Help Center

To install Smart PDF Extension:

1. Visit the Chrome Web Store
2. Search for "Smart PDF Extension"
3. Click "Add to Chrome"
4. Confirm the installation
5. The extension will automatically replace Chrome's default PDF viewer

Once installed, all PDF files will open with enhanced features automatically.

Minimum Requirements:

• Chrome browser version 88 or newer
• 4GB RAM (8GB recommended for AI features)
• Internet connection for cloud features
• 50MB free storage for audio files

Optional for Enhanced Features:

• Google account for Drive integration
• OpenAI API key for advanced TTS
• Google AI API key for document analysis

There are several ways to access settings:

1. From PDF viewer: Click the gear icon in the PDF toolbar
2. Extension popup: Click the extension icon in Chrome toolbar
3. Chrome extensions page: Go to chrome://extensions/ and click "Details" under Smart PDF
4. Right-click menu: Right-click the extension icon and select "Options"

To set up OpenAI TTS:

1. Visit OpenAI Platform
2. Create an account or sign in
3. Go to API Keys section
4. Click "Create new secret key"
5. Copy the API key
6. In Smart PDF settings, paste the key in "OpenAI API Key" field
7. Select your preferred voice and settings

Cost: OpenAI TTS costs approximately $15 per 1 million characters (~100 hours of audio).

AI Podcast Generation creates conversational audio content from your PDF documents:

• Two AI Hosts: Creates a dialogue between two AI personalities
• Natural Conversation: Discusses key points from your document
• Customizable Length: Choose between short summaries or detailed discussions
• Multiple Voices: Different voice options for variety

Perfect for learning, reviewing documents while commuting, or accessibility.

The AI Chat feature uses Google's Gemini AI to analyze your PDF and answer questions:

1. Open any PDF document
2. Click the "AI Chat" button in the toolbar
3. Ask questions about the document content
4. Get intelligent responses based on the PDF text

Example questions:

• "Summarize the main points"
• "What does section 3 discuss?"
• "Find information about [topic]"

If PDFs aren't opening with the extension:

1. Check extension status: Ensure it's enabled in chrome://extensions/
2. Refresh the page: Reload any open PDF tabs
3. Clear browser cache: Clear Chrome's cache and cookies
4. Disable conflicting extensions: Temporarily disable other PDF extensions
5. Reset Chrome PDF settings: Go to chrome://settings/content/pdfDocuments
6. Reinstall extension: Remove and reinstall if issues persist

To improve performance:

• Close unused tabs: Reduce memory usage
• Clear local storage: Remove old cached files
• Update Chrome: Ensure you're running the latest version
• Disable heavy features: Turn off AI features if not needed
• Check system resources: Ensure adequate RAM is available
• Restart browser: Close and reopen Chrome

Common errors and solutions:

• "API Key Invalid": Check your OpenAI/Google AI API key
• "Network Error": Check internet connection
• "Storage Full": Clear local audio files
• "Google Drive Auth Failed": Re-authenticate Google account
• "PDF Load Failed": Try refreshing or use a different PDF
• "Feature Not Available": Check if required API keys are configured

OpenAI API Costs (as of 2025):

• TTS (Text-to-Speech): $15.00 per 1M characters
• GPT-4 (Chat): $30.00 per 1M tokens input, $60.00 per 1M tokens output

Google AI (Gemini) Costs:

• Gemini 1.5 Flash: Free tier available, then $0.075 per 1M tokens
• Generous free quotas: 15 requests per minute, 1 million tokens per day

Cost Estimates:

• Converting a 50-page document to audio: ~$0.50-1.00
• AI podcast generation: ~$1.00-3.00 per hour
• Chat queries: Usually free with Gemini's generous limits

To set up Google AI API:

1. Visit Google AI Studio
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Click "Get API Key" in the top menu
4. Create a new API key
5. Copy the API key
6. In Smart PDF settings, paste it in "Google AI API Key" field

Benefits: Free tier includes generous quotas for most users.

To connect Google Drive:

1. Open Smart PDF Extension settings
2. Click "Connect Google Drive"
3. Sign in to your Google account
4. Grant necessary permissions
5. Choose your storage preferences

What gets stored:

• Generated audio files
• PDF annotations and bookmarks
• Extension settings (optional)

If you're having authentication issues:

1. Clear browser data: Clear cookies and site data
2. Disable pop-up blockers: Allow pop-ups for the extension
3. Check Google account: Ensure you're signed into the correct account
4. Revoke and reconnect: Go to Google Account settings → Security → Third-party apps
5. Try incognito mode: Test authentication in private browsing

If audio files won't play:

1. Check browser audio: Ensure Chrome can play audio
2. Disable autoplay blocking: Allow audio autoplay for the extension
3. Check file format: Ensure audio file isn't corrupted
4. Clear audio cache: Delete and regenerate audio files
5. Try different browser: Test in another Chrome profile

To manage audio storage:

• View storage usage: Check settings → Storage tab
• Delete old files: Remove audio files you no longer need
• Auto-cleanup: Enable automatic deletion of old files
• Google Drive storage: Move files to cloud to free local space
• Quality settings: Lower audio quality to save space