Why the first question is slow

The first question after you open the app can feel slow while the assistant loads — later questions are usually much quicker.

Understanding startup time

Why does the first question take longer?

On first launch — or after a long idle period — the assistant and your saved library need to load into memory. This can take 15–30 seconds depending on your CPU, graphics chip, and disk speed.

Think of it like unlocking a heavy bank vault door. It takes a moment to open, but once it's unlocked, everything inside is immediately accessible and subsequent questions feel instant.

Tips to Reduce Startup Time

Keep the app open while you work

As long as PrivateDocs AI stays open, the model and index remain warm in memory, so new questions respond much faster.

Use recommended hardware

An Apple Silicon Mac or a machine with a dedicated graphics card will usually shorten both startup time and answer time compared to older laptops with only basic processors.

Close other heavy workloads

If your machine is also running other GPU‑ or CPU‑intensive tasks, model startup may take longer. Closing unused apps can help.