How can I upload a PDF?

Kristin · 2025-07-30T17:35:14+00:00

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I have a PDF that I would like to import, but I am kind of unclear how to do that. I watched a random video and he seemed to be saying that PDFs need to be changed to docx files first and then just uploaded as a PB? Is this correct?

Is there a more practical way to do this?

Thanks.

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DMB

Nope. Pages is it.

Kristin

Hi @DMB, ok, interesting. The video I watched showed him converting a PDF to a docx file using Word. However, not only do I not have Word, but even in his video the conversion process made some mistakes, which would make it impossible to trust. The PDF I was trying to upload is also half English and half Greek, so I am sure it would produce even more errors than his English text. Thank you for clarifying this though.

Rick

I don't know if this will help with what you are trying to accomplish, or not, but you can create a link to your PDF's in your "Favorites" tool.

In the picture below, I simply created a new Folder titled "PDF's" and then made sub-folders in order to categorize them. Once you have your folder(s) created, you can drag and drop your PDF's into the correct file. This will create a link to the PDF.

Some caveats are (1) the PDF opens in your PDF reader and NOT in Logos. (2) If you ever move the PDF to a different place on your computer, or delete it, the link will be broken and will not work.

You can also edit the name of the link that Logos displays. Simply right click on the PDF title and click "Rename". This will rename the link but not the actual PDF that is stored elsewhere on your computer.

Jason Stone (Logos)

@Rick, this is very interesting! I hadn't seen this done before.

Rick

Hi @Jason Stone (Logos). It’s an old trick that I learned many years ago. Probably on the forums (I really can't remember). 😊

Kristin

Thank you, @Rick! I created a folder and just dropped it in, and was super surprised to see them there. :) Regarding creating links, could you clarify this further? Ideally, I would like to create a link which opens to a specific part of the PDF, like an anchor. Is that possible? And if not, and it will just open at the beginning, how do I link that in a note?

Rick

Hi Kristin. The link I was speaking of is simply a link between the Logos Favorites folder and the PDF stored on your computer. Unfortunately, the other things you mention about opening to a certain point or adding to a note don't seem to be possible. Logos is very limited when it comes to PDF's. I think opening them from your Favorites folders is about all you can do with them. To do other things, you would have to go through the .docx process of building a personal book.

I'm sorry that I couldn't help any more but it is a limitation of the software.

ds. P.J. Kotze

@Kristin, if possible, please send me a copy of the PDF. I’ll look into practical solutions for converting it into a DOCX file.

Kristin

Hi @Rick, thank you for clarifying that, and it is ok. I will just reference in the note to check the favorites and note the page number.

Hi @ds. P.J. Kotze, thank you very much for the offer, but I think I will just leave it as a PDF. That video I watched where Word changed some words through converting it made me pretty uneasy. It is the Orations of Athanasius Against the Arians. For some reason Logos only has it in English, and for certain sentences the Greek actually matters. That all said, going through this process of trying to import a Greek version actually reminded me that I have Athanasius in Greek in Accordance.

I had actually forgotten this for two reasons. First, while Accordance does make it easier to work with the biblical text, Logos is drastically easier when it comes to extrabiblical texts. There isn't any cross highlighting of my Greek to English of Athansius in Accordance, for example, and since English "versions" are normally paraphrases of the Fathers, it is kind of tricky to find things. Second, several years ago I had done months of research in the Church Fathers and then the Accordance notes corrupted, which was extremely stressful. So after that I decided to just do Church Father work in Logos.

Given that there isn't a Greek Logos version though, I will just consult Accordance for those times it really matters what the Greek says for Athansius. I truly appreciate your offer though, thank you.

Jan Krohn

Probably the most practical way to do that is uploading the PDF to ChatGPT and to tell it to make a DOCX from it ready to import into Logos as a personal book.

Kristin

Hi @Jan Krohn, Thanks for the idea. Given that I don't trust AI, I think I will just stick with it in Accordance. It is tagged in Accordance, so I can search for the lemma, lex, etc, which is helpful. I appreciate the idea though.

Btw, regarding PBs, I uploaded a PB and the name is unclear. I went to my PBs and pressed "edit" and changed the name, but then when I go to my library the old name is still there. Could you or someone clarify how to update the title of a PB?

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1375618#Comment_1375618

You have to change the name in the Personal Book tool and recompile IIRC

Kristin

Ok, thanks for clarifying. I thought "build book" was for uploading and had been looking for a save function.

Michelle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1375582#Comment_1375582

Thank you Rick! When I played around, it could even be dragged into the toolbar like a shortcut 🤩

Bernhard

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1375612#Comment_1375612

Have you done that successfully? I have tried with one commentary and the comments Chatgpt made sounded promising, but then the resulting file was almost empty. Might be because I am on the free version?

Jan Krohn

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1375637#Comment_1375637

No, it was just an idea. I've done file conversions for other purposes though.

Jan Krohn

I've done some initial testing now, and it looks like Gemini does a much better job that ChatGPT or Copilot. I switched it to the "logic, math & code" mode though.

Bernhard

Maybe start a new thread and share prompts that lead to good results (depends obviously a lot on the structure etc. of the initial PDF). Thanks!

Frank Sauer

Kristin,

You can try using Calibre to convert your pdf file to docx - pdf conversion can be problematic/hit or miss but Calibre is free and worth a try if you'd really like to get the book into your Logos Library.

Kristin

Hi @Frank Sauer, Thank you for letting me know about Calibre. I have never heard of that before. Btw, I think I have organized it enough for my work to be functional. I wound up copying it by hand and putting it in Pages, and then converting it to a docx from there. I was then able to anchor it and do certain things I needed. To my surprise, it worked better than I thought and I could even search the inflected of a word without an issue, which I really appreciated.

Then while I worked and did my notes I also had Accordance open so If I wanted to search for the Accordance lex (Logos lemma), or see all inflected forms, etc, Accordance worked beautifully. I then wound up doing highlighting on both words in Logos and Accordance to try to organize it. Part of what I don't like about working with the Fathers is that I find that English versions are too much of a paraphrase. I think for most people it is accurate enough to not matter, but for certain specific types of searches it is pretty impractical to not have the Greek. So I am very grateful that Accordance has a tagged Greek version and I was able to figure out how to read the Greek along with the English while I made my notes.

DMB

Kristin, what's the greek Fathers resource? I searched Accordance. Patroligia (sp) needs producing, in Logos.

Kristin

Hi @DMB, you are asking for the tagged Greek I am using in Accordance? Just to be clear, I am working with the Greek of Athanasius specifically. Is it ok for me to post a link to their product page? I am kind of nervous to do that, but if you go to the Accordance store and in the search type ATHAN-T it will show up. It is a combo pack of the tagged Greek and English.

I also have some other Father stuff, like Gregory of Nyssa is GREGNYS-T for example, but I don't have Greek of the stuff in Schaff’s, if that is what you were wondering.

DMB

Yep … they're touchy about 'Christian' competitors. Amazon, no problem. Basic principle is, if Logos sells it, no advertising a competitor. And no P

Thank you for the tags. I was hoping (sigh) for a bigger grouping per price. Fathers really needs more support, especially OL.