Lesson 1 of 5 · 10 min

Uploading documents

Upload files to a matter and choose whether AI reads them.

Lesson 1 of 5

Every matter has a Documents tab where you upload files. Reading them with AI is optional — you decide, per upload, whether MatterFirst reads the file.

Before you start

  • A matter to work in — the Documents tab lives on every matter
  • AI credit on your plan if you want files read (reading spends your AI credit)

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 reading it with AI are two different things — Word, Excel and ZIP files store fine but are never read by AI. Only PDFs, images and text/CSV can be read.

Reading is opt-in and spends your AI credit

MatterFirst does not read documents automatically. The Upload files drawer has a Read with AI switch that is off to begin with. Turn it on before uploading if you want the file read, and only then is your AI credit spent. Rates are published and fixed: 60c to open a document plus 9c a page. If your credit is low, the tab says so and points you to Plan & payment to top up.

  1. 1

    Open the matter's Documents tab

    From a matter, click the Documents tab. You'll see the matter's folders and files and an Upload button. To ask a client for files instead, use the matter's ⋯ All actions › Request documents.

  2. 2

    Add your files

    Click Upload to open Upload files, then drag files onto the drop zone or browse for them. More options lets you set a category, description, tags and folder before you upload.

  3. 3

    Decide whether to read it with AI

    Before you upload, choose whether to turn on Read with AI ("Finds dates, people and key terms for you to confirm"). Left off, the file is simply stored. On, it's queued to be read and spends your AI credit — but only if it's a PDF, image or text file; DOCX and other formats are stored without being read. You can also read a stored file later with Read with AI in its row's ⋯ menu.

  4. 4

    Understand what happens after upload

    When AI reads a document, it pulls out the text, then finds the key people, dates, amounts and clauses inside it. A few moments after upload, open the document and its AI reading shows the results in tabs: Summary, Issues, Suggestions, Key details, Clauses and Key terms. Larger files take a little longer to come back.

Tips & pitfalls

  • Read with AI is off to begin with. If you want a file read, turn it on before uploading — it's a per-upload decision.
  • Word, Excel and ZIP files upload fine but are never read by AI. Only PDFs, images and text/CSV are read.
  • Reading spends your AI credit. If the tab says your credit is low, top up in Plan & payment before turning it on.

Key takeaways

  • The Documents tab accepts PDF, Word, Excel, images, text/CSV and ZIP, up to 500 MB.
  • Reading is opt-in per upload with the Read with AI switch, which starts off.
  • Only PDFs, images and text are read; DOCX and other formats upload but are not.
How key term extraction works

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