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Quick Start Guide (For Complete Beginners)

Welcome! This guide will walk you through using Recall from the very beginning. No technical knowledge required — we'll explain everything step by step.

What is Recall?

Recall is an app for your Mac that helps legal professionals:

  • Store and search through legal documents (like cases, briefs, and motions)
  • Find relevant information quickly using AI-powered search
  • Write legal documents with AI assistance
  • Create proper citations and Tables of Authorities

The most important thing to know: All your documents stay on YOUR computer. Nothing is sent to the internet. This keeps your confidential client information completely private.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

  • A Mac computer (Recall only works on macOS)
  • Recall installed on your Mac
  • Microsoft Word installed (optional, but recommended for full features)
  • Some PDF documents to work with (cases, briefs, or any legal documents)

Your First 10 Minutes with Recall

Step 1: Open Recall

  1. Find Recall in your Applications folder
  2. Double-click the Recall icon to open it
  3. If this is your first time, you'll see a Setup Wizard — we'll walk through that next

What is the Applications folder?

Click on the Finder icon in your Dock (the smiling face), then click Applications in the left sidebar. You'll see all your installed apps here.

Step 2: Complete the Setup Wizard

When you first open Recall, a setup wizard appears. Here's what each step means:

Setup Step 1: Word Integration

This step connects Recall to Microsoft Word so you can insert research directly into your Word documents.

Choose "Recommended (Apple Events)" — this is the simpler option that works for most people.

  1. Click Recommended (Apple Events)
  2. A popup may appear asking if Recall can control Microsoft Word
  3. Click OK or Allow to grant permission
  4. Click Next to continue

What if I don't have Microsoft Word?

That's fine! You can skip this step. Recall still works without Word — you just won't be able to insert text directly into Word documents.

Setup Step 2: Model Downloads

"Models" are the AI brains that power Recall's smart features. Good news: the most important ones are already included — you don't need to download anything!

  1. You'll see a list of available models
  2. The ones marked "Bundled" are already on your computer
  3. Click Next to continue (you can download optional models later if you want)

What are AI models?

Think of AI models like different experts. One expert is good at finding similar concepts in documents (semantic search). Another is good at writing and editing text (generation). Recall uses several of these "experts" to help you work.

Setup Step 3: Getting Started

This shows you a quick overview of Recall's features. Read through it and click Finish when you're done.

Step 3: Create Your First Matter

A "Matter" is like a folder for a case or project. All the documents, research, and notes for one case go into one Matter.

To create a Matter:

  1. Look at the left sidebar (the panel on the left side of the screen)
  2. Click "Add New Matter" at the bottom
  3. Type a name for your case (example: "Smith v. Jones" or "Contract Dispute 2024")
  4. Press Enter on your keyboard

You now have a Matter! It's currently empty — let's add some documents.

Step 4: Add Documents to Your Matter

Now let's add some PDF documents (like court opinions, briefs, or contracts) to your Matter.

Method A: Drag and Drop (Easiest)

  1. Open a Finder window with your PDF files
  2. Click and hold on a PDF file
  3. Drag it into the Recall window
  4. Release the mouse button

Method B: Use the Menu

  1. Click File in the menu bar at the top of your screen
  2. Click Import Document
  3. Navigate to your PDF file
  4. Select it and click Open

What happens next?

Recall will process your document. You'll see a status indicator that says "Indexing" — this means Recall is reading your document and making it searchable. This usually takes a few seconds to a minute depending on the document's length.

Step 5: Search Your Documents

Now for the magic! Let's search through your documents.

  1. Find the toggle switch in the top toolbar that says "Write" and "Research"
  2. Click to switch to Research mode
  3. You'll see a search bar at the top
  4. Type what you're looking for and press Enter

Two types of search:

Search Type What It Does Best For
Keyword Finds exact words you type Finding specific phrases, case names, or citations
Semantic Finds content with similar meaning Finding cases about a concept, even if they use different words

Example searches:

  • Keyword: "breach of contract" (finds that exact phrase)
  • Semantic: When can a contract be voided for fraud? (finds relevant passages even if they don't use those exact words)

Toggle between search modes

Use the switch next to the search bar to flip between Keyword and Semantic search. Try both to see which gives you better results!

