How to summarise a long PDF with AI

Turn a long report, contract or paper into a short summary you can trust, with a prompt that makes AI cite the page.

Easy About 2 minutes Free option Works on phone Updated 27 Oct 2026

Fixi's verdict: Fixable

Summaries are fast and useful. Always check key numbers and quotes against the PDF.

The problem

Reports, contracts and research papers run to dozens of pages. You often need the key points, not every word. AI assistants read the whole file and pull out what matters, if you ask the right way.

Best AI tools for this

Ranked by how well they fix this problem. Free options first when results are close.

1 tool

Claude Top pick

Free plan. Upload the PDF and ask for a summary in plain words.

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Free plan Pricing source
Open

Fix it in 4 steps

1 Open an AI assistantSign in to Claude on the web, desktop or phone app.
2 Upload the PDFAttach the file to a new chat.
3 Paste the promptUse the prompt below so the summary points to the page for each claim.
4 Check what mattersOpen the PDF at the pages it cites and confirm any number or decision you'll act on.

Prefer a chatbot? Copy this prompt

Paste into the AI assistant you use

Summarise the attached PDF in plain English for someone with five minutes. Give: 1) the main point in two sentences, 2) the five most important facts with the page number for each, 3) anything that needs a decision or action. If something is unclear in the document, say so instead of guessing.

Asking for page numbers makes it easy to check the summary.

What AI can't fix here

AI can miss or misread numbers in tables and scanned pages.
Don't rely on a summary alone for legal, medical or money decisions.
Check your company's rules before uploading confidential documents.

Questions

Can I summarise a PDF for free?

Yes. Claude has a free plan that can read files you upload. The free plan has usage limits.