# Working with documents ### Why Use Documents with AI? One of Open WebUI's most powerful features is the ability to work with your own documents. Instead of just having general conversations, you can give the AI access to your specific files and ask questions about them. **What does this mean in practice?** Imagine you have: * A 50-page contract you need to understand * A research paper with complex technical details * Meeting notes from the past six months * A spreadsheet full of data * Company policy documents Instead of reading through everything yourself, you can upload these documents to Open WebUI and ask questions like: * "What are the key terms in this contract?" * "Summarize the main findings of this research paper" * "What was decided about the budget in the March meeting?" * "What does our policy say about remote work?" The AI reads the document and answers based on its actual content - not just general knowledge. **This is called RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)** - but you don't need to remember that term. Just think of it as "AI that reads your documents." ### Two Ways to Use Documents Open WebUI offers two simple methods for working with documents. Both are easy, and you can choose whichever fits your workflow. #### Method 1: Upload Files Directly to Your Chat This is the quickest way to work with a document for a one-time conversation. **How to do it:** 1. **Start a new chat** (or use an existing one) 2. **Look for the attachment icon** (usually a paperclip or plus sign) near the text input field 3. **Click it** and browse to your file 4. **Select your document** and click open 5. **Wait a moment** while the file uploads and processes 6. **Ask your question** about the document **Example:** * Upload: "2024\_Annual\_Report.pdf" * Ask: "What was our revenue growth this year?" * The AI reads the PDF and answers based on the actual numbers in the report **Best for:** * Quick, one-off document questions * When you're only working with one or two files * Documents you won't need to reference repeatedly #### Method 2: Use the # Command to Reference Documents If you or your administrator has set up documents in the Workspace, you can reference them using the # symbol. This method is great for documents you use frequently. **How to do it:** 1. **Start typing your question** in the chat 2. **Type the # symbol** (hashtag) 3. **A list of available documents appears** 4. **Select the document** you want to use 5. **Continue typing your question** and press Enter **Example:** * Type: "# \[select 'Employee Handbook'] What is the vacation policy?" * The AI uses the Employee Handbook to answer **You can also use # with URLs:** * Type: "# What are the main points?" * The AI will fetch and read the webpage content **Best for:** * Documents you reference regularly * Shared team resources stored in the Workspace * When you need to combine multiple documents in one question **Note**: If the # command doesn't show you any documents, your workspace might not have documents set up yet. Contact your administrator or stick with Method 1 (direct upload). ### Supported File Types Open WebUI can read and understand many common file formats: **Documents:** * PDF files (.pdf) * Word documents (.doc, .docx) * Text files (.txt) * Markdown files (.md) **Spreadsheets:** * Excel files (.xlsx, .xls) * CSV files (.csv) **Presentations:** * PowerPoint files (.ppt, .pptx) **Other:** * HTML files (.html) * Rich Text Format (.rtf) **File size considerations:** * Most everyday documents work fine * Very large files (100+ MB) might take longer to process * If a file is too large, try splitting it into smaller sections **What if my file type isn't listed?** Try converting it to PDF or text format first. PDF is the most universally supported format. ### Simple Example: Ask Questions About Your PDF Let's walk through a complete example from start to finish. #### Scenario You've received a 30-page technical proposal from a vendor. You need to understand the pricing, timeline, and key features, but you don't have time to read all 30 pages. #### Step-by-Step **Step 1: Start Fresh** * Click "New Chat" to begin * Choose your preferred AI model (the default is fine) **Step 2: Upload the Document** * Click the attachment icon near the text input * Browse to "Vendor\_Proposal\_2024.pdf" * Select it and wait for it to upload (you'll see a progress indicator) * Once uploaded, you'll see the filename appear in the chat **Step 3: Ask Your First Question** Type: "Can you summarize the key points of this proposal?" Press Enter and wait for the response. The AI will read through the entire 30-page document and provide a concise summary. **Step 4: Dig Deeper** Now ask specific questions: * "What is the total cost including all optional features?" * "What is the implementation timeline?" * "What support services are included?" * "Are there any potential risks or concerns I should be aware of?" **Step 5: Compare or Analyze** You can even ask the AI to analyze: * "What are the pros and cons of this proposal?" * "What questions should I ask the vendor about this?" * "Is the pricing competitive compared to typical market rates?" **Step 6: Extract Specific Information** Need something specific? * "List all the deliverables mentioned in the proposal" * "What are the payment terms?" * "Find all mentions of data security" #### The Result In just a few minutes, you've extracted all the critical information from a 30-page document without reading every word yourself. ### Tips for Working with Documents #### Ask Clear, Specific Questions **Good questions:** * "What does section 3 say about refund policies?" * "List all the deadlines mentioned in this document" * "Summarize the financial projections for 2024" **Less effective questions:** * "Tell me about this" (too vague) * "Everything about pricing" (too broad) #### Start Broad, Then Go Specific A good workflow: 1. First: "Summarize this document" 2. Then: "Tell me more about the section on implementation" 3. Finally: "What exactly does it say about data migration?" #### Verify Important Information The AI is very good at reading documents, but for critical decisions: * Double-check important numbers or dates yourself * Ask the AI to quote the exact text: "What is the exact wording about the warranty?" * For legal or financial documents, always verify with a professional #### Combine Multiple Documents You can upload or reference multiple documents in the same chat: * Upload: Contract.pdf * Upload: Amendment.pdf * Ask: "What changed between the original contract and the amendment?" #### Use Documents for Different Tasks **Summarization:** "Give me a 3-paragraph summary of this report" **Question Answering:** "What does this say about remote work policies?" **Data Extraction:** "Create a list of all action items from these meeting notes" **Comparison:** "Compare the recommendations in these two reports" **Translation/Simplification:** "Explain this technical document in simple terms" ### Common Questions **Q: Does the document stay in my chat forever?** A: The document is associated with that specific chat. As long as you keep the chat, you can continue asking questions about it. If you delete the chat, the uploaded document goes with it. **Q: Can other people see my uploaded documents?** A: No. Documents you upload directly to a chat are private to you. Only workspace documents (accessed via #) might be shared, depending on how your administrator has set things up. **Q: How many documents can I upload at once?** A: This varies, but typically you can upload several documents in a single chat. If you need to work with many documents, try uploading them one at a time or ask your administrator about workspace document storage. **Q: The AI gave me wrong information from my document. Why?** A: Occasionally the AI might misread or misinterpret something, especially in complex documents. Always verify critical information. You can ask: "Quote the exact text where it says that" to check the source. **Q: Can I upload images or scanned documents?** A: Yes, many scanned PDFs work fine. However, if the text in the image isn't clear, the AI might have trouble reading it. For best results, use documents with searchable text. **Q: How long does it take to process a document?** A: Small documents (a few pages) process in seconds. Larger documents (50+ pages) might take 30 seconds to a minute. You'll see a processing indicator while it works. ### Practice Exercise Try this to get comfortable with documents: 1. **Find a document** you have handy - a PDF report, a Word document, anything 2. **Start a new chat** in Open WebUI 3. **Upload the document** using the attachment icon 4. **Ask for a summary**: "Please summarize this document" 5. **Ask 3 specific questions** about the content 6. **Ask for something specific**: "List the key dates mentioned" or "What recommendations does this make?" After this exercise, you'll be ready to use documents for real work tasks! *** **You now know how to make Open WebUI read and analyze your documents.** This transforms the AI from a general assistant into a tool that understands your specific information. In the next section, we'll explore how to keep all your conversations organized. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.glbnxt.com/workspace/guides/open-webui/working-with-documents.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.