DocuFAQ
Questions, answered
Quick answers about how DocuLocate searches a document, what it supports, and what to expect from the results.
What is semantic document search?
Semantic document search finds passages based on their meaning. Describe what you want to find, and DocuLocate looks for related information inside the document you upload.
How is DocuLocate different from Ctrl+F?
Ctrl+F searches for exact text. DocuLocate can find a passage that expresses the same idea using different words. A search for “cancel early” might locate wording about “discontinuing services prior to expiration.”
Does my search need to use the same words as the document?
No. Use natural language to describe the information you need. Specific questions and clear concepts can help you find more relevant passages.
What document formats are supported?
The app’s file picker accepts PDF, Word (.docx), plain text (.txt), Excel (.xlsx and .xls), and CSV. Search one file at a time; a workbook can contain multiple sheets.
Does DocuLocate generate answers or find source text?
Source passages are the core results. With an AI provider configured, DocuLocate can also show a short generated answer linked to the top supporting passage. You can inspect that passage in the document viewer. Without a provider key, search still works.
Can I search PDFs?
Yes. Search a PDF with extractable text, then select a result to jump to and highlight its location in the built-in page viewer. Image-only scans need OCR first; DocuLocate does not perform OCR.
Is DocuLocate a “chat with PDF” tool?
DocuLocate is primarily designed to locate relevant information within a document. You search, review passages, and inspect the source. An optional generated answer can help summarize a match, but there is no general-purpose chat conversation.
What do Hybrid, Semantic, and Lexical mean?
Hybrid, the default, combines meaning and keyword matches. Semantic focuses on meaning. Lexical focuses on words, with an optional Match case control.
Are recent documents saved?
The active document is held in server memory. Separately, browser history lists up to five recent uploads and attempts to cache file contents for files up to 3 MiB, subject to browser storage limits. Larger files may be listed but require uploading again. Reset does not clear this history; use Clear history.
What if there is no good match?
The app can report that no strong match was found and show lower-confidence matches separately. Try rephrasing the query or changing search mode, then review the source yourself.