---
title: "Read File"
description: "Learn about the Read File block and how to use it."
---

import Image from "next/image";
import { Callout } from "nextra/components";

<Callout type="warning" emoji="⚠️">
  The **Read File** block is only available on the <a href="/installation-desktop/overview" target="_blank"><b>Desktop Version (v1.8.1+)</b></a> of AnythingLLM.<br />
</Callout>

<Image
  src="/images/agent-flows/read-file.png"
  height={1080}
  width={1920}
  quality={100}
/>

## Usage

<Callout type="info" emoji="💡">
 You can use `${variable}` string to dynamically insert the file path or file name in a fixed folder path.
</Callout>

_This block allows you to read a file from the local file system. Only text file types are supported._

The Read File block is used to read the contents of a file and store the result in a variable for use in subsequent blocks. This is useful for workflows that require file input or need to process file data.

## Input Variables

- `File Path`: The path to the file you want to read.
- `Result Variable`: The variable to store the file content.