How to Simplify Any PDF

What PDFs Can Simplifier Analyze?

PDF is the world's most common document format — and for good reason. It preserves layout, works on any device, and is universally supported. But that universality also means people receive PDFs containing everything from payslips and medical results to dense research papers and 50-page legal contracts. The format doesn't make complex content any easier to read.

Simplifier can analyze virtually any text-based PDF, including:

• Contracts and legal agreements — employment contracts, leases, service agreements, NDAs
• Medical and health documents — lab results, discharge summaries, referral letters
• Financial documents — payslips, bank statements, investment reports, tax assessments
• Insurance policies — health, home, travel, life, and vehicle insurance documents
• Research papers and academic articles — scientific studies, white papers, literature reviews
• Business reports — annual reports, board minutes, strategic plans, financial statements
• Government and public documents — planning notices, regulatory filings, official correspondence
• Technical manuals and specifications — product manuals, API documentation, engineering specs

If the PDF contains selectable or scannable text, Simplifier can analyze it.

How to Upload a PDF to Simplifier

Getting your PDF into Simplifier is straightforward. Here are all the ways you can do it:

• Use the file picker: Tap the upload icon in Simplifier and browse your Files app to select any PDF stored on your device or in iCloud Drive.
• Share from Mail or Safari: When viewing a PDF in your email or browser, tap the Share button and select Simplifier. The document imports instantly.
• Share from Files or other apps: Long-press any PDF in the Files app, tap Share, and choose Simplifier from the Share sheet.
• Download directly: If you receive a link to a PDF online, open it in Safari, then share it to Simplifier.
• Scan a printed document: If you only have a paper copy, use the built-in camera scan feature to photograph the pages. Simplifier will extract the text using OCR before analyzing.

Choosing the Right Analysis Mode for PDFs

Once your PDF is loaded, choose the mode that matches your goal:

• Summarize: Best for long PDFs. Simplifier extracts the key points, main arguments, or core findings and presents them in a concise, readable format. Ideal for research papers, annual reports, and long policy documents.
• Explain: Best when the document contains unfamiliar terminology. Simplifier goes through the content and explains what each section means in plain language — useful for medical results, legal documents, and technical specs.
• Ask: Best when you have a specific question. Type your question and Simplifier answers it based on the PDF content. Try: "What are the main risks identified in this report?", "What is the conclusion of this study?", or "What does the exclusion clause on page 4 mean?"
• Simplify: Rewrites the document content in plain English. Useful for dense academic writing or overly formal business language that you want to read more easily.

Tips for Best PDF Results

Follow these tips to get the most accurate and useful analysis from Simplifier:

• Use text-based PDFs where possible: PDFs created digitally (rather than scanned from paper) contain selectable text, which produces more accurate results than OCR from a scan.
• Break large documents into sections: For very long PDFs, consider analyzing the most relevant sections rather than the whole document at once. This gives you more focused, useful outputs.
• Be specific in Ask mode: The more specific your question, the more useful the answer. "Summarize the risk factors" is better than "What does this say?"
• Check page orientation: If you're scanning printed pages, ensure they're photographed straight and well-lit for best OCR accuracy.
• Use Summarize first: For a document you haven't read, start with Summarize to understand the structure, then use Explain or Ask to go deeper on the parts that matter most.

PDF File Limits and Compatibility

Simplifier is optimized for standard PDF documents. Here's what to know about file compatibility:

• Supports PDF files up to 20MB in size
• Works with both text-based PDFs and scanned image PDFs (via OCR)
• Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked before uploading
• PDFs with heavy image content (diagrams, charts) will have those elements described where possible, but text extraction is most reliable for text-heavy pages
• Multi-page PDFs are supported — for very long documents, focus analysis on the sections most relevant to your question

Privacy and Your PDFs

PDFs often contain sensitive personal, financial, or business information. Simplifier treats your data with the same privacy standards as all other document types:

• PDF content is never stored on our servers after analysis is complete
• No account or login is required to analyze PDFs
• Analysis is powered by the Google Gemini API, which does not retain user data
• Your files stay within the analysis pipeline and are not used for training

Read our full Privacy Policy for details.