> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getvirtualbrain.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get your first sourced answer in 5 minutes

Create a Brain, upload documents, and get your first sourced answer.

**Time to complete:** 5 minutes

## Prerequisites

* A VirtualBrain account ([send us an email](mailto:kata@getvirtualbrain.com))
* At least one document to upload (PDF, docx, pptx, xlsx, img or audio files)

<Note>
  Not set up yet? Email [kata@getvirtualbrain.com](mailto:kata@getvirtualbrain.com). Every engagement starts with a [structured pilot](/introduction/why-virtualbrain#from-pilot-to-production) on your own documents and workflows.
</Note>

## Step 1: Create a Brain & Upload documents

A Brain is a secure knowledge repository. Think of it as a dedicated workspace for a specific engagement or topic.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/virtualbrain/eygLQzTd4kOCHgjE/images/new-brain.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=eygLQzTd4kOCHgjE&q=85&s=6e9cd07255104a9e813ede4ba3190f8d" alt="New Brain" width="2990" height="1704" data-path="images/new-brain.png" />
</Frame>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Brains">
    From the homepage, click on **Brains**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create new Brain">
    Click **New Brain** and give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Dataroom ABC")
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload files">
    Drag and drop files or click **Manual Upload** to select documents. If you prefer you can directly synchronized documents from your integrated sources by clicking on **Add Integration**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for processing">
    VirtualBrain processes your documents (this takes seconds to a few minutes depending on size and number of files)
  </Step>
</Steps>

**Supported formats:** PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Markdown, CSV, HTML, plain text files, images, audio (mp3, m4a), Outlook emails (.msg), and MP4 video, up to 250 MB per file. Each Brain holds up to 10,000 documents by default and can be sized up on demand.

## Step 2: Ask your first question

<Frame caption="The chat input bar: choose Brains, toggle the web, attach a file, and ask.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/virtualbrain/McrvZjbPgEvhM_Ut/images/chats/chat-input-blank.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=McrvZjbPgEvhM_Ut&q=85&s=02daad06e6a840c071a8356101e1158d" alt="The VirtualBrain chat input bar with the Brain selector, file picker, and Web toggle" width="1512" height="496" data-path="images/chats/chat-input-blank.png" />
</Frame>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Chats">
    Click **Chats** in the top menu
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your Brain">
    Choose the Brain you want to query from the dropdown
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask a specific question">
    Type a question about your documents
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Example queries

| Instead of...               | Try this...                                                            |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "Summarize everything"      | "What are the top 3 revenue risks mentioned in the financials?"        |
| "Tell me about the company" | "What is the company's EBITDA margin trend from 2021-2023?"            |
| "Analyze this"              | "Compare the competitive positioning across the three market segments" |

<Tip>
  Not sure how to phrase it? Click **Enhance prompt** (the magic wand) and VirtualBrain rewrites your prompt into a sharper, more specific question.
</Tip>

## Step 3: Review sourced answers

Every answer includes citations. Click any citation to:

* See the exact source passage
* Open the original document
* Verify the AI's interpretation

<Frame caption="Click a citation and the source document opens beside the answer, with the cited passage highlighted.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/virtualbrain/VZdLXSl7brhQEIEq/images/chats/chat-source-highlight.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=VZdLXSl7brhQEIEq&q=85&s=80492768560cb639608074342167bedb" alt="A source document open beside the answer with the cited passage highlighted" width="1862" height="906" data-path="images/chats/chat-source-highlight.png" />
</Frame>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Run Your First App" icon="grid-2" href="/features/apps/using-templates">
    Run automated workflows like due diligence analysis
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ask Better Questions" icon="lightbulb" href="/features/chats/asking-questions">
    Learn how to write effective queries
  </Card>

  <Card title="Organize by Engagement" icon="folder" href="/features/brains/overview">
    Best practices for Brain organization
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect Your Cloud Storage" icon="plug" href="/features/brains/connectors">
    Sync documents from OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive or Dropbox
  </Card>
</CardGroup>