Uploading Sources to Memo

A practical guide for Memo v8 and beyond.

Written By Jason From Memo

Last updated 17 days ago

Memo lets you attach source material to any deck so your flashcards and study outputs are based on your own content. You can add PDFs, YouTube videos, website links, and pasted text in one place.

We are working hard to support more modalities or file types - feel free to leave feedback to our feedback board for more file type supports!

Before you start

  • Open your deck and go to the Sources panel.

  • Click Add source.

  • Add one or more sources, then wait until each one shows Ready.

Add a PDF source

Use this when you want to upload lecture slides, notes, or handouts as a file.

  1. In Add source, upload a PDF by dragging it in or choosing a file.

  2. If needed, click Split pages to keep only specific pages.

  3. Click Apply page split, then click Add source.

Important details

  • If you select all pages, Memo keeps the original PDF.

  • If you select only some pages, Memo uploads only those selected pages.

Add a YouTube source

Use this for video-based studying.

  1. Choose YouTube in Add source.

  2. Paste a valid YouTube URL.

  3. Click Add YouTube source. Videos with captions/subtitles generally give better results.

Add a website source

Use this to pull content from an article or webpage.

  1. Choose Website in Add source.

  2. Paste the full URL, including http:// or https://.

  3. Click Add website source.

Add a text source

Use this when you want to paste notes directly.

  1. Choose Paste text in Add source.

  2. Optionally enter a source name.

  3. Paste your content and click Add text source. Text sources support up to 100,000 characters.

What source statuses mean

  • Uploading means your file is being sent.

  • Queued means the job is waiting to start.

  • Processing means Memo is analyzing and indexing the source.

  • Ready means the source is available for generation.

  • Error means processing failed and should be retried.

Select, sort, and manage sources

  • You can choose which ready sources are used by selecting their checkboxes.

  • Select All includes all completed sources.

  • You can sort by Default, By Name, or By Type.

  • In the ⋯ menu, you can rename or delete a source.

Deletion rules

  • The primary PDF source cannot be deleted.

  • Sources still processing cannot be deleted yet.

Troubleshooting

  • If a file is rejected, make sure it is a PDF and within plan size limits.

  • If a URL is rejected, check that it is valid and includes the correct protocol.

  • If a source will not open, wait until its status is Ready.

  • If Apply page split is disabled, select at least one page first.

FAQ

  • Can I upload only part of a PDF?
    Yes. Use Split pages before adding the source.

  • Does Split pages create multiple sources?
    No. It creates one source containing only the selected pages.

  • Can I choose which sources AI uses?
    Yes. Select the sources you want before generating content.

  • Why can’t I delete a source?
    It is either still processing, or it is a protected primary PDF source.