Import media
Add images, video and audio to a board by drag and drop, paste or the Media Browser, and fix imports that fail.
There are three ways to add media: drag files onto the board, paste them, or use Import Media in the Media Browser. Imported files are saved on this device. Web links stay linked and aren't downloaded.
Drag and drop files
Drag files over the board
Drag one or more image, video or audio files from your computer. An empty board shows Drag & drop media.
Drop them
New items are arranged in a grid in free space near the center of your view, at their real aspect ratio. They never cover items already on the board. If the free space is partly off screen, some items may sit outside your view or under the toolbars; pan or zoom out to see them. Dropping several files is one step, so Undo removes them all.
- There's no size limit at import.
- Dropped folders aren't opened.
- Files dropped on an open window, or on the dimmed area around it, are ignored. Close the window first.
- HEIC, AVIF and MKV aren't accepted. See Supported formats.
- Dropping a
.refboardor.zipimports a board instead. See Import and export.
Paste from the clipboard
Hover the board and press ⌘V (Ctrl+V on Windows).
- A copied image is added. If you copied several, only the first is added.
- Copied SVG, as a file or as code, becomes an SVG item.
- Items copied on the board with ⌘C are duplicated near the pointer.
- Plain text doesn't create a note. You see "No images found in clipboard. Copy an image first, then try ⌘V."
Add a web link
Drag a link or image URL from a browser tab onto the board, or copy an http or https URL and paste it.
The item points at the web address and isn't stored on your device. Selected, it shows a blue globe badge: "Linked from web, not stored locally". Most tools are hidden for linked media. Page links such as YouTube aren't unpacked. If the URL doesn't look like media, you see "URL added - please verify it's a valid media link".
To store a copy, right-click the item and choose Download to Board. The copy appears next to the original, which you can then delete. A copy of web media has no AI Generated section in its file details, since nothing about it was generated in FlashBoards. Some downloads are limited to 50 MB. If a large video fails, download it from its source and import the file.
Import from the Media Browser
Open Import Media
Click Files in the bottom toolbar, then the three-dot More actions menu, then Import Media.
Pick files
Choose one or more files. The dialog only lists accepted formats.
New items are arranged in a grid in free space near the center of your view, and the first is selected. They never cover items already on the board.
When an import fails
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Skipped unsupported file | The file type isn't accepted. See Supported formats. |
| Failed to add (file name) or Failed to import (file name) | The file couldn't be read. Try again or use another copy. |
| This file could not be saved permanently | Storage on this device is full. Open Settings, then Health, clean up unused storage and import again. See Storage and backups. |
| This video was not added, or N videos were not added | Your browser can't play this video, often an iPhone MOV, so it wasn't added. Convert it to MP4 (H.264) outside FlashBoards and import again. |
On the desktop app, dropped files show a progress placeholder. Select it and click Cancel import to stop, or Dismiss failed import if it failed.
WarningShared boards block new media
You can't add media to a shared board. Shared boards are read-only and show "Remote read-only board · Media remains remote." Work on a private copy instead. See Shared boards.