# Quickstart

Folio is a PDF reader with chatgpt.com in a side panel. You need **macOS 26 or later** and a ChatGPT account. What you can attach and send depends on your ChatGPT plan.

## Install Folio

Download `Folio-<version>.dmg` from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/alexmodrono/folio/releases/latest), open it, and drag **Folio** into **Applications**. Releases are signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple.

To build it yourself, follow [Build from source](/building/).

## Add some PDFs

Folio opens to your library, a folder at `~/Documents/Folio`. Drop PDFs onto the window, or choose **File › Import PDFs…** (⇧⌘I). Imported files are copied into the library; the originals stay where they were.

To read a PDF without importing it, use **File › Open…** (⌘O).

## Open the chat panel

Open a PDF and choose **View › Show Chat** (⇧⌘L), or click the panel button at the right of the toolbar. The first time, Folio offers to reuse the ChatGPT sign-in from a browser you already use, or you can sign in on chatgpt.com directly. See [Sign in to ChatGPT](/sign-in/).

## Ask your first question

Select a sentence or paragraph and press ⌘L, or right-click it and choose **Ask ChatGPT**. The passage appears as a chip above the message box. Type your question and press Return.

New chats offer to attach the open PDF with an **Attach** button, so ChatGPT can read the rest of the document. Nothing is uploaded until you choose to. See [Chats and attachments](/chats/).

## Come back later

The page now has a question bubble in its margin. Click it and choose **Show in Chat** to return to that conversation. See [Question bubbles](/questions/).