Import documents

Supported formats

You can import the file types listed below. Each file must be 100 MB or less. If you import a folder, every file inside it still needs to match one of the supported formats.

What you can import

• PDF documents (.pdf)
• Word documents (.docx)
• PowerPoint presentations (.pptx)
• Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx)
• Email messages (.eml, .msg)
• Text files (.txt)
• CSV files (.csv)
• XML files (.xml)
• HTML files (.html)

Learn more

See what gets detected on import

Bulk import

Bulk import lets you bring many files at once, or even an entire folder, without losing your organization. You can keep the folder structure from your computer or choose one destination folder in your workspace.

Start a bulk import

1. Open your workspace documents and select the import action.
2. Drag and drop files or folders, or pick them from your computer.
3. Choose whether to keep the folder structure or import everything into a single folder.
4. Click Import to start.

What happens after you click Import

Your files go through a short series of checks before processing starts:

• Preparation: email files are unpacked so their attachments can be imported with the original message.
• Format and size checks: unsupported formats or files over 100 MB are set aside.
• Duplicate checks: files already in your workspace, or repeated in the same import, are skipped.
• Review step: you can confirm which files should go through.
• Upload and analysis: selected files are uploaded and sent for background processing.

Review and confirm

Before the import continues, you get a review list:

• Keep or remove files with checkboxes.
• Email attachments appear under their parent email so you can validate them together.
• Rejected files show a short reason (unsupported, too large, or already present).

When you validate, the import continues in the background.

Next: track progress

Track import progress

Progress tracking

Progress tracking helps you see where each document is in the import journey. You can keep working while the background workflow moves each file forward and updates its status.

Where to check progress

1. Open your workspace.
2. Go to the Import progress page.
3. Review the list of files and their latest status.

Each line shows the file name, its format, and the last time it changed.

Status labels you will see

• Preparing: your files are being prepared on your device (attachments expanded, metadata and checks).
• Queued: files are uploaded and waiting for the background workflow to start.
• Processing: the workflow is running the main steps in the background.
• Completed: the file is ready and appears in your documents.
• Failed: the workflow stopped for this file and needs your attention.

Actions you can take

• Refresh to pull the latest status updates.
• Retry all to relaunch every failed file at once.
• Cancel all to stop anything still in progress.
• Cancel all queued or Cancel all failed to focus on a specific group.
• Retry or Remove on a single file when only one needs action.

How progress updates work

Contradic uses a background automation service (Kestra) to run the import workflow. It updates the status as each step completes, like extracting the text, building the analysis, and finalizing the document. If a step fails, the file is marked as Failed so you can retry it.

Need help?

Resolve import issues

Common issues

If an import looks stuck or fails, the Import progress page gives you the right actions to move forward without losing work.

When progress looks stuck

If a file sits on Queued or Processing longer than expected:

1. Click Refresh to pull the latest status.
2. If nothing changes, use Retry on the file or Retry all for every failed item.
3. If you want to stop what is running, choose Cancel all or Cancel all queued.

Clean up failed items

• Use Remove on a single failed file to clear it from the list.
• Use Cancel all failed if you want to reset everything that failed and start fresh.

Try again safely

You can reimport the same file at any time. Contradic checks for duplicates and skips anything that already exists, so retrying will not create extra copies.

Check file basics

If a file keeps failing, confirm it matches the supported formats and stays under 100 MB before you retry.