Step 6: Save Important Findings (Pinning)

When you find something useful, you'll want to save it. That's what Pins are for.

To pin a search result:

  1. Hover your mouse over a search result
  2. Click the pin icon (looks like a thumbtack)
  3. The excerpt is now saved to your Pins

To view your Pins:

  1. Switch to Write mode using the toggle in the toolbar
  2. Look at the left panel — your Pins appear there
  3. Click any pin to see the full excerpt

Step 7: Write with AI Help (Using Clerk)

Clerk is Recall's AI writing assistant. It can help you draft, edit, and improve your writing.

To use Clerk:

  1. Switch to Write mode
  2. Look at the right panel — you'll see Clerk there
  3. You can:
  4. Chat: Ask questions about your documents
  5. Draft: Have Clerk write a section based on your research
  6. Outline: Get a structured outline for your document

To edit text with Clerk:

  1. Write or paste some text in the editor (center panel)
  2. Select the text you want to improve
  3. In the Clerk panel, choose what you want:
  4. "Make more persuasive"
  5. "Fix grammar/clarity"
  6. "Shorten/tighten"
  7. Clerk will suggest changes
  8. Click Insert to use the suggestion

Step 8: Insert Research into Word

If you have Microsoft Word connected, you can insert your research directly into Word documents.

To insert a Pin into Word:

  1. Open your Word document
  2. In Recall, go to Write mode
  3. Find the Pin you want to insert
  4. Right-click the pin
  5. Select Insert into Word
  6. Choose the format:
  7. Block quote — for longer quotes (indented)
  8. Inline quote — for quotes within your sentence
  9. Parenthetical — for citation with explanation

The text appears in your Word document at your cursor position!

Understanding the Recall Interface

Here's a map of what you see when you open Recall:

+------------------+--------------------------------+------------------+
|                  |                                |                  |
|    LEFT          |           CENTER               |       RIGHT      |
|    SIDEBAR       |           AREA                 |       PANEL      |
|                  |                                |                  |
|  - Your Matters  |   In RESEARCH mode:            |  - Clerk AI      |
|  - Add New       |   - Search bar                 |    (writing      |
|    Matter        |   - Search results             |     assistant)   |
|                  |   - Document viewer            |  - Notes         |
|                  |                                |                  |
|                  |   In WRITE mode:               |                  |
|                  |   - Text editor                |                  |
|                  |                                |                  |
+------------------+--------------------------------+------------------+
|                         STATUS BAR                                   |
|  Shows: Word connection status, indexing progress, AI model status   |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+

The two modes:

  • Research Mode: For searching documents, viewing PDFs, and pinning excerpts
  • Write Mode: For writing/editing text, using Clerk AI, and managing pins

Switch between them using the toggle in the toolbar.

Common Questions from First-Time Users

I added a document but can't find it in search. Why?

The document might still be "indexing" (processing). Look for a status indicator that says "Indexing." Wait for it to say "Indexed" before searching.

What's the difference between Keyword and Semantic search?

Keyword search finds exact words. If you search for "negligence," it only finds documents with that exact word.

Semantic search understands meaning. If you search for "failure to use reasonable care," it might find passages about "negligence" even if they don't use your exact words.

Can I use Recall without internet?

Yes! After the initial setup, Recall works completely offline. All the AI runs on your computer.

Are my documents being sent anywhere?

No. All documents stay on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded to the cloud or sent to external servers.

I clicked something and now I'm lost. How do I get back?

Click on your Matter name in the left sidebar to get back to your main workspace. Use the Write/Research toggle to switch modes.

What's Next?

Now that you know the basics, explore these guides to learn more:

I want to... Read this guide
Organize documents by topic or issue Documents Guide
Get better at searching Research Guide
Use Clerk for more advanced writing Clerk Guide
Generate a Table of Authorities Citations Guide
Understand all the settings Settings Guide

You're ready to go!

You now know enough to start using Recall productively. Remember: the best way to learn is by doing. Start with a real project and explore the features as you need them.