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payloadcms/docs/fields/upload.mdx
Jacob Fletcher 277448d9c0 docs: performance (#13068)
Payload is designed with performance in mind, but its customizability
means that there are many ways to configure your app that can impact
performance.

While Payload provides several features and best practices to help you
optimize your app's specific performance needs, these are not currently
well surfaced and can be obscure.

Now:

- A high-level performance doc now exists at `/docs/performance`
- There's a new section on performance within the `/docs/queries` doc
- There's a new section on performance within the `/docs/hooks` doc
- There's a new section on performance within the
`/docs/custom-components` doc

This PR also:

- Restructures and elaborates on the `/docs/queries/pagination` docs
- Adds a new `/docs/database/indexing` doc
- More

---
- To see the specific tasks where the Asana app for GitHub is being
used, see below:
  - https://app.asana.com/0/0/1210743577153856
2025-07-14 23:55:16 -04:00

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---
title: Upload Field
label: Upload
order: 210
desc: Upload fields will allow a file to be uploaded, only from a collection supporting Uploads. Learn how to use Upload fields, see examples and options.
keywords: upload, images media, fields, config, configuration, documentation, Content Management System, cms, headless, javascript, node, react, nextjs
---
The Upload Field allows for the selection of a Document from a Collection supporting [Uploads](../upload/overview), and
formats the selection as a thumbnail in the Admin Panel.
Upload fields are useful for a variety of use cases, such as:
- To provide a `Page` with a featured image
- To allow for a `Product` to deliver a downloadable asset like PDF or MP3
- To give a layout building block the ability to feature a background image
<LightDarkImage
srcLight="https://payloadcms.com/images/docs/fields/upload.png"
srcDark="https://payloadcms.com/images/docs/fields/upload-dark.png"
alt="Shows an upload field in the Payload Admin Panel"
caption="Admin Panel screenshot of an Upload field"
/>
To create an Upload Field, set the `type` to `upload` in your [Field Config](./overview):
```ts
import type { Field } from 'payload'
export const MyUploadField: Field = {
// ...
// highlight-start
type: 'upload',
relationTo: 'media',
// highlight-end
}
```
<Banner type="warning">
**Important:** To use the Upload Field, you must have a
[Collection](../configuration/collections) configured to allow
[Uploads](../upload/overview).
</Banner>
## Config Options
| Option | Description |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **`name`** \* | To be used as the property name when stored and retrieved from the database. [More details](/docs/fields/overview#field-names). |
| **`relationTo`** \* | Provide a single collection `slug` to allow this field to accept a relation to. **Note: the related collection must be configured to support Uploads.** |
| **`filterOptions`** | A query to filter which options appear in the UI and validate against. [More details](#filtering-upload-options). |
| **`hasMany`** | Boolean which, if set to true, allows this field to have many relations instead of only one. |
| **`minRows`** | A number for the fewest allowed items during validation when a value is present. Used with hasMany. |
| **`maxRows`** | A number for the most allowed items during validation when a value is present. Used with hasMany. |
| **`maxDepth`** | Sets a number limit on iterations of related documents to populate when queried. [Depth](../queries/depth) |
| **`label`** | Text used as a field label in the Admin Panel or an object with keys for each language. |
| **`unique`** | Enforce that each entry in the Collection has a unique value for this field. |
| **`validate`** | Provide a custom validation function that will be executed on both the Admin Panel and the backend. [More details](/docs/fields/overview#validation). |
| **`index`** | Build an [index](../database/indexes) for this field to produce faster queries. Set this field to `true` if your users will perform queries on this field's data often. |
| **`saveToJWT`** | If this field is top-level and nested in a config supporting [Authentication](/docs/authentication/overview), include its data in the user JWT. |
| **`hooks`** | Provide Field Hooks to control logic for this field. [More details](../hooks/fields). |
| **`access`** | Provide Field Access Control to denote what users can see and do with this field's data. [More details](../access-control/fields). |
| **`hidden`** | Restrict this field's visibility from all APIs entirely. Will still be saved to the database, but will not appear in any API or the Admin Panel. |
| **`defaultValue`** | Provide data to be used for this field's default value. [More details](/docs/fields/overview#default-values). |
| **`displayPreview`** | Enable displaying preview of the uploaded file. Overrides related Collection's `displayPreview` option. [More details](/docs/upload/overview#collection-upload-options). |
| **`localized`** | Enable localization for this field. Requires [localization to be enabled](/docs/configuration/localization) in the Base config. |
| **`required`** | Require this field to have a value. |
| **`admin`** | Admin-specific configuration. [Admin Options](./overview#admin-options). |
| **`custom`** | Extension point for adding custom data (e.g. for plugins) |
| **`typescriptSchema`** | Override field type generation with providing a JSON schema |
| **`virtual`** | Provide `true` to disable field in the database, or provide a string path to [link the field with a relationship](/docs/fields/relationship#linking-virtual-fields-with-relationships). See [Virtual Fields](https://payloadcms.com/blog/learn-how-virtual-fields-can-help-solve-common-cms-challenges) |
| **`graphQL`** | Custom graphQL configuration for the field. [More details](/docs/graphql/overview#field-complexity) |
_\* An asterisk denotes that a property is required._
## Example
`collections/ExampleCollection.ts`
```ts
import type { CollectionConfig } from 'payload'
export const ExampleCollection: CollectionConfig = {
slug: 'example-collection',
fields: [
{
name: 'backgroundImage', // required
type: 'upload', // required
relationTo: 'media', // required
required: true,
},
],
}
```
## Filtering upload options
Options can be dynamically limited by supplying a [query constraint](/docs/queries/overview), which will be used both
for validating input and filtering available uploads in the UI.
The `filterOptions` property can either be a `Where` query, or a function returning `true` to not filter, `false` to
prevent all, or a `Where` query. When using a function, it will be
called with an argument object with the following properties:
| Property | Description |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `relationTo` | The collection `slug` to filter against, limited to this field's `relationTo` property |
| `data` | An object containing the full collection or global document currently being edited |
| `siblingData` | An object containing document data that is scoped to only fields within the same parent of this field |
| `id` | The `id` of the current document being edited. `id` is `undefined` during the `create` operation |
| `user` | An object containing the currently authenticated user |
| `req` | The Payload Request, which contains references to `payload`, `user`, `locale`, and more. |
### Example#filter-options-example
```ts
const uploadField = {
name: 'image',
type: 'upload',
relationTo: 'media',
filterOptions: {
mimeType: { contains: 'image' },
},
}
```
You can learn more about writing queries [here](/docs/queries/overview).
<Banner type="warning">
**Note:**
When an upload field has both **filterOptions** and a custom
**validate** function, the api will not validate **filterOptions**
unless you call the default upload field validation function imported from
**payload/shared** in your validate function.
</Banner>
## Bi-directional relationships
The `upload` field on its own is used to reference documents in an upload collection. This can be considered a "one-way"
relationship. If you wish to allow an editor to visit the upload document and see where it is being used, you may use
the `join` field in the upload enabled collection. Read more about bi-directional relationships using
the [Join field](./join)