---
title: File
description: A card referencing a file shared by a remote storage provider.
---

`file` renders a reference to a file, currently only `source: "remote"`, a file registered by an
app through Slack's `files.remote` APIs (e.g. a Google Drive or Dropbox document). Use it to show a
linked document Slack knows about without embedding its contents.

<Preview
  payload={{
    blocks: [
      {
        type: "file",
        external_id: "F0123456789",
        source: "remote",
      },
    ],
  }}
/>

## Fields

| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
| - | - | - | - |
| `type` | `string` | - | Always `file`. |
| `external_id` | `string` | - | The id the registering app assigned the file when it called `files.remote.add`. |
| `source` | `string` | `"remote"` | The file's source. Slack currently only documents `"remote"`. |
| `block_id?` | `string` | - | A unique identifier, up to 255 characters. |

:::note
In a real Slack workspace, Slack resolves `external_id` through the registering app's `files.remote`
integration and shows a full preview card: filename, file-type icon, and (for supported types) a
thumbnail. This library has no workspace to call, so it renders a generic placeholder card with the
raw `external_id` and `source` instead of the resolved filename. This is based on an unverified
fixture, since there's no Block Kit Builder reference to check it against.
:::

## Examples

### Remote file reference

<Preview
  payload={{
    blocks: [
      {
        type: "file",
        external_id: "F0123456789",
        source: "remote",
      },
    ],
  }}
/>

Outside a real Slack workspace, only the fields present in the JSON are available, so the card shows
the `external_id` in place of the file's actual name. There's no way to look up the real filename,
type icon, or thumbnail without calling back into the registering app.

## Related

**[Image](/blocks/image)**

A standalone image with an optional title row.

**[Video](/blocks/video)**

A video preview with a thumbnail, title, and description.

**[Section](/blocks/section)**

The most common block for text and accessories.