Open a PDF and ask in your own words. The search understands plurals and word endings, so "pets" also finds "pet". Find answers in contracts, reports and study notes without reading every page. It is free and private.
How to ask a PDF a question
- Press Choose a PDF and pick a file.
- Type a short question into Your question and press Ask.
- Read the best matching Passages, with the matched words picked out.
- Use the page buttons, or Previous and Next, to see the original page.
- Press Summarise the PDF for an overview, or Choose another to open a different file.
How it works
Your browser reads the text of every page, splits it into short passages and builds a search index on this device. Each question is matched against the index with BM25, the same kind of ranking that search engines use, and the best passages are shown with the words that matched. Select a page button to see that page.
Written answers on your device
Some browsers, such as recent versions of Chrome on a computer, include a small built-in language model. When yours does, you can choose Written answers, and the best passages are turned into a short answer that names its pages. The model runs on this device, so the document is still never uploaded. Everywhere else you get the passages, which are often the quickest way to the answer anyway.
Good to know
- Scanned PDFs are pictures of pages and have no text to search. Run them through Searchable PDF first.
- Short, specific questions work best, such as "notice period" or "When is the deposit returned?".
- Always check the page itself before relying on an answer for anything important.
Tips for good questions
- Use words that are likely to appear in the document, such as the term from the contract.
- If one question finds nothing, try a different word for the same idea.
- Ask one thing at a time.
Common uses
Students looking up a topic in a long reading, tenants checking a lease, small business owners going through supplier terms, and office workers searching a long report. To compare two versions of a document, use compare PDF.
Private by design
Contracts, reports and study material stay on your device. Nothing is sent to a server, and the index is gone when you close the page.
Questions
Why does it find nothing?
The PDF may be a scan with no text, or your words may not match the wording used. Try other words.
Does it understand my question like a person?
It finds the passages that best match your words. A written answer is only available where the browser has its own built-in model.
Is the PDF stored?
No. It is read in your browser and forgotten when you close the page.