Drag and drop

On iPad, you can drag files and images from Files, Mail or Safari straight into your vault, file documents by dropping them on a folder, and drag a scan out to another app as a PDF.

What it is

Drag and drop works three ways:

Into Paperwise: files and images from other apps become items in your vault, the same way as + → From Files.
Inside Paperwise: documents dropped on a folder move into it; folders dropped on a folder become subfolders.
Out of Paperwise: a document dragged to another app arrives as a file: a PDF for scans and notes, or the original file for files.

You can drop onto:

Drop on	What happens
A folder in the sidebar, a folder tile or an open folder	Files are added to that folder; documents and folders move into it.
Vault in the sidebar, the Vault home or All items	Files are added to your vault without a folder; documents are taken out of their folder; folders move to the top level.

A tinted outline shows where the drop will land.

When to use it

Bringing in a PDF from an email or a download in Safari without saving it to Files first.
Filing a batch of documents: drag them onto a folder in the sidebar.
Sending a scan to another app open beside Paperwise in Split View, such as Mail or Files.

Step by step

Bring files in from another app

Open Paperwise and the other app side by side (Split View or Stage Manager).
Touch and hold a file or image in the other app until it lifts, then drag it.
Drop it on a folder, on Vault in the sidebar, or on All items.
Paperwise says “File added” (or how many files were added).

Each dropped file becomes a file item. Images land on the Photos and videos shelf, other files on Files. Up to 20 files are added from one drop, and each file can be up to 200 MB.

File documents into a folder

Touch and hold a document card in All items, a folder, a shelf or your search results, then drag it.
To bring more documents along, tap other cards while you’re still holding the first one.
Drop them on a folder in the sidebar or on a folder tile. Paperwise says “Moved”.

Put a folder inside another folder

Touch and hold a folder tile, then drag it.
Drop it on another folder. It becomes a subfolder, with everything in it.

Folders go up to 3 levels deep. If a move would go deeper, or into the folder itself, Paperwise says “Can’t move this folder there” and leaves it where it was.

Drag a document out to another app

Open the other app beside Paperwise.
Touch and hold a document card, drag it over, and drop it.
The other app receives:
- a PDF for a scan (with your signatures and annotations) or a note, made on the iPad;
- the original file for a file item.

Free and Pro

Drag and drop is free.

Privacy

PDFs you drag out are made on the iPad itself. Nothing is uploaded. The temporary copy is deleted as soon as the other app has taken its own copy.
Files you drop in are copied into Paperwise and kept like anything else in your vault. If you’ve turned on Name and sort new scans (Pro), they’re named and sorted like anything else you add.
Hidden items never leave Paperwise by drag and drop. Paperwise refuses to hand a hidden or deleted document to another app, and a protected one (IDs, medical, bank and tax papers), whether or not the app lock is on (it can’t ask for Face ID in the middle of a drag; use Share instead).
Cards and folders can be moved inside Paperwise but never dragged out to other apps.
Once another app has a copy, that copy follows that app’s rules, not Paperwise’s.

Tips

Dragging onto the Vault row in the sidebar is a quick way to take a document out of a folder.
A plain press on a card still opens its preview menu; start moving your finger to begin a drag.
With a mouse or trackpad, click and drag works the same way.

What if…

What if nothing happens when I drop?

Drop on a place that takes drops: a folder (in the sidebar, as a tile, or open), Vault in the sidebar, the Vault home or All items. Shelves sort automatically, so they don’t take drops. Links (web addresses) are skipped; drag the file itself.

What if Paperwise says a file is too big?

Paperwise keeps files up to 200 MB. Split or compress the file in another app, then drop it again.

What if only some of my files were added?

One drop adds up to 20 files. Drop the rest in a second go.

What if the other app shows an error when I drag a document out?

Try again. Making the PDF can take a moment for a long scan, and the other app gives up if it takes more than about 20 seconds. You can also use Share on the document instead. See Share and export.

What if I can’t drag a document out at all?

It may be in Hidden, which never leaves by drag and drop, a protected document (an ID, a medical, bank or tax paper), or a card, which has no file to send. Use Share on a card or a document instead.