diff --git a/docs/local-api/overview.mdx b/docs/local-api/overview.mdx
index 8c7ecd692..b43d48f20 100644
--- a/docs/local-api/overview.mdx
+++ b/docs/local-api/overview.mdx
@@ -96,6 +96,11 @@ const post = await payload.create({
   // If creating verification-enabled auth doc,
   // you can optionally disable the email that is auto-sent
   disableVerificationEmail: true,
+
+  // If your collection supports uploads, you can upload
+  // a file directly through the Local API by providing
+  // its full, absolute file path.
+  filePath: path.resolve(__dirname, './path-to-image.jpg'),
 })
 ```
 
@@ -152,6 +157,11 @@ const result = await payload.update({
   user: dummyUser,
   overrideAccess: false,
   showHiddenFields: true,
+
+  // If your collection supports uploads, you can upload
+  // a file directly through the Local API by providing
+  // its full, absolute file path.
+  filePath: path.resolve(__dirname, './path-to-image.jpg'),
 })
 ```
 
diff --git a/docs/upload/overview.mdx b/docs/upload/overview.mdx
index c1a4a711b..2fbe9f83c 100644
--- a/docs/upload/overview.mdx
+++ b/docs/upload/overview.mdx
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ Behind the scenes, Payload relies on [`sharp`](https://sharp.pixelplumbing.com/a
 
 <Banner type="warning">
   <strong>Important:</strong><br/>
-  Uploading files is currently only possible through the REST API due to how GraphQL works. It's difficult and fairly nonsensical to support uploading files through GraphQL.
+  Uploading files is currently only possible through the REST and Local APIs due to how GraphQL works. It's difficult and fairly nonsensical to support uploading files through GraphQL.
 </Banner>
 
 To upload a file, use your collection's [`create`](/docs/rest-api/overview#collections) endpoint. Send it all the data that your Collection requires, as well as a `file` key containing the file that you'd like to upload.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index dce8d4655..4a1ba3d2e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@
     "lodash.merge": "^4.6.2",
     "method-override": "^3.0.0",
     "micro-memoize": "^4.0.9",
+    "mime": "^2.5.0",
     "mini-css-extract-plugin": "1.3.3",
     "minimist": "^1.2.0",
     "mkdirp": "^1.0.4",
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/create.ts b/src/collections/operations/create.ts
index 9011f064b..78aa400fa 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/create.ts
+++ b/src/collections/operations/create.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { AfterChangeHook, BeforeOperationHook, BeforeValidateHook, Collection }
 import { PayloadRequest } from '../../express/types';
 import { Document } from '../../types';
 import { Payload } from '../..';
+import saveBufferToFile from '../../uploads/saveBufferToFile';
 
 export type Arguments = {
   collection: Collection
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ async function create(this: Payload, incomingArgs: Arguments): Promise<Document>
     const fsSafeName = await getSafeFilename(staticPath, file.name);
 
     try {
-      await file.mv(`${staticPath}/${fsSafeName}`);
+      await saveBufferToFile(file.data, `${staticPath}/${fsSafeName}`);
 
       if (isImage(file.mimetype)) {
         const dimensions = await getImageSize(`${staticPath}/${fsSafeName}`);
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/local/create.ts b/src/collections/operations/local/create.ts
index 9d1d19b96..95e86e25a 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/local/create.ts
+++ b/src/collections/operations/local/create.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { Document } from '../../../types';
+import getFileByPath from '../../../uploads/getFileByPath';
 
 export type Options = {
   collection: string
@@ -10,8 +11,8 @@ export type Options = {
   overrideAccess?: boolean
   disableVerificationEmail?: boolean
   showHiddenFields?: boolean
+  filePath?: string
 }
-
 export default async function create(options: Options): Promise<Document> {
   const {
     collection: collectionSlug,
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ export default async function create(options: Options): Promise<Document> {
     overrideAccess = true,
     disableVerificationEmail,
     showHiddenFields,
+    filePath,
   } = options;
 
   const collection = this.collections[collectionSlug];
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ export default async function create(options: Options): Promise<Document> {
       locale,
       fallbackLocale,
       payload: this,
+      file: getFileByPath(filePath),
     },
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/local/local.spec.js b/src/collections/operations/local/local.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3dbec208d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/collections/operations/local/local.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import path from 'path';
+import payload from '../../..';
+
+let createdMediaID;
+
+payload.init({
+  secret: 'SECRET_KEY',
+  mongoURL: 'mongodb://localhost/payload',
+  local: true,
+});
+
+describe('Collections - Local', () => {
+  describe('Create', () => {
+    it('should allow an upload-enabled file to be created and uploaded', async () => {
+      const alt = 'Alt Text Here';
+
+      const result = await payload.create({
+        collection: 'media',
+        data: {
+          alt,
+        },
+        filePath: path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../admin/assets/images/generic-block-image.svg'),
+      });
+
+      expect(result.id).not.toBeNull();
+      expect(result.alt).toStrictEqual(alt);
+      expect(result.filename).toStrictEqual('generic-block-image.svg');
+      createdMediaID = result.id;
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('Update', () => {
+    it('should allow an upload-enabled file to be re-uploaded and alt-text to be changed.', async () => {
+      const newAltText = 'New Alt Text Here';
+
+      const result = await payload.update({
+        collection: 'media',
+        id: createdMediaID,
+        data: {
+          alt: newAltText,
+        },
+        filePath: path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../admin/assets/images/og-image.png'),
+      });
+
+      expect(result.alt).toStrictEqual(newAltText);
+      expect(result.sizes.mobile.width).toStrictEqual(320);
+      expect(result.width).toStrictEqual(640);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/local/update.ts b/src/collections/operations/local/update.ts
index bbf2bfb67..a86164494 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/local/update.ts
+++ b/src/collections/operations/local/update.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { Document } from '../../../types';
+import getFileByPath from '../../../uploads/getFileByPath';
 
