Merge and split documents

Sometimes the file does not match the document: the front and back of a letter were uploaded as two files, or one scan holds several letters. You can fix both from the document detail view.

Merge documents

Open the document that should stay, for example the front side. In the … menu at the top right, choose Merge….

  1. Add the other documents. Without a search term, Paperarchive shows the latest uploads from the same space. With a search term, you find documents by title.
  2. Put the pages in the right order: drag and drop on a computer, the arrow buttons on a phone.
  3. Decide whether title, sender, category and date should be detected again (on by default).
  4. Click Merge documents.

What happens next

  • The document you started from stays, with its tags, connections and your edits. It now holds all pages as one PDF.
  • Paperarchive processes the document again automatically. The text is always read again so search finds every page. This usually takes about a minute.
  • If detection is turned off, title, sender, category and date stay as they are. Fields you changed yourself are never overwritten.
  • The other documents move to the trash, where you can restore them for 30 days. Their tags and connections are not carried over.
  • If the document you started from was converted (for example an office file or a HEIC photo), its original file stays referenced.

Good to know

  • PDFs, JPG, PNG and HEIC images and office documents can be merged. WebP, TIFF, GIF and BMP images cannot.
  • Phone photos are added the right way up, even if they were taken sideways.
  • You can merge up to 10 documents at once. All of them must be in the same space.

Split a document

If a file contains several documents, for example after a batch scan, you can split it into separate documents.

Automatic suggestion

Paperarchive checks on upload whether a file contains several documents. If it does, the detail view shows a notice with a suggestion. You can accept it, adjust the pages, or dismiss it.

Split it yourself

In the … menu, choose Split….

  1. Paperarchive shows every page with a short text preview.
  2. Between two pages, tap Split here where a new document should start. Don't split removes a split point again.
  3. Click Split into … documents.

Empty pages, such as the backs of a double-sided scan, stay with the document before them. You cannot split in front of an empty page.

Delete pages

If you do not need a part at all, such as an ad insert or a cover sheet, delete it with the trash icon. This works in the Split… dialog and in the automatic suggestion under Adjust pages. Paperarchive asks first. The pages are then left out, and Restore brings them back as long as you have not confirmed yet. At least one part has to stay. If only one part is left, Paperarchive saves the document without the deleted pages.

What happens next

  • Each part becomes its own document. Paperarchive processes the new documents automatically and detects title, sender, category and date for each part. They show up in your library shortly.
  • The original moves to the trash, where you can restore it for 30 days. Tags and connections of the original are not carried over.
  • Every part keeps a reference to the document it was split from, and the split is recorded in the change history. In a GoBD space the original stays in the trash as long as one of its parts is archived.

When splitting is not possible

  • Only PDF files can be split.
  • The document needs at least two pages with content. Otherwise the menu entry is greyed out, or the dialog tells you there is nothing to split.

When an action is not available

  • The document is still processing: wait until processing has finished.
  • GoBD protection: documents that are archived in a GoBD space cannot be merged or split. Documents that are not archived yet can be, and every step is recorded in the change history (see "GoBD compliance").
  • Shared spaces: you need edit rights for every document involved.