> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.selah.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Import study notes and files into Selah from other tools

> Bring your existing study files into Selah. Markdown, Word docs, PDFs, plain text, and CSV files import as notes, with concepts extracted automatically.

If you have years of study notes, sermon manuscripts, or devotional writing sitting in other tools or on your hard drive, Import lets you bring them into Selah in one step. Each file becomes a note, and Selah automatically reads through your content to extract theological concepts and add them to your [Knowledge Graph](/features/knowledge-graph).

## Supported file types

| Format         | Extension | Notes                                         |
| -------------- | --------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Markdown       | `.md`     | Headings, paragraphs, and lists are preserved |
| Plain text     | `.txt`    | Imported as a single note per file            |
| Microsoft Word | `.docx`   | Converted to Markdown automatically           |
| PDF            | `.pdf`    | Text is extracted from the document           |
| CSV            | `.csv`    | Each row becomes a separate note              |

<Note>
  Each file must be under **5 MB**. Files larger than this are skipped with a message explaining why.
</Note>

## How to import

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Import page">
    Navigate to **Knowledge** in the sidebar, then click **Import** in the top-right. Or go directly to `/import`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add your files">
    Drag files from your computer onto the upload area, or click the area to open a file picker. You can select multiple files at once.

    Unsupported file types are silently ignored when you drop a mixed selection — only `.md`, `.txt`, `.docx`, `.pdf`, and `.csv` files are added to the queue.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the file list">
    Selected files appear in a list with their name and size. Remove any file by clicking the **×** next to it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the import">
    Click **Import \[n] files as notes**. Selah processes each file and creates notes in your library.
  </Step>

  <Step title="See the results">
    When the import finishes, a summary shows how many notes were created and how many files were skipped. From there you can go to **View Knowledge** to see the concepts extracted from your import, or click **Import more** to add another batch.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What happens after import

Each imported file becomes one note in your notes library (CSV files are the exception — each row becomes its own note). After the notes are created, Selah runs concept extraction in the background:

* Theological concepts, people, places, doctrines, and themes are identified in your content
* New concepts are added to your Knowledge Graph
* Concepts link to the imported notes, so you can navigate from a concept back to its source

<Note>
  Concepts usually appear within a few seconds of import. If you don't see them right away on the Knowledge page, click **Sync** to trigger extraction manually.
</Note>

## Limits

* **50 items per import.** If a single import would create more than 50 notes (for example, a large CSV), Selah stops at 50 and shows a message. Re-import the remaining files separately.
* **5 MB per file.** Files over this size are skipped.

## Tips for best results

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Use headings in Markdown files to create cleaner notes">
    If your `.md` file has `#` headings, Selah uses them to structure the note. A well-structured file becomes a well-structured note.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Break large documents into smaller files before importing">
    A single 40-page sermon manuscript will import as one very long note. If you'd rather have separate notes per sermon, split the file before importing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="CSV format for lists of thoughts or observations">
    If you have a spreadsheet of study notes or quotes, export it as CSV. Each row becomes its own note, which makes them easier to browse individually.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="PDF quality depends on the source document">
    Selah extracts the raw text from PDFs. Scanned PDFs (images of pages) won't produce readable text. PDFs with actual text content — like exported Word documents or downloaded articles — work well.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Tip>
  After a large import, give the Knowledge page a few seconds to populate, then use **Sync** if concepts haven't appeared yet. Concept extraction runs after the import response is sent, so there's a brief delay.
</Tip>

## Related

* [Knowledge Graph](/features/knowledge-graph) — see the concepts extracted from your imported content
* [Notes](/features/notes) — view and edit the notes created by your import
* [Search](/features/search) — find content across everything you've imported