Uploading PDFs
PDF AI makes it simple to upload your PDF documents and start extracting insights from them. This guide will walk you through the upload process step by step.Before You Begin
You must be signed in to upload PDFs. If you haven’t created an account yet, click the “Login to get Started!” button on the homepage.
Upload Requirements
Supported Format
- File Type: PDF only (
.pdfextension) - Max Files: One file at a time
- Max Size: 10 MB per file
How to Upload a PDF
Access the Upload Area
Navigate to the homepage after signing in. You’ll see a file upload area with a dashed border and an inbox icon.
Choose Your Upload Method
You have two options to upload your PDF:Option 1: Drag and Drop
- Drag your PDF file from your computer
- Drop it into the upload area
- Click anywhere in the upload area
- Select your PDF file from the file browser
Wait for Processing
Once you drop or select a file:
- The upload area will show a loading spinner
- You’ll see the message “GPT is going through your PDF…”
- The system uploads your file to secure cloud storage
- AI processes and indexes your document content
What Happens Behind the Scenes
When you upload a PDF, several automated processes occur:- File Validation: The system checks file size and format
- Cloud Upload: Your PDF is securely uploaded to AWS S3 storage
- AI Processing: The document is processed and vectorized using Pinecone
- Chat Creation: A new chat session is created in the database
- Indexing: Content is indexed for fast semantic search
The upload and processing typically takes 10-30 seconds depending on the size and complexity of your PDF.
Code Example
Here’s how the upload functionality works in the application:FileUpload.tsx
Troubleshooting
Error: File size too large
Error: File size too large
Your PDF exceeds the 10 MB limit. Try:
- Compressing your PDF using online tools
- Splitting large documents into smaller sections
- Removing high-resolution images if possible
Error uploading file
Error uploading file
This indicates a problem with the upload to cloud storage. Try:
- Checking your internet connection
- Refreshing the page and trying again
- Ensuring the PDF file isn’t corrupted
Error creating chat
Error creating chat
The chat session couldn’t be created. This might be due to:
- Database connection issues
- Authentication problems (try signing out and back in)
- Server issues (wait a moment and retry)
Upload stuck on processing
Upload stuck on processing
If the upload spinner runs for more than 2 minutes:
- Refresh the page
- Check if the chat was created (look for it in your chat list)
- Try uploading again with a smaller file
Next Steps
Chatting with PDFs
Learn how to ask questions and get insights from your uploaded PDFs
Managing Subscriptions
Upgrade to Pro for unlimited uploads and advanced features