# Improve file name handling for uploads (preserve readable file names) **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature Requests\ **Created:** [April 5, 2026, 8:35am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812 "2026-04-05T08:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Simon\_Hill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/simon_hill/32/94730_2.png) [@Simon\_Hill](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Simon_Hill)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2026, 8:35am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812/1 "2026-04-05T08:35:51Z")
I’ve noticed an issue with how Glide handles file names when uploading documents into both **single file** and **multiple file** columns. Although there is an option to _“preserve file name on upload”_, the resulting file names are not user-friendly. Special characters (such as spaces) are converted into encoded strings (e.g. `%20`), which makes the file names difficult to read and unprofessional in the UI. **Example (see screenshot attached):** ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/glideapps/original/3X/9/3/9341b4dabd6c43a5c44bfbbbeaab733c96d393b8.png) A file originally named: `Discussion Guide V2 Clean.docx` Is displayed as: `Discussion%20Guide%20V2%20Clean.docx` This creates a poor user experience, especially in apps where users need to quickly scan and select documents. * * * **Why this matters:** - Reduces readability and usability in file lists - Looks unpolished in client-facing apps - Makes version management harder (users can’t easily distinguish files) - Creates unnecessary friction when downloading or referencing files * * * **Suggested improvements:** 1. Properly preserve original file names (including spaces and standard characters) 2. Automatically decode URL-encoded characters for display (`%20` → space) 3. Option to display a _clean label_ vs. the raw file name 4. (Nice-to-have) Ability to edit or override the display name after upload * * * **Expected behavior:** File names should appear exactly as uploaded, or at least in a clean, human-readable format. * * * This feels like a relatively small fix but would significantly improve the polish and usability of apps that rely on document handling. Thanks in advance, Simon. ---
**Author:** ![nathanaelb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/nathanaelb/32/43079_2.png) [@nathanaelb](https://community.glideapps.com/u/nathanaelb)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812/2 "2026-04-06T13:02:12Z")
As a workaround, have you tried replacing spaces with hyphens or underscores in the names of files? ---
**Author:** ![Simon\_Hill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/simon_hill/32/94730_2.png) [@Simon\_Hill](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Simon_Hill)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812/3 "2026-04-06T13:29:03Z")
Yes, that’s a good thought but my app is used by a lot of people at work and asking them all to adopt a file naming approach is probably not going to work… ---
**Author:** ![Federico\_Fleitas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/federico_fleitas/32/77461_2.png) [@Federico\_Fleitas](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Federico_Fleitas)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812/4 "2026-04-06T14:13:27Z")
+1 ---
**Author:** ![Robert\_Petitto](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/robert_petitto/32/25193_2.png) [@Robert\_Petitto](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Robert_Petitto)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812/5 "2026-04-06T16:53:19Z")
I use the Get Part of URL + Decode Text columns for this: https://www.loom.com/embed/7c3525a364984c2b942fd33b9d710e8e ---
**Author:** ![Federico\_Fleitas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/federico_fleitas/32/77461_2.png) [@Federico\_Fleitas](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Federico_Fleitas)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812/6 "2026-04-06T18:29:56Z")
Solution! ---
**Author:** ![Simon\_Hill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/simon_hill/32/94730_2.png) [@Simon\_Hill](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Simon_Hill)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 7:45am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/improve-file-name-handling-for-uploads-preserve-readable-file-names/86812/7 "2026-04-07T07:45:03Z")
Thanks Bob, super helpful and I will look to use it. However, can you help me understand why the file name handling is managed automatically when I upload a file to a Basic URL column (using file picker component) and then display the URL? If Glide can manage all this automatically for a single file (see below screenshot), why can’t it for multiple files? I also think it is going to be tricky managing all those file names stored as an array in a multiple file column, extracting the correct file, parsing it and then serving up the URL to download again…. it begins to feel like a lot of work when Glide really should be doing this automatically the moment a file is uploaded - after all, there is an option to preserve the file name when uploading (that does not work 100%). Thoughts? ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/glideapps/original/3X/2/f/2f607222f17900ca467aaa6759d153ffc20b5f88.png)