How to summarize a PDF with AI
Updated
Contents
To summarize a PDF, open Summarize PDF, add your file, choose a length and a format, and press Summarize PDF. An AI model writes a summary of the document's text, and you download it as a ZIP with Markdown and plain-text copies.
Use the summary to decide what to read, not in place of reading. The model is told to work only from the document's text and to add no facts, yet a summary can still leave a point out or get one wrong, so check anything you plan to act on against the original pages.
Summarize PDF is one of the AI tools, so the work does not happen in your browser. Your PDF uploads over an encrypted connection to our secure server, which extracts the selectable text and sends that text, not the file, to a third-party AI provider. Your PDF is deleted when the job ends, and the download link stops working after 60 minutes. No account is needed.
Step by step
- 1Open the Summarize PDF tool.
- 2Drop your PDF on the box that says “Add your PDF, or browse”, or click it to choose the file. It takes one PDF with selectable text; for a scan, run OCR PDF first.
- 3Pick a length under Summary length (Brief, Standard, or Detailed) and a shape under Format (Paragraphs, Bullet points, or Section outline). The page starts on Standard and Paragraphs.
- 4Optionally, type up to 300 characters in Focus (optional), such as “deadlines and costs”, to say what the summary should pay attention to.
- 5Press Summarize PDF. Your PDF uploads over an encrypted connection to our secure server, and the button follows the job while the model writes.
- 6Download the ZIP; report.pdf comes back as report-summary.zip. The link stops working after 60 minutes, so save it to your device.
Choosing a length, a format and a focus
Brief asks for a short TL;DR followed by the key points, which suits a report you need to grasp before a meeting. Standard covers the main points, and Detailed works through every major section.
The format sets the shape: Paragraphs, Bullet points, or Section outline. A section outline under headings is useful for comparing several papers side by side. The focus line asks the model to pay special attention to what you name, such as payment terms or risks; leave it empty for a general summary.
The model is told to write in the document's own language, so a Spanish report should come back summarized in Spanish. There is no setting for a different summary language; for the full text in another language, use Translate PDF.
What you get back
The download is a ZIP holding summary.md, summary.txt, manifest.json and README.txt. The Markdown and plain-text files hold the same summary; the manifest and README record which provider and model wrote it and the options you chose.
The model reads a bounded amount of the document's text, and the exact figure is stated on the Summarize PDF page itself. A longer document is summarized from its first page up to that point, and both the results panel and summary.md say how far the reading got, by page. Files themselves are capped at 100 MB.
The free allowance and where your text goes
Summaries are free, within a daily allowance. 30,774 free characters of AI text a day for your connection. One run never counts more than 10,258 of them, however long the document is, and the allowance resets daily. However long the document, at least 3 summaries fit in a day if nothing else draws on it. The other AI tools draw on the same allowance. The charge is taken when the job is submitted, so a job our server refuses or that fails still uses it.
Our server sends the PDF's extracted text, with your length, format and focus, to a third-party AI provider; the PDF file itself is never sent to the provider. The settings in our provider account that would let it use this text to improve its models are switched off, though the provider may keep what it receives for a limited time to watch for abuse. Section 3 of our privacy policy covers the provider's side.
Scanned PDFs need OCR first
The tool reads only text stored in the PDF as text. A scan is a picture of text, so a PDF with no text layer is turned away with a message pointing you to OCR PDF. Your browser checks for text before the upload starts, so that refusal takes nothing from the allowance.
Run the scan through OCR PDF with the document's language selected, then bring the result back to Summarize PDF.
Common questions
Is the AI summary accurate?
Treat it as a reading aid. The model is told to use only the document's text and add no facts, figures or names, but a summary can still leave out a point or state it wrongly. Check anything you plan to rely on against the original pages.
How many PDFs can I summarize for free?
30,774 free characters of AI text a day for your connection. One run never counts more than 10,258 of them, however long the document is, and the allowance resets daily. However long the document, at least 3 summaries fit in a day if nothing else draws on it. The other AI tools draw on the same allowance.
Who sees the text of my PDF?
A third-party AI provider receives the extracted text and your options; the PDF file never reaches it. Our server deletes your PDF when the job ends, and the download link stops working after 60 minutes.
How long a PDF can it summarize?
Files up to 100 MB can be added, and the model reads a bounded amount of their text, stated on the Summarize PDF page. Past that, the summary covers the opening pages, and the result says how far the reading got.
Can it summarize a scanned PDF?
Not directly. Run it through OCR PDF first to add a text layer, then summarize the result. A PDF with no text is refused before it uploads, so it costs nothing from the allowance.