Leadership Team Scorecard."
"Using the attached CSV, add any Measurables that don't exist yet to the Operations group on the Leadership Team Scorecard, then add all the scores."
Maz enters scores in batches of about 5 at a time and may check in after a batch before it continues. It doesn't always ask before it starts, and if a period already has a score, Maz replaces it without asking, so check your file's dates and values before you send your request. To have Maz enter every remaining score without stopping, say so in your reply, for example: "Yes, continue until they're all completed." Larger updates take longer. For example, 13 weeks of scores for five Measurables is 65 scores. When Maz finishes, it summarizes what it entered. Open your Scorecard and spot-check a few scores against your file.
Tip: You can create Measurables and add their scores in the same conversation. After Maz creates the Measurables, ask it to add the scores from the same file.
Drafting Rocks from a planning document
Maz can turn a planning document into draft Rocks (your 90-day priorities). Attach a quarterly plan, strategy doc, or project brief and ask Maz to draft Rocks from it.
Example prompt: "Draft Rocks for next quarter from the attached planning doc. Flag any that aren't specific or measurable."
You can also attach files while using the SMART Rock Creator to give Maz more context, as it helps you build or refine a Rock. To learn more, see Creating and Refining Rocks with AI Assistance from Maz.
Adding details to a completed Rock or annual goal
Maz can use a project wrap-up, results report, or retrospective to add details to a Rock, so the record shows what was accomplished.
Example prompt: "Update the 'Launch new CRM' Rock with a summary of the results in the attached report."
Maz shows you the proposed changes and updates the Rock after you confirm.
For annual goals in your V/TO® (Vision/Traction Organizer™) 1-Year Plan, Maz can't edit V/TO items. Ask Maz to draft a summary from your file instead, then copy it into your V/TO yourself.
Creating Issues and To-Dos from a document
Maz can read a document and create Issues or To-Dos from it. For example, it can raise a blocker described in a project brief so your team can work through it in your next Level 10 Meeting®.
Example prompt: "From the attached project brief, create an Issue for our team about what's blocking this work, and include the specifics."
If your file doesn't support what you asked for, for example, it never says the work is blocked, Maz tells you and suggests what the file does show. Maz adds Issues and To-Dos to your team's lists right away, without asking you to confirm, so be specific about the team, owner, and details you want. Review the new items in Ninety and edit them if anything needs to change.
Building or refining a Seat from a job description
Maz can use an existing job description or role document to build or refine a Seat on your Accountability Chart. Attach the file while using the Seat Creator, and Maz uses it to draft the Seat's roles and responsibilities. To learn more, see Creating and Refining Seats with AI-Assistance from Maz.
Summarizing a document or pulling out key dates and action items
Maz can summarize a long file or pull out the details you need, such as deadlines, decisions, or action items.
Example prompts:
"Summarize the attached vendor contract in five bullets and list every deadline."
"Pull the action items from the attached meeting notes and suggest To-Dos for each one."
Asking questions across several files
Maz can read several attached files together and compare them or combine what they say.
Example prompt: "Compare the two attached proposals and list where they differ on timeline and budget."
Getting better results from attached files
Maz gives the most accurate answers about attached files when your request is focused. Follow these tips:
Attach only what the task needs. Extra files make it harder for Maz to find the right details.
Name the file. When a conversation has several files, say which one you mean.
Point to the right place. Name the section, column, or rows Maz should use.
Start a new chat for a new task. Long conversations with many files can lower answer quality.
Check Maz's work. For Rocks, Seats, and Measurables, compare Maz's draft to your file before confirming. For Issues, To-Dos, and Headlines, which Maz creates right away, review the new items in Ninety afterward.
Attach a new version when your file changes. Maz reads a file as it was when you attached it.
How Maz stores and protects your files
Ninety handles files you attach to Maz the same way it handles attachments on items such as Rocks:
Virus-scanned: every file is scanned before Maz can read it.
Saved with the conversation: files stay with the chat you attached them to. When you reopen that chat from the History tab, you can see each file you attached alongside the message you sent it with, and Maz can still refer to them. To learn more, see Viewing and Continuing Past Maz Chats.
