Folders inside folders

Your folders are your own way of sorting, next to Paperwise’s shelves. Make a folder for the car, the flat or this year’s taxes, and folders inside it if you like.

What it is

Folders live under Your folders on the Vault. Each folder can hold items and other folders, up to 3 levels deep (for example Home › Taxes › 2026). Folder names can be up to 40 characters.

Filing is a label, not a move. An item in a folder is still in All items and still on its shelf. A folder just says “this belongs with these”. Each item is in one folder at most.

When to use it

To group things your way: a trip, a project, a person.
To find something by where you put it rather than by what it is.
Shelves sort by type for you; folders are for everything else.

Step by step

Make a folder

On the Vault, under Your folders, tap New folder.
Type a name and tap Create. The new folder opens.

Make a folder inside a folder

Open the folder.
Tap the ••• button at the top (Folder options), then New folder.
Type a name and tap Create.

If a folder is already 3 levels deep, New folder is greyed out and Paperwise explains why.

Put an item in a folder

One item: open it, tap •••, then Add to folder. Pick a folder, or New folder… to make one and file the item in it.
Several items: in All items (or a folder, or search results), tap Select, choose the items and tap Move.
On iPad: drag items onto a folder in the sidebar.

To take an item out of its folder, choose No folder in the same list. It stays in All items.

Add new things straight into a folder

Open the folder, then use Scan or + there. Scans, ID cards, books, photos, notes, checklists, cards and files you add from inside a folder are filed in it.

Added from the Vault, a shelf or All items, new things go to the vault without a folder.

Rename, move or delete a folder

Open the folder and tap •••:

Rename: type a new name.
Move folder…: pick where it goes. Everything inside moves with it.
Delete folder: deleting a folder never deletes what’s in it. Its items and folders move up one level, and Paperwise tells you exactly where before you confirm. An empty folder is deleted at once, with Undo for a few seconds.

On iPad you can also long-press a folder in the sidebar for New folder inside, Rename and Delete.

Search one folder

Open the folder and use Search this folder at the top.

Free and Pro

Folders are free, as many as you like. With Pro sync, your folders appear on your other devices too.

Privacy

Folder names are stored on your iPhone in Paperwise’s encrypted database.
With sync (Pro), folder names and structure are encrypted on your iPhone before they’re uploaded; our server can’t read them.
Hidden has its own albums and never shows in your folders.

Tips

In All items, each card shows its folder path, like “Taxes › 2026”, so you can see where things are filed.
Use the Not in a folder chip in All items to find what you haven’t filed yet.

What if…

What if I can’t make a folder inside a folder?

Folders go up to 3 levels deep. Make it one level higher instead.

What if Paperwise says a name isn’t allowed?

A folder needs a name of up to 40 characters, and two folders in the same place can’t share a name (capitals don’t count as different). Try a shorter or different name.

What if I deleted a folder by mistake?

If it was empty, tap Undo right away. If it had things in it, nothing was deleted: they moved up one level. Make the folder again and move them back.

What if my scan didn’t go into the folder?

It goes into a folder only when you start the scan from inside that folder. Use ••• → Add to folder to file it now.