Lesson 1 of 5 · 10 min

Uploading documents

Upload files to a matter and choose whether to run Document AI.

Lesson 1 of 5

Every matter has a Documents tab where you upload files. Analysis is optional — you decide, per upload, whether MatterFirst runs Document AI over the file.

Before you start

  • A matter to work in — the Documents tab lives on every matter
  • Document AI credits on your plan if you want files analysed (analysis uses credits)

What you can upload

The Documents tab accepts a broad range of files: PDF, Word (DOC/DOCX), Excel (XLS/XLSX), images (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP), plain text, CSV and ZIP archives, up to 500 MB each. Note that uploading a file and analysing it are two different things — Word, Excel and ZIP files store fine but are never sent to Document AI. Only PDFs, images and text/CSV are eligible for analysis.

Analysis is opt-in and uses credits

MatterFirst does not analyse documents automatically. The upload dialog has an "Analyze with Document AI" checkbox that defaults to OFF. Tick it before uploading if you want the file processed, and only then are Document AI credits spent. If your balance is low, a banner on the tab points you to Billing to top up.

  1. 1

    Open the matter's Documents tab

    From a matter, click the Documents tab. You'll see the folder sidebar, an Upload button and a Request button, plus a violet notice showing your remaining Document AI credits (or an amber notice if File Intelligence isn't configured yet).

    The Documents tab on a matter — Upload sits top-right, next to Request.
  2. 2

    Add your files

    Click Upload to open the dialog, then drag files onto the drop zone or use browse. The dialog lists the accepted file types and the 500 MB limit, and lets you set a category, description, tags and folder before you upload.

    The upload dialog — the 'Analyze with Document AI' checkbox is off by default.
  3. 3

    Decide whether to analyse

    Before hitting Upload Files, choose whether to tick "Analyze with Document AI". Left unticked (the default), the file is simply stored. Ticked, it's queued for analysis and spends credits — but only if it's a PDF, image or text file; DOCX and other formats are stored without analysis even when the box is checked.

  4. 4

    Understand what happens after upload

    When analysis runs, MatterFirst reads the document — it pulls out the text, then identifies the key entities, dates, amounts and clauses inside it. A few moments after upload, the results appear on the document's preview tabs (Entities, Dates, Clauses and Key Terms). Larger files take a little longer to come back.

Tips & pitfalls

  • The checkbox is off by default. If you want analysis, tick 'Analyze with Document AI' before uploading — it's a per-upload decision.
  • Word, Excel and ZIP files upload fine but are never AI-analysed. Only PDFs, images and text/CSV go through Document AI.
  • Analysis spends Document AI credits. If a low-credit banner appears on the tab, top up in Billing before ticking the box.

Key takeaways

  • The Documents tab accepts PDF, Word, Excel, images, text/CSV and ZIP, up to 500 MB.
  • Analysis is opt-in per upload via the 'Analyze with Document AI' checkbox, which defaults off.
  • Only PDFs, images and text are analysed; DOCX and other formats upload but are not.
How key term extraction works

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