---
doc_version: "1.0.0"
last_updated: "2026-07-14T15:00:57.718Z"
title: "Tutorial: Add PDFs and Q&A Pairs to Your Bot"
description: "Step-by-step guide to adding PDF documents and manual Q&A entries as knowledge sources for your ChatbotIQ bot."
keywords: [PDF source, Q&A pairs, manual entries, knowledge base, multi-source bot, tutorial, ChatbotIQ]
---

Not all your knowledge lives on a website. Product manuals, policy documents, and FAQs might be in PDF files or simply in your team's heads. This tutorial shows you how to add PDFs and manual Q&A entries to your bot's knowledge base.

**Time needed:** About 10 minutes.

**What you'll learn:**
- How to upload PDF documents as a knowledge source
- How to create manual Q&A entries
- How to combine multiple source types in a single bot

---

## Add a PDF source

1. Go to **Knowledge Base** in the sidebar.
2. Click **"Add Source"**.
3. Choose **PDF**.
4. Upload one or more PDF files. You can drag and drop or use the file picker.
5. Give the source a name (e.g., "Product Manual" or "Policy Documents").
6. Click **Upload and Index**.

ChatbotIQ extracts text from each page and indexes it. Each PDF page counts as one indexed page toward your plan's limit.

> **Tip:** If your PDF is a scanned document (basically an image of text), the text extraction may be limited. PDFs with actual text content work best.

### Manage PDF pages

After uploading, you can:
- **View** the indexed pages for each PDF.
- **Delete** individual pages you don't want indexed.
- **Add more PDFs** to the same source at any time.

---

## Add Q&A entries

Q&A entries are manually created question-and-answer pairs. They're perfect for:
- Frequently asked questions that aren't on your website
- Specific answers you want the bot to give
- Filling knowledge gaps that Analytics identifies
- Company policies or information that lives in people's heads

### Create Q&A entries one by one

1. Go to **Knowledge Base** → **"Add Source"** → **Q&A**.
2. Give the source a name (e.g., "FAQs" or "Common Questions").
3. For each pair, fill in:
   - **Question:** The question a user might ask (e.g., "What are your business hours?"). You can add several question variants for the same answer.
   - **Answer:** The answer you want the bot to give (e.g., "We're open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm CET. Weekend support is available via email.").
4. Click **Add Q&A pair** to add another entry.

### Bulk import from a spreadsheet

Have a lot of Q&A pairs already in a spreadsheet? Add them as a **Spreadsheet** source instead:

1. Go to **Knowledge Base** → **"Add Source"** → **Spreadsheet**.
2. Upload your CSV or spreadsheet file.
3. Map the question and answer columns when prompted.

---

## Assign sources to your bot

Now make sure your bot knows about these new sources:

1. Go to **Bots** and click **Edit** on your bot.
2. In the **Knowledge Sources** section, make sure your new PDF and Q&A sources are selected.
3. If your bot is set to "All sources," it will automatically include them.

---

## Test it

1. Open the **Playground** for your bot.
2. Ask questions that should be answered from your PDF or Q&A content.
3. Check the **Debug panel** - you should see citations pointing to your PDF pages or Q&A entries.

> **Q&A entries have high retrieval priority** because the question directly matches what users ask. They're a great way to ensure specific questions get specific answers.

---

## Combining sources effectively

Here's a common multi-source setup:

| Source | Type | Content |
|--------|------|---------|
| Help Center | Website | General product documentation |
| Product Manual | PDF | Detailed technical specifications |
| FAQs | Q&A | Top 20 most-asked questions |
| Release Notes | PDF | What's new in each version |

When a user asks a question, the bot searches across all sources and uses the most relevant content, regardless of source type.

---

## Related

- [Source Types Reference](/reference/source-types/) - all supported source formats
- [Add a Website Source](/how-to/add-a-website-source/) - adding websites
- [Find and Fix Knowledge Gaps](/how-to/find-knowledge-gaps/) - use analytics to decide what Q&A entries to add

## Sitemap

Full documentation index: [sitemap.md](/sitemap.md) and [llms.txt](/llms.txt).