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

# Elephas FAQ

> Short answers to the 20 most common Elephas questions: computers, file types, AI options, privacy, offline use, Personal Sync, Teams, the free trial and plans.

Short answers to the questions we hear most. Each one links to the full article.

## Getting started

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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?](/docs/getting-started/what-is-elephas).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/getting-started/system-requirements).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/resources/elephas-next-vs-classic).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/getting-started/moving-from-classic-elephas).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Your documents

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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](/docs/brains-and-documents/supported-file-types).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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)](/docs/brains-and-documents/scanned-pdfs-and-images-ocr).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/brains-and-documents/supported-file-types).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Asking questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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](/docs/ask/citations-and-sources).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/ask/answer-not-in-your-documents).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## AI and privacy

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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](/docs/ai-options/choose-how-elephas-answers).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/privacy-and-security/what-data-is-sent-to-ai).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/privacy-and-security/privacy-faq).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/privacy-and-security/use-elephas-offline).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/ai-options/use-your-own-api-key).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Sync and Teams

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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](/docs/sync-and-devices/personal-sync-overview).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/sync-and-devices/sync-recovery).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my team share Brains?">
    Yes. A Team workspace lets an Owner or Admin share Team Brains with members, approve devices and set the Team's AI policy. See [Teams overview](/docs/teams/teams-overview).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Plans and billing

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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](/docs/plans-and-billing/free-trial).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/plans-and-billing/plans-and-pricing).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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](/docs/plans-and-billing/when-your-plan-ends) for what keeps working, and [Cancel your subscription](/docs/plans-and-billing/cancel-subscription) to cancel.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Still need help?

See [Contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support), or email [support@elephas.app](mailto:support@elephas.app).

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick start" href="/docs/getting-started/quick-start" />

  <Card title="Privacy FAQ" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/privacy-faq" />

  <Card title="Glossary" href="/docs/resources/glossary" />

  <Card title="Contact support" href="/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support" />
</CardGroup>


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