Installation & setup

Download the desktop app, install it on your machine, activate your trial, and add documents to your local vault — all without sending files off your hardware.

Welcome to Your Local PrivateDocs AI

PrivateDocs AI is a 100% local desktop application. Your documents and questions stay on your machine. Follow these steps to install the app, start your trial, and begin working with your files.

1

Download the App

Visit the Download page and choose the installer for your platform (macOS or Windows). Save the .dmg, .exe, file to your computer.

2

Install on Your Machine

On macOS, open the .dmg and drag PrivateDocs AI into Applications. On Windows, run the installer and follow the prompts.

3

Create an Account & Activate Trial

Launch the app and create your PrivateDocs AI account with your email address. On first sign-in, a 7-day free trial starts and is remembered on this computer. You may need a brief internet connection so the app can confirm your trial or license — your document files are not uploaded for that step. On first startup, required AI models and dependencies will be downloaded and installed.

4

Add Documents to Your Vault

Drag and drop supported files into the app to add them to your local vault: PDF (.pdf), plain text (.txt), Word (.docx), Markdown (.md), CSV (.csv), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), and Apple Pages, Numbers & Keynote (.pages, .numbers, .key; macOS only). After the app finishes preparing them, you can ask questions about them — with everything happening on your device. For size limits, OCR notes, and advanced PDF parsing, see File types & limitations. Later, you can organize files into workspaces and copy them between workspaces without re-uploading.