The context window is how much text an AI can keep in view at once: the conversation plus any documents you added.
Illustration: AI-generated · AI Compare Ninja · CC BY 4.0
Example
If a contract is longer than the context window, the AI cannot take everything into account at once. Depending on the tool, the text is cut, rejected or only searched section by section.
For pros
The size is given in tokens. Larger windows cost more and do not automatically make answers more accurate. Put key information at the start or end of your input.
