AI Summarizer: key points, TL;DR and headlines, free
Paste text or open a .txt, .md or PDF file and get key points, a TL;DR, a teaser or a headline. In desktop Chrome 138+ Chrome's built-in AI writes it on your device; in other browsers our free cloud AI writes it (your text is sent to our AI server for that, not stored). Choose Basic summary to keep everything on your device.
Free · No sign-up▶ Watch: How to summarize text with AI (0:45)
Video transcript
- Paste your text. Paste an article, report or email thread. You can also open a .txt or .pdf file.
- Choose the type. Key points gives a bullet list. TL;DR, teaser and headline are there too.
- Pick the length. Short keeps only the main ideas. Long adds more of the details.
- Use the free cloud AI. The cloud engine works in any browser. Your text is sent to our AI server and not stored.
- Summarize. A 1,000-word essay becomes a few clear bullet points.
- Copy or download. Copy the summary, or download it as a file to keep.
How to use AI Summarizer
- 1. Paste your text, or open a .txt, .md or PDF file (you can also drop it on the text box).
- 2. Pick the type (key points, TL;DR, teaser or headline), the length and the format (Markdown or plain text). Add optional context such as who the summary is for.
- 3. Press Summarize. If Chrome's on-device model isn't downloaded yet, the button asks Chrome to download it once and shows the progress; in other browsers the free cloud AI writes it (or pick Basic summary only to stay on your device).
- 4. Read the summary (the label says which engine made it), then copy it or download it as .md or .txt. Check important details against the original.
Frequently asked questions
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
It depends on the engine, and the label on every summary says which one was used. Chrome's built-in AI (Gemini Nano) and the Basic summary run entirely in your browser, so nothing is sent anywhere. In browsers without Chrome's AI, the Auto engine sends your text to our free cloud AI to write the summary; it is not stored. Pick Basic summary only if the text must stay on your device.
Which browsers get the AI summary?
Desktop Chrome 138 or newer on Windows 10/11, macOS 13+, Linux or a Chromebook Plus, on hardware that meets Chrome's requirements (a GPU with more than 4 GB of VRAM, or 16 GB of RAM and 4 CPU cores, plus about 22 GB of free disk space). Safari, Firefox and phones get an AI summary from our free cloud AI instead.
What is the basic summary?
An extractive summary: the page ranks every sentence by how strongly it connects to the rest of the text (the TextRank method) and shows the most central sentences word for word. It never invents facts, but it doesn't rewrite or shorten sentences and it can miss context.
Why does Chrome need to download a model?
Chrome's built-in AI uses Gemini Nano, a model Chrome downloads once per device and then shares between sites. The first time, press the button to start the download and follow the progress bar. Chrome manages the model and may remove it if disk space runs low.
Can it summarize a long document or PDF?
Yes. Text that is too long for the model in one go is split into parts that fit, each part is summarized, and the part summaries are combined into the final summary. PDFs are read in your browser; scanned PDFs without selectable text need OCR first (PDF to Text does that). Very long documents take longer and lose more detail.
Which languages are supported?
Chrome's summarizer currently writes English, Spanish and Japanese. For other languages the free cloud AI writes the summary (it handles most languages, including Vietnamese); the basic summary also works with most languages that separate sentences with punctuation.