Search your vault

Type a word you remember from a document, and Paperwise finds it: in titles, notes, the text on every scanned page and inside files. Results show a snippet of the matching text.

What it is

Paperwise reads the text on your pages on your iPhone when you add them, and keeps it in a search index on the device. The search field at the top of the Vault, Search your vault, looks through:

titles and tags
the text recognised on every scanned page
the text inside imported files, and file names
notes, and the names of their attachments
a card’s notes and number
summaries and key facts, for documents that used the AI helper

Each result shows a short snippet with your words highlighted, so you can see why it matched.

Hidden is never searched here. Hidden items aren’t in the vault’s search index at all. Hidden has its own search inside it.

When to use it

When you remember what a paper said, not where you put it (“the plumber’s invoice”, “IBAN”).
To find every document that mentions a name, an address or a reference number.

Step by step

Search the whole vault

On the Vault, tap Search your vault.
Type one or more words. Results replace the Vault’s sections as you type.
Tap a result to open it.
Tap Cancel to go back to the Vault.

Each word matches the start of a word in the document, so “insur” finds “insurance”. With several words, a result must contain all of them.

Search inside All items or a folder

In All items, use Search all items. It works together with your filters, for example only Receipts.
In a folder, use Search this folder.

Work with the results

Tap Select to choose several results, then share, move, merge or delete them together.

On iPad with a keyboard, ⌘F jumps to search.

Free and Pro

Search is free. The text it uses is recognised on your iPhone for everyone. With Pro’s AI helper, a document’s AI summary and key facts are searchable too.

Privacy

Search runs entirely on your iPhone. Your search words are never sent anywhere.
The search index is part of Paperwise’s encrypted database on the iPhone.
Hidden items are never in the vault’s search. When you hide a document, its words leave the search index at once.
IDs, medical papers, bank statements and tax papers still show up in search, but with a lock instead of the page and no snippet of their text.

Tips

Search for something only that document would say: a reference number, a name, an amount.
If a scan isn’t found, open it and check Text: if the page was hard to read, the recognised text may be wrong or missing.

What if…

What if search says Nothing mentions…?

No title, note, page text or file text contains that word. Try the start of the word, a different word, or fewer words. Search covers titles, notes, the text on every page and inside files. Hidden is never searched here.

What if a document I hid doesn’t show up?

That’s on purpose: Hidden is never searched from the Vault. Open Hidden and search there.

What if a just-scanned page isn’t found?

Paperwise may still be cleaning up and reading the page. Give it a moment and search again.

What if a handwritten page isn’t found?

Handwriting is harder to read on the device. With Pro you can use Read handwriting: see Read handwriting.