Read and cite original documents
The document viewer renders your originals inline. Deep links from chat scroll to the exact location.
Citations only help if you can follow them. The document viewer opens your original files inside the app and accepts deep links that point to a specific page, section, or cell.
Open the viewer
Two ways:
- From the documents page: click a document. The info panel opens; click "View" or click the document icon to open the viewer.
- From a citation: click any citation deep link in a chat answer. The viewer opens with the cited location already in view.
The viewer is in the right-hand pane of the app. Chats and lists stay on the left so you can move between them without losing context.
Renderers per category
The viewer chooses a renderer based on the document type:
| Document category | Renderer | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Paginated (PDF, DOCX, EPUB, PPTX) | PDF-style viewer | Pages with original layout; page-number citations scroll to the cited page |
| Flowable (HTML, Markdown, plain text, RTF) | Web-style viewer | Reflowable content with headings; section-name citations scroll into view |
| Schematic (CSV, JSON, XML, XLSX) | Spreadsheet-style viewer | Tabular data with sheet tabs; cell/row/column citations highlight the cited address |
You never need to pick a renderer: the viewer matches it to the document category.
What the viewer is for
- Verifying citations. Read the surrounding context to confirm the answer reflects what the source actually says.
- Reading the original. When you want the source, not the summary.
- Spot-checking spreadsheets. Cell-level citations land on the specific cell, useful when a number in a financial filing needs verification.
What the viewer isn't
- Not an editor. Documents are read-only after upload. The editable surface is Notes.
- Not the only way to consume answers. The chat itself shows quoted content; the viewer is for going deeper.
- Not the same as the info panel. The info panel shows metadata, processing stages, and the open-viewer link; the viewer is the full-screen reader.
What's next
- Citations and deep links: the citation format and what clicking does.
- Three ways to chat: most citations come from Focus answers.
- Capture context with notes: what to do with the answers you trust.