Quick Start

Last updated: 2026-03-23

Five steps stand between you and your first AI-powered document question: sign up, create a case, upload a file, wait for processing, and ask the AI agent. This guide walks you through each one.

Before You Begin

All you need is a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge) and a document you'd like to review. Hintyr runs entirely in the browser, so there's nothing to install. Have a PDF, email file, or office document ready so you can follow along.

Step 1: Sign Up for Your Account

Visit the Hintyr website and click Start Today. Sign up with your email address or a single sign-on provider like Google. Once you've confirmed your email, you'll land on the dashboard -- your home base for managing cases.

If your firm already has a Hintyr organization, a teammate can invite you directly. Check your inbox for an invitation link -- clicking it creates your account and adds you to the organization automatically.

Step 2: Create a Case

From the dashboard, click New Case. Give it a title your team will recognize (for example, "Smith v. Jones - Contract Dispute"). Add a description if you'd like. Click Create Case, and Hintyr opens your workspace right away.

For more on case options, including inviting teammates during setup, see Creating your first e-discovery case.

Step 3: Upload Your Document

In your case workspace, click Upload in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Pick one or more files from your computer, or drag and drop them into the browser window. Hintyr accepts over 30 formats including PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, email files, and images. See the full list on the Supported file types for e-discovery page.

You'll see a progress indicator for each file. Once the upload finishes, the file moves into the processing queue.

Upload drop zone

Drag files here or click to browse your computer

Drop documents here

Step 4: Wait for Processing

After you upload, Hintyr processes each file automatically. It extracts text, generates previews, and indexes content so the AI agent can search it. A spinning indicator in the toolbar means files are still processing.

A single-page PDF typically finishes in seconds. Larger files, like lengthy contracts or email archives, may take a minute or two. You can browse processed files while others finish in the background.

Step 5: Ask the AI Agent

Once your file shows as processed, open the AI agent panel on the right side of the screen. Type a question in the text field at the bottom. For example:

  • "What are the key dates mentioned in this agreement?"
  • "Summarize the main obligations of each party."
  • "Does this document reference any third-party vendors?"
  • "Which clauses address indemnification?"

The agent searches all indexed documents in your case and returns an answer with citations pointing to the specific passages it used. Click any citation to jump to that passage in the document viewer. Always verify AI-generated answers against the original documents before relying on them in your legal work.

That's it. From here you can upload more documents, invite teammates, organize files with tags, and explore the rest of Hintyr.

What to Do Next

Frequently asked questions

How long does document processing take?
A single-page PDF finishes in seconds. Multi-page documents and large files like email archives may take a minute or two. You can keep working while processing runs in the background.
What file types can I upload?
Over 30 formats are supported: PDFs, Word (DOCX, DOC), Excel (XLSX, XLS, CSV), PowerPoint, images (JPG, PNG, TIFF), email (EML, PST, MSG), video, audio, and ZIP archives. See the Supported file types page for the full list.
Can I ask follow-up questions?
Yes. The agent keeps context within your conversation, so follow-ups can reference previous answers. For example, after asking about key dates you could ask "Which of those dates appear in the amendment clause?"
What if my document is still processing?
You can view and browse documents as soon as they upload. The AI agent can only answer questions about fully processed files, so wait for the processing indicator to clear before asking about new uploads.

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