 export type Options = {
   collection: string
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ export type Options = {
   user?: Document
   overrideAccess?: boolean
   showHiddenFields?: boolean
+  filePath?: string
 }
 
 export default async function update(options: Options): Promise<Document> {
@@ -23,6 +25,7 @@ export default async function update(options: Options): Promise<Document> {
     user,
     overrideAccess = true,
     showHiddenFields,
+    filePath,
   } = options;
 
   const collection = this.collections[collectionSlug];
@@ -40,6 +43,7 @@ export default async function update(options: Options): Promise<Document> {
       locale,
       fallbackLocale,
       payload: this,
+      file: getFileByPath(filePath),
     },
   };
 
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/update.ts b/src/collections/operations/update.ts
index 87066f54c..db6f7dda2 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/update.ts
+++ b/src/collections/operations/update.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { FileData } from '../../uploads/types';
 
 import { PayloadRequest } from '../../express/types';
 import { hasWhereAccessResult, UserDocument } from '../../auth/types';
+import saveBufferToFile from '../../uploads/saveBufferToFile';
 
 export type Arguments = {
   collection: Collection
@@ -199,7 +200,7 @@ async function update(incomingArgs: Arguments): Promise<Document> {
       const fsSafeName = await getSafeFilename(staticPath, file.name);
 
       try {
-        await file.mv(`${staticPath}/${fsSafeName}`);
+        await saveBufferToFile(file.data, `${staticPath}/${fsSafeName}`);
 
         fileData.filename = fsSafeName;
         fileData.filesize = file.size;
diff --git a/src/uploads/getFileByPath.ts b/src/uploads/getFileByPath.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..527fca1f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/uploads/getFileByPath.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import fs from 'fs';
+import mime from 'mime';
+import { File } from './types';
+
+const getFileByPath = (filePath: string): File => {
+  if (typeof filePath === 'string') {
+    const data = fs.readFileSync(filePath);
+    const mimetype = mime.getType(filePath);
+
+    const name = filePath.split('/').pop();
+
+    return {
+      data,
+      mimetype,
+      name,
+    };
+  }
+
+  return undefined;
+};
+
+export default getFileByPath;
diff --git a/src/uploads/saveBufferToFile.ts b/src/uploads/saveBufferToFile.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..69699b19b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/uploads/saveBufferToFile.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import { Readable } from 'stream';
+import fs from 'fs';
+
+/**
+ * Save buffer data to a file.
+ * @param {Buffer} buffer - buffer to save to a file.
+ * @param {string} filePath - path to a file.
+ */
+const saveBufferToFile = async (buffer: Buffer, filePath: string): Promise<void> => {
+  // Setup readable stream from buffer.
+  let streamData = buffer;
+  const readStream = new Readable();
+  readStream._read = () => {
+    readStream.push(streamData);
+    streamData = null;
+  };
+  // Setup file system writable stream.
+  return fs.writeFileSync(filePath, buffer);
+};
+
+export default saveBufferToFile;
diff --git a/src/uploads/types.ts b/src/uploads/types.ts
index a8f90031b..3d800d168 100644
--- a/src/uploads/types.ts
+++ b/src/uploads/types.ts
@@ -41,3 +41,9 @@ export type Upload = {
   staticDir: string
   adminThumbnail?: string
 }
+
+export type File = {
+  data: Buffer
+  mimetype: string
+  name: string
+}
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index c9b025ca3..c0566d9a4 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -8567,6 +8567,11 @@ mime@^2.3.1:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/mime/-/mime-2.4.7.tgz#962aed9be0ed19c91fd7dc2ece5d7f4e89a90d74"
   integrity sha512-dhNd1uA2u397uQk3Nv5LM4lm93WYDUXFn3Fu291FJerns4jyTudqhIWe4W04YLy7Uk1tm1Ore04NpjRvQp/NPA==
 
+mime@^2.5.0:
+  version "2.5.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/mime/-/mime-2.5.0.tgz#2b4af934401779806ee98026bb42e8c1ae1876b1"
+  integrity sha512-ft3WayFSFUVBuJj7BMLKAQcSlItKtfjsKDDsii3rqFDAZ7t11zRe8ASw/GlmivGwVUYtwkQrxiGGpL6gFvB0ag==
+
 mimic-fn@^2.1.0:
   version "2.1.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/mimic-fn/-/mimic-fn-2.1.0.tgz#7ed2c2ccccaf84d3ffcb7a69b57711fc2083401b"