Getting started
What is Elephas?
What is Elephas?
Elephas is a knowledge workspace for Mac and Windows. You add your PDFs, Word files, spreadsheets, notes and web pages to Brains, ask questions, and every answer cites the exact passage it came from. See What is Elephas?.
Which computers does Elephas run on?
Which computers does Elephas run on?
Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and 64-bit (x64) PCs with Windows 10 version 22H2 or Windows 11. Intel Macs and Windows on ARM are not supported. See System requirements.
Is there an iPhone or iPad app?
Is there an iPhone or iPad app?
No. Elephas runs on Mac and Windows only. The iOS app belongs to classic Elephas, a different product. See Elephas Next vs classic Elephas.
I use classic Elephas. Does my license or Super Brain carry over?
I use classic Elephas. Does my license or Super Brain carry over?
No. Elephas is a new app with its own account and plans, and your classic license and Super Brains do not carry over. Add your original files to new Brains instead. See Moving from classic Elephas.
Your documents
Which file types can I add?
Which file types can I add?
PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Markdown and plain text, CSV, RTF, HTML, EPUB, images, and web pages. See Supported file types.
Can Elephas read scanned PDFs and images?
Can Elephas read scanned PDFs and images?
Yes. Elephas recognises the text in scanned pages and images on your computer, so you can ask about them like any other document. See Scanned PDFs and images (OCR).
Is there a file size limit?
Is there a file size limit?
Yes. Today a single file can be up to 200 MB, and an image up to 50 MB. See Supported file types.
Asking questions
How is Elephas different from ChatGPT?
How is Elephas different from ChatGPT?
Elephas answers from your documents, not the internet. Ask only searches the Brains you select, never browses the web, and every answer cites the passage it used, so you can check it. See Citations and sources.
What happens if the answer isn't in my documents?
What happens if the answer isn't in my documents?
Elephas tells you your documents don’t support an answer, instead of guessing. See When the answer isn’t in your documents.
AI and privacy
Which AI writes the answers?
Which AI writes the answers?
You choose in Settings › AI: Elephas AI (included with your plan), your own API key with a provider you already pay, or Local AI on your computer. Every answer shows which one answered. See Choose how Elephas answers.
Are my documents uploaded to Elephas?
Are my documents uploaded to Elephas?
No. Indexing happens on your computer. Always. With cloud AI, only your question, a few recent messages and the passages needed to answer are sent, never your whole library. See What data is sent to AI.
Does Elephas train AI on my documents?
Does Elephas train AI on my documents?
Elephas does not train models on your documents or questions. With cloud AI, the provider’s terms decide retention and training. See the Privacy FAQ.
Can I use Elephas without sending anything to the cloud?
Can I use Elephas without sending anything to the cloud?
Yes. Choose Local AI and leave Personal Sync off, and your documents and questions stay on your computer. Elephas still checks your plan online about once an hour, sending only a device ID. See Use Elephas offline.
Can I use my own OpenAI or Claude API key?
Can I use my own OpenAI or Claude API key?
Yes, in your Personal workspace, with an active trial or paid plan. Requests go straight from your computer to your provider; own keys are not used in Team workspaces. See Use your own API key.
Sync and Teams
Can I use Elephas on more than one computer?
Can I use Elephas on more than one computer?
Yes, with Personal Sync on the Professional plan, which keeps your Brains, documents and chats in step across up to 3 computers, end-to-end encrypted. Sync is off until you turn it on. See Personal Sync overview.
What if I lose my only synced computer?
What if I lose my only synced computer?
Synced data cannot be recovered without one of your approved devices, by anyone, including Elephas. Keep Sync on at least two computers and keep your own copies of your original files. See Sync recovery.
Plans and billing
Is there a free trial?
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Elephas starts with a 7-day free trial, no card needed, and nothing is charged when it ends. See Free trial.
Which plan do I need?
Which plan do I need?
Personal works on 1 device. Professional works on up to 3 devices, includes Personal Sync and more AI usage each month. Team is priced per seat. For Enterprise, talk to us. See Plans and pricing.
What happens to my documents if my plan ends?
What happens to my documents if my plan ends?
Your Brains, documents and chats stay on your computer, and nothing is deleted. See When your plan ends for what keeps working, and Cancel your subscription to cancel.