To upload and read PDFs in DeepSeek, open the official DeepSeek chat, attach your document, wait for processing, and ask a specific question. You can use the conversation to summarize a report, find information, or explain a passage. Keep the original PDF open so you can check the answer.
The official DeepSeek app is free to use, and the consumer chat does not require an API key. Free access does not mean unlimited uploads or guaranteed processing of every document.
Last reviewed: October 13, 2026.
How to upload a PDF to DeepSeek on your computer
Save the PDF somewhere you can find it, then open it in your usual PDF viewer. For your first attempt, choose a non-sensitive document with a short passage you can easily verify.
- Open DeepSeek and sign in. Visit chat.deepseek.com and start a new conversation. If you need an account, follow the registration options shown on the official site.
- Attach your PDF. Use the file-attachment control in the message area and select the PDF from your computer. Follow any file-type, size, or count requirements displayed in your session.
- Let the file finish processing. Wait for any upload or processing indicator to finish. Check for an error before sending your request; selecting a filename is not the same as completing the upload.
- Ask a question you can check. Start with something specific, such as the document’s purpose or a finding under a known heading. Name the attached document if the conversation could be ambiguous.
- Compare the answer with the PDF, then continue. If the response matches the relevant passage, ask for a summary, explanation, or extraction. If it misses or misreads that passage, address the reading problem before relying on a broader answer.
Keep follow-up questions in the same conversation and identify the section you mean. When starting a new chat, attach the relevant document or provide the necessary text again instead of assuming earlier attachments are available.
Uploading from an iPhone or Android phone
Get the app through the official DeepSeek download page. Save the PDF to a location accessible from your phone’s file picker, open a conversation, and use the attachment option to select the document. Allow processing to finish, then send your question.
The attachment menu and file-picker labels can differ between app versions and operating systems. If a PDF is inside an email or cloud-storage app, downloading a copy first can make it easier to select. Pasting a sharing link is not a substitute for attaching the file unless DeepSeek actually retrieves and reads its contents.
Prompts for summarizing and asking questions about PDFs
Give DeepSeek a defined task and tell it what evidence to return. These prompts work as starting instructions after you attach a document; they do not guarantee that every passage has been extracted or interpreted correctly.
Summarize the main points
Using only the attached PDF, summarize its main purpose and five most important points. For each point, name the supporting section. Separate the document’s conclusions from any limitations it states. If relevant content is missing or unreadable, say so instead of filling in the gaps.For a long report, narrow the request to a named chapter or section. A focused summary is easier to verify than a broad answer that gives no indication of which material supports it.
Extract dates, figures, and supporting evidence
Using only the attached PDF, list the main dates and numerical findings in a table. Include what each value measures, its unit, the relevant time period, and a short supporting quote or section heading. Mark anything you cannot verify as “not found” or “unclear.” Do not infer missing values.Check the resulting table against the source. Pay particular attention to percentages, currency units, negative signs, totals, and footnotes that change what a number means.
Explain a difficult passage
Explain the passage I identify from the attached PDF in plain English. First state what the passage says, then explain the reasoning in simpler terms. Keep the document’s claims separate from background explanation, and identify any information the PDF does not provide.Follow this with the relevant heading or a short excerpt copied from the PDF. That gives the request a clear scope and makes it easier to see whether the explanation addresses the passage you intended.
How to check that DeepSeek’s answer matches the PDF
DeepSeek’s Terms of Use warn that outputs can contain errors or omissions. For document work, the useful check is whether the answer is supported by the file you uploaded.
- Locate the evidence. Find the cited heading or search the original PDF for a short quoted phrase. Confirm that the surrounding paragraph supports the claim, including any qualification.
- Check important numbers in context. Match each figure to its row or column heading, unit, date range, and footnote. A correctly copied number can still be assigned to the wrong category.
- Verify page references. The page position shown by a PDF viewer can differ from the number printed on the document, as Adobe’s page-numbering guidance explains. If the reference is unclear, use a heading and a verified quote to locate the passage.
- Spot-check distant sections when needed. For a long document, ask about known material from different parts. This can reveal missing coverage, but it does not prove that every page was processed.
Treat a statement such as “I read the entire document” as a claim to check. If DeepSeek cannot support an important answer, provide the relevant passage directly and ask again. Keep the original document as the source for your notes, citations, or decisions.
Can DeepSeek read scanned PDFs, charts, and images?
