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Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Sutram in just a few minutes. This guide walks you through your first project, organizing content, adding files and links, and collaborating with your team.

Step 1: Your First Project

If you signed up on your own

When you create a new account, Sutram automatically creates a project called My First Project (the name is localized to your language). You can start using it right away — no setup needed.

To customize it, go to Settings → Projects where you can:

  • Rename the project

  • Change the project color (used for visual identification across the interface)

  • Adjust other project settings (depending on your plan)

If you were invited to a project

If someone invited you to their project, you can start working immediately after accepting the invitation. The project will appear on your dashboard.

You can also create your own project anytime from Settings → Projects.

Step 2: Organize Your Content

In Sutram, a project's content is organized in a hierarchical folder structure — similar to folders on your computer. Before adding files, it's a good idea to plan how you'll organize them.

What is content?

Content items are everything you store in your project. This includes:

  • Files — Documents (PDF, Word, Excel), images, CAD/BIM models, archives, and more

  • Video links — References to videos hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or other platforms

  • Audio links — References to podcasts, music, or audio hosted on Spotify, SoundCloud, etc.

  • Web links — References to external web pages relevant to your project

  • Markdown documents — Rich text documents created directly in Sutram's built-in editor

All content items live inside folders. We recommend organizing them by topic, department, phase, or whatever structure makes sense for your team — rather than placing them at the project root.

Creating folders

  1. Click the Content card on the project home page
  2. Click New folder in the toolbar
  3. Enter a folder name and confirm
  4. Create subfolders inside folders to build your hierarchy

Navigate through your folder structure by clicking folders, and use the breadcrumb navigation at the top to move back up. You can move items between folders using the Move option in the dropdown menu (⋮).

Example structures:

  • A construction project: Plans / Reports / Photos / Contracts

  • A marketing team: Campaigns / Brand Assets / Analytics / Templates

  • A medical practice: Patients / Exams / Reports

Step 3: Add Content

Once your folders are set up, start adding content:

Upload files

  1. Navigate to the target folder
  2. Click Add file or drag and drop files directly into the page
  3. Select one or more files from your computer
  4. Wait for the upload to complete — you'll see a progress indicator for each file

Sutram supports a wide range of formats including PDF, Office documents, images, CAD/BIM models (DWG, RVT, IFC), archives, and more. File size limits depend on your plan.

Add links

Use the dropdown next to "Add file" to add other types of content:

  • Video link — Paste a YouTube, Vimeo, or other video URL

  • Audio link — Paste a Spotify, SoundCloud, or other audio URL

  • Web link — Paste any web page URL for reference

Create a Markdown document

Click **New markdown file **to create a rich text document directly in Sutram using the built-in visual editor (requires Pro plan).

Step 4: Invite Your Team

Collaboration is at the heart of Sutram. To invite team members:

  1. Go to your project's Members page

  2. Click Invite

  3. Enter the person's email address

  4. Choose their role:

    • Member — Can create and edit content

    • **Reader (Viewer) **— Read-only access

    • Admin — Can manage members and settings (requires Max plan)

  5. Select the invitation language

  6. Click Send Invitation

They'll receive an email with a link to join. If they don't have a Sutram account yet, one will be created automatically when they accept.

For more details about roles and permissions, see the Projects and Members guide.

Chat with Your Team

Every project includes a built-in chat for real-time communication:

  1. Click the Chat card on the project home page
  2. Type your message and press Enter to send
  3. All members (including Readers) can read and send messages

Messages show timestamps and sender names. The chat preserves history, so new members can see past conversations.

Step 5: Preview Content

Click any content item to open it in Sutram's built-in viewer. You can preview PDFs, images, Office documents, Markdown files, video and audio links and even CAD/BIM models — all without downloading or installing additional software.

The viewer works directly in your browser and supports dozens of file formats. For a complete list, see the Content Viewing System reference guide.

Going Further

Once you're comfortable with the basics, Sutram offers more advanced features:

  • Document Comments — Leave feedback anchored to specific positions in PDFs, images, Office files, Markdown documents, and CAD/BIM models

  • File Versioning — Enable check-out/check-in workflows to ensure only one person edits a file at a time, with full revision history

  • Markdown Editor — A visual (WYSIWYG) editor for creating and editing rich text documents with headings, tables, images, and code blocks

  • REST API — Automate workflows and integrate with external tools using JSON endpoints

  • MCP Server — Connect AI assistants like Claude, Gemini to interact directly with your project content

Each of these features has its own detailed guide in the Documentation section.

Understanding Your Plan

All new accounts start on the Basic plan (free). You can monitor your usage and upgrade your plan anytime in Settings → Subscription. For a full comparison of plans and features, see the Account Management guide.

Need help? Fill in the contact form on the Sutram site footer.

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