Available only in that conversation: Maz can't search your other conversations, so a file attached in one chat isn't available in another.
Private to you: only you can see your Maz chats and the files in them.
Your permissions don't change: attaching a file doesn't change what Maz can access in Ninety. Maz still follows your user role and team assignments.
Not used to train AI models: your data is never shared with model providers or used to train their models. For more information, read our Privacy Policy.
Can't be deleted after sending: once you send a message with a file attached, you can't delete that file from the conversation. Before you send, click the X next to a file to remove it. Attach only files you're comfortable keeping in your Maz history.
Frequently asked questions about Maz attachments
Q: Can Maz read a PDF or Word document?
A: Yes. Maz can read PDF and Word (.docx) files up to 2 MB each, along with text, Markdown, and CSV files.
Q: Can I attach an Excel file or Google Sheet to Maz?
A: Not directly. Maz reads spreadsheets in CSV format. Export your Excel workbook or Google Sheet as a CSV file, then attach the CSV.
Q: Can I attach images or screenshots to Maz?
A: No. Maz accepts PDF, Word (.docx), text, Markdown, and CSV files only.
Q: How many files can I attach to Maz?
A: You can attach up to five files per message, and you can attach five more with each new message in the same conversation. There's no limit per conversation, but answers can become less accurate as a conversation grows.
Q: Will Maz remember my file in a new chat?
A: No. Maz can refer only to files attached in the current conversation, and it can't search your previous conversations. To use a file in a new chat, attach it again. To pick up where you left off, reopen the original conversation from the History tab. Maz can still refer to the files you attached there.
Q: Can I delete a file after I attach it to Maz?
A: Only before you send your message. Click the X next to the file to remove it. After you send the message, the file stays with that conversation and can't be deleted.
Q: Can Observers attach files to Maz?
A: No. Observers can ask Maz questions, but they can't attach files or have Maz create or change items.
Q: Can I attach files to Maz in the mobile app?
A: Not yet. Attaching files is available in the Ninety web app.
Q: Can Maz create a file for me to download?
A: No. Maz can read files you attach, but it can't create files for you to download.
Q: Is attaching files to Maz the same as attaching files to a Rock or To-Do?
A: No. Item attachments, such as files on a Rock, Issue, or To-Do, can be up to 10 MB and are stored on that item. Maz attachments can be up to 2 MB, must be a supported type, and are stored with your Maz conversation. To learn more about item attachments, see Fixing an Attachment That Won't Upload.
Troubleshooting
Issue: I see the message "You can attach up to 5 files per message."
Solution:
Click the X next to any file you don't need right now so five or fewer remain.
Send your message.
Attach the remaining files with your next message in the same conversation.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: I see the message "[file name] isn't supported. Attach a PDF, Word, text, Markdown, or CSV file."
Solution:
Check the file type. Maz accepts PDF, Word (.docx), text, Markdown, and CSV files only.
Convert the file to a supported type:
Excel workbook or Google Sheet: export it as CSV.
Older Word (.doc) file: save it as .docx.
PowerPoint or other document: save or export it as PDF.
Attach the converted file.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: I see the message "[file name] is larger than 2 MB."
Solution:
Reduce the file to 2 MB or smaller. For example:
Save only the pages you need as a new PDF.
Split a long document into smaller files.
Export only the rows and columns you need to CSV.
Attach the smaller file. You can attach up to five files per message.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: My file still shows "Scanning…" and I can't send my message.
Solution:
Wait a moment for the virus scan to finish. The send button becomes available once every attached file shows its file size instead of Scanning….
If a file stays in Scanning…, click the X next to it to remove it, then reattach it.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: I don't see the paperclip icon in Maz.
Solution:
Confirm you're using the Ninety web app. Attaching files isn't available in the mobile app yet.
Check your user role. Observers can't attach files. Ask an Owner or Admin in your company if you need a different role.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: Maz's answer misses or misreads something in my file.
Solution:
Name the file and the section, column, or rows Maz should use.
If the conversation is long or has many files, start a new chat and attach only the file you need.
For a CSV, check that the column headers are clear and the data begins in the first row.
If the issue persists, contact support.