A PDF can contain selectable text, scanned page images, or a mixture of both. Optical character recognition, or OCR, converts text within an image into text that software can search or select.
For a separate model-based extraction workflow, see our DeepSeek OCR guide; that is different from uploading a PDF in consumer chat.
DeepSeek’s app has gained visual capabilities, as its official version history documents. However, support for images does not establish how every page of an uploaded PDF is processed. Check a scan, chart, equation, or diagram against the original before using the answer.
Try a simple text check: copy a short paragraph from your PDF and paste it into a text editor. If the text is readable and in the right order, you can paste the relevant passage into DeepSeek as a fallback. If copying produces nothing or garbled text, the file may need OCR, a cleaner export, or help from its sender; a failed copy alone does not identify the cause.
A practical option for a short scan
If your Windows 11 Snipping Tool includes Text actions, open the PDF page, capture the relevant passage, select Text actions, and choose Copy all text. Microsoft documents this text-recognition workflow. Review the copied text against the page before pasting it into DeepSeek.
For a lengthy scanned document, ask the sender for a searchable version or use an OCR tool already available to you. Preserve headings and paragraph order, and correct recognition errors before asking for analysis. OCR can misread characters and tables, so it still needs review.
File limits and working with long PDFs
For the PDF you are uploading, follow the requirements displayed by the current chat interface or its error message. Do not assume that a page allowance or file-size limit quoted for another DeepSeek product applies to your session. In particular, the Files API documentation describes a separate image-upload workflow.
File size, page count, and usable document content measure different things. A PDF that uploads successfully can still produce an incomplete answer. A model’s advertised context capacity does not guarantee that a particular file’s text, tables, and images are all available to the conversation.
If a long PDF is rejected or important sections are missing from the answers, work through the relevant material in smaller parts:
- Choose the sections needed for your question. Include nearby definitions, headings, table labels, and footnotes so the excerpt retains its meaning.
- Save clearly named parts or paste verified text. Record the original page range in your notes so you can return to the source.
- Ask and verify one section at a time. Check each result before combining the findings into a larger summary.
- Label the scope of your final notes. A summary of selected chapters should identify those chapters rather than imply coverage of the entire PDF.
If the problem is missing or unreadable text, simply repeating “read the whole PDF” does not supply that text. Re-upload a usable section or paste the passage you have checked.
Why won’t DeepSeek upload or read my PDF?
Start with the symptom you can observe. The next step depends on whether the problem occurs during file selection, upload, processing, or the answer itself.
| What happens | What to check | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Selecting the PDF produces no response | Whether the browser or local network is restricting uploads. | Try reopening the official chat. On a managed work or school network, check with its administrator before changing restrictions. |
| The file is rejected | The exact error message and whether the PDF opens normally on your device. | Follow any displayed format or size requirement. If the file is damaged, download it again or request a fresh copy. |
| The PDF requires a password | Whether you can open it and have permission to provide its contents. | Ask the owner for a suitable copy. If permitted, provide an accessible export of the relevant material. |
| Processing stalls or a service error appears | Your connection and DeepSeek’s service status. | Check the official status page and retry after the connection or incident is resolved. Avoid repeatedly uploading the same file during a known outage. |
| The answer contains little text or garbled passages | Whether text can be copied accurately from the source PDF. | Provide checked text, a cleaner export, or reviewed OCR output. |
| The answer misses an important section | Whether DeepSeek can support a question about that specific passage. | Upload the relevant section separately or paste it with its heading and context. |
| A table or equation is interpreted incorrectly | The original labels, symbols, units, and reading order. | Provide a checked transcription of the relevant rows or expression, then verify the new explanation. |
DeepSeek’s Help Center identifies local network restrictions as a possible reason nothing happens after selecting a file. For service interruptions, use the official DeepSeek status page. Neither check establishes the cause of every upload failure. If the issue also affects login or chat, use our DeepSeek troubleshooting guide.
Before uploading a private or sensitive PDF
Use a public or non-sensitive document that you have permission to upload. DeepSeek’s Privacy Policy includes uploaded files among the inputs it may collect, describes model-training and improvement uses, and says personal data is processed and stored in China. It also advises users against submitting sensitive personal data.
The Terms of Use describe an opt-out called “Improve the model for everyone.” Check your available privacy controls before uploading. Turning off model improvement should not be treated as a promise of zero retention.
You can manage or delete chat history, but the privacy policy does not promise that deleting a conversation immediately removes every retained copy. For confidential work documents, follow your organization’s rules about which services may receive them.