Importing files and links
Bring text into the writing and study tools from PDF, Word or text files and web pages, keep its formatting, and copy results with formatting intact.
Most writing and study tools let you bring text in from a file or a web page instead of pasting it. This page explains the shared import controls, which files work, how formatting is kept, and what to do when a file or page cannot be read.
Where you find the import controls
The controls look a little different depending on the tool:
| Tool | Import controls |
|---|---|
| Summarizer, Study sets, Essay grader, Grammar checker | Buttons under the text box: Copy, Upload PDF, Word or text and From a link |
| Essay writer (step 1) | Upload PDF, Word or text and From a link, to add your own notes or a paper as the main basis |
| AI checker and Humanizer | Icons at the top of the Your text box: copy, upload, import from a link, and clear (the bin) |
| Paraphraser | Upload under the text box, plus Paste text |
| AI Chat | The paperclip in the message box. Chat also reads photos and scanned PDFs |
Upload a file
- Click Upload PDF, Word or text (or the upload icon).
- Pick a file. You see "Reading report.pdf..." while it is read.
- The text appears in the box. In tools with a title field, the file name fills the title if it is empty.
| File type | What is read |
|---|---|
| PDF (.pdf) | The text of up to 300 pages. Lines that wrap are joined back into paragraphs, and words split with a hyphen at the end of a line are joined again |
| Word (.docx) | The text, with headings, lists, bold and links kept |
| Text (.txt) and Markdown (.md) | The text as it is. Markdown headings and lists are kept |
| Web page files (.html, .htm) | The main article on the page, without menus, footers and ads |
Files can be up to 18 MB. Older Word files (.doc) are not supported: open them in Word and save them as .docx first.
A scanned PDF (pages saved as pictures) has no text to read, and you see "This PDF has no readable text (it may be a scan)". Use a PDF with selectable text, copy the text in by hand, or attach the scan in AI Chat, which can read the text in scanned pages.
Import from a link
- Click From a link (or the link icon).
- Paste the Page address, starting with https://.
- Click Import. The button shows Reading while the page is opened.
SerpPal opens the page and keeps only the main article: its title, headings, paragraphs, lists and links. Menus, sidebars, footers, cookie notices, image captions and Wikipedia-style edit links and reference marks are left out.
Things to know:
- Only public pages work. Pages behind a login or a paywall, and addresses inside a private network, cannot be opened.
- The page needs at least about 30 words of article text.
- Some sites block automatic readers. If a page fails, open it in your browser, select the text and paste it.
Formatting is kept
The text boxes in the AI checker, Humanizer, Paraphraser, Summarizer, Study sets and Essay grader are formatted boxes. When you paste from Google Docs, Word or a web page, or import a Word file or a link, they keep:
- headings;
- paragraphs;
- bulleted and numbered lists;
- bold, italic and links;
- block quotes;
- tables (one row per line).
The tools then work with that structure. For example, the Humanizer and Paraphraser give back the same headings and lists, with links and bold around the same words. Tables are kept but not changed, because they are data.
The Grammar checker uses a plain text box, so formatting from a file or link is read as plain text there.
Copy with formatting
The Copy buttons in the AI checker, Humanizer, Paraphraser and AI Chat copy your text with its formatting. Paste into Google Docs, Word or the WordPress editor and the headings, lists, bold and links come along. Where formatting is not supported, like a plain text field, you get clean text instead. You see "Copied with formatting".
The Copy buttons under the text box in the Summarizer, Study sets, Essay grader and Grammar checker also copy your input with formatting. The buttons that copy a result there (a summary, study notes, corrected text or feedback) copy plain text.
Troubleshooting
"Files up to 18 MB" The file is too large. Split it, or save the part you need as a new PDF or Word file.
"Use a PDF, Word (.docx), text or HTML file" That file type is not supported. Save it in one of these formats first.
"Could not read this file. It may be damaged or not really the type its name says." The file may be broken, or renamed from another type (for example a .pdf that is really an image). Open it, save it again as PDF or Word, or paste the text in.
"The file is empty" The file has no content. Pick the right file.
"Could not open that page" or "No article text found on that page" The page needs a login, blocks automatic readers, is mostly images or video, or has very little text. Copy and paste the text instead.
"Could not copy. Select the text and copy it." Your browser blocked the clipboard. Select the text with your mouse and press Ctrl + C (Cmd + C on a Mac).
The imported text has odd line breaks PDFs store lines, not paragraphs. SerpPal joins most wrapped lines, but tables and columns in a PDF can come out jumbled. Tidy the text in the box before you run the tool.