# Upload a paper before you sign up

> Drop a paper on the Alfred Scholar home page, create your account, and it is waiting in your library with questions to start from.

Source: https://www.alfredscholar.com/changelog/upload-a-paper-before-signing-up/
Published: 2026-10-26

The quickest way to see what Alfred Scholar does is to try it on a paper you actually care about. You can now start there, before you have an account.

## How it works

- Drop a PDF on the home page, or tap **Upload a paper**. Papers up to 50 MB are welcome.
- Create your account. Your paper moves into your library and Alfred starts reading it straight away.
- Alfred opens on your paper with a few questions written from it, so your first question is one tap away. Every answer shows the page it came from.
- If you step away while Alfred reads, we let you know when it is ready, in the app and once by email.

## Your paper stays yours

A paper you upload before signing up is stored privately and is not read or processed until you create your account. If you do not sign up within 48 hours, it is deleted. Like everything you upload, it is never used to train AI.

No paper to hand? You can still start your 7 days of Pro, free, and explore with a sample paper from your field.