Everything starts with adding files to the dashboard. This page covers what you can upload, the ways to add files, how to pick specific pages of a PDF, and which batch the files join once they are up.
What you can upload
The upload controls accept images, PDFs, Word documents, and plain text files. Each item you add becomes its own file in the batch, and each file produces its own result.
| Type | What happens |
|---|---|
| Images | JPEG, PNG, WebP, and other common image formats. One image is one file. |
| Supported, including PDFs that open only with a password. Each page you choose becomes its own file. | |
| Word document | .docx only. The older binary .doc format is not supported — open it in Word and save it as .docx first. A Word document is converted into pages, one file per page. |
| Plain text | .txt, converted the same way a Word document is. |
A file the app cannot decode is rejected. The per-file size and page limits, and the email limits that differ from these, are listed on Limits & Specs.
Ways to add files
All of these add files to the same place — the batch you are about to create.
- Click to choose files. Use the Upload button at the top of the Files panel, or click the drop area. Your file browser opens and you can select one file or several at once.
- Drag and drop. Drag files onto the drop area, which reads Drop Images/PDF/Word/TXT here or click to upload and shows the per-batch page cap underneath.
- Select several files in one go. Both the file browser and the drop area accept multiple files, so one action can add a whole set. Each file counts toward the batch.
- Take a photo. Open the Add via menu and choose Take photo. The camera opens; take one or more photos, then click Upload in the camera window. Each photo becomes a file. (This menu also opens Email Inbox and Collection link, which receive files instead of uploading them from your device.)
Whatever the method, every upload from the dashboard is packaged into its own new batch — see Which batch your files join below and Batches for the full picture.
Choosing which pages of a PDF to upload
A PDF does not upload in one piece. When you add one, it is held back and the Select PDF Pages dialog opens before anything is sent, so you decide exactly which pages become files. You can process a few pages out of a long PDF without uploading the rest.
- The dialog shows the PDF's pages as thumbnails. Click a thumbnail to select or deselect that page; selected pages are ticked.
- Use Select All for every page, or Select Page for the pages currently on screen. The counter beside them shows Selected: X / Y.
- Move through a long PDF with the page arrows, or type a page number into Go to. A magnifier on each thumbnail opens the page larger.
- Click Confirm Selection (N) to render the selected pages and upload them, or Cancel to discard the PDF.
If you add several PDFs in one action, their pages are listed together in the order you added them, so you can pick pages across all of them in a single pass.
Password-protected PDFs
If a PDF needs a password, a prompt appears first: This PDF is password protected. Enter the password:. Type the password and click Unlock. A wrong password asks again. If you cancel, that PDF is left out — a message reports Skipped "<file name>" — password not provided — and any other files you added continue normally.
Which batch your files join
Every upload from the dashboard starts a new batch with a new name. There is no action that adds files to a batch that already exists, even if you meant to continue an earlier one — see Batches.
The one case worth knowing is a mixed selection. Images, Word, and text files upload as soon as they are added, while a PDF waits for you to choose its pages in the dialog. So if you add images and a PDF in the same action, they do not share a batch: the images (and any Word or text files with them) form one batch, and the PDF pages you confirm form another.
- Files added together that are not PDFs go into one new batch.
- Several PDFs added together have their chosen pages collected into one batch at the moment you confirm the selection.
- A camera session creates its own batch from the photos you upload.
- Files that arrive by email or through a Collection Link follow their own rules and can join the most recent batch from that same source while it is still open; see Batches.
Upload progress and failures
While files are being sent, each one shows a status tag and the drop area shows overall progress.
- Uploading — the file is being sent. Word and text files show Converting instead, because the server turns them into pages as part of the upload.
- Uploaded — the file is on the server and waiting; nothing has been processed yet.
- The drop area reads Uploading X / Y... (or Uploading/Converting X / Y... when a Word or text file is in the set).
When the upload finishes cleanly, a Upload complete! message appears and a Process now? prompt asks whether to start processing the new batch; choose Start to begin or cancel to keep the files unprocessed.
If some files fail, they are reported by name with the reason the server gave, and the rest of the set still uploads. The message names the count, for example Uploaded 3/4 file(s) — 1 failed (see error above). The reasons you may see are the limits the service enforces:
- A file over the size limit — refused by the server before processing. The per-file size cap is on Limits & Specs.
- The batch would exceed its capacity — Batch limit exceeded (N). Please upgrade your plan to upload more at once.
- Too many unprocessed files are already waiting — Too many unprocessed files (X/Y). Please process existing uploads before adding more.
- A Word or text file converts to too many pages — This document is too large to convert (limit is roughly 50 pages once rendered). Please split it into smaller files.
If every file in the action fails, no batch is created and there is nothing to process. Files that upload successfully stay in the batch and can be processed whenever you are ready.
Common questions
How large can a single file be?
A file larger than the per-file size limit is refused before it is processed. The exact figure is on Limits & Specs.
How many pages can one upload contain?
The cap depends on the account's plan, and the drop area shows it as Max N pages per batch. Because each page of a PDF, Word, or text file is its own file, a multi-page document uses several of those slots. If you select more non-PDF files than the cap allows, the app offers to upload only the first N and ignore the rest; if the chosen PDF pages would go over the cap, the dialog reports the limit and lets you adjust the selection. The per-plan numbers are in Batches and Limits & Specs.
Can I upload an old .doc file?
No. Only .docx is supported. Open the file in Word and save it as .docx first.
Can I add more files to a batch I already uploaded?
No. Each upload starts a new batch. If you want to process more files, add them as a new batch; the earlier batch keeps the files it already had. See Batches.