Overview 6 min read

Getting started with PaperOffice AI: the complete guide

What PaperOffice AI is

PaperOffice AI is the current PaperOffice product. It combines document management, Document AI, workflows and agents in one organization. You use it in the browser, as a desktop app and on a smartphone. PaperOffice AI is not PaperOffice Classic DMS: Classic is a different product with its own help.

Everything in PaperOffice AI belongs to an organization. The organization has one root account (the owner) and any number of users. Documents live in workspaces. Every action that uses AI, document processing or the API consumes Credits from the shared pool of the organization.

The app is available in 21 languages. The interface language is part of the address, for example /en/ or /de/.

Step 1: Register or sign in

Open app.paperoffice.ai in the browser or start the desktop app.

  • You already have an account: choose Sign in, enter your username and then your password.
  • You forgot your password? On the sign-in page, Forgot password? appears after the username. The reset link goes to the stored email address.
  • You are new: choose Create free account. Registration creates a new organization, and your account becomes its root account.
  • Someone invited you: use the invitation link from the email, not the public registration. You then join the existing organization.

After the first sign-in, the guided setup at /en/paperoffice-account/getting-started helps you with the first steps.

Step 2: Decide where your originals are stored

By default, PaperOffice AI stores your documents in the PaperOffice EU data center. You do not need to set anything up for this.

If your originals must stay on your own storage, for example a NAS, use your own storage (BYOS). In that case, create the storage mount before the workspace, because the storage mode of a workspace cannot be changed after saving. Help: How do I connect a NAS as a storage mount?

Step 3: Create your first workspace

A workspace is the container for documents, folders and processing. An organization can have several workspaces, for example one for accounting and one for contracts.

  1. Open Document AI and then Workspaces.
  2. Click New Workspace.
  3. Enter a name and keep the defaults if you are unsure: workspace type Business, AI-DMS Premium and storage in the PaperOffice EU data center.
  4. Confirm with Create Workspace.

The AI-DMS tier decides how deeply documents in this workspace are processed. Premium is the typical choice for invoices, contracts and cases. Basic is enough for an archive that you search by full text. Details: AI-DMS tiers: Basic, Premium and Ultra.

Step 4: Add documents

There are several ways to get documents into a workspace. Choose the one that fits your situation:

Coming from PaperOffice Classic? The move has its own guide: From PaperOffice Classic to PaperOffice AI.

Step 5: Wait for processing, then search

After upload or import, PaperOffice AI processes each document in the background: it reads the text, recognizes the document type and extracts fields, depending on the AI-DMS tier. This takes some time, especially for large imports. By default, the pipeline processes the first 20 pages of a document, at most 40.

Once processing has finished, find documents through the search. If the search returns nothing, the document is usually still being processed or sits in a workspace you cannot see. Help: After import and Search returns nothing.

Web app, desktop app and mobile app

The web app and the desktop app share the same interface. Everything you can do in the browser also works in the desktop app, including organization settings, billing and user management. The desktop app can also be installed from the browser as an app (PWA); it is the same PaperOffice AI, not a second product.

The mobile app is the version for smartphones. It runs as a Progressive Web App on iOS and Android and uses the same organization and the same workspaces. You can connect your phone in two ways:

  1. From the desktop: open Security Center, choose Add mobile device and scan the QR code with your phone.
  2. On the phone: open app.paperoffice.ai in the browser, sign in and add the page to your home screen if you like.

On the smartphone you can scan documents with the camera, upload existing files and queue documents when there is no network. Choose the workspace before scanning; the file lands there. Organization settings, billing, user management and account deletion are not part of the mobile app. Use the web or desktop app for these.

Organization settings

Organization settings are in the web and desktop app: open the Account area and then Settings. There you find the organization profile, regional settings, the trash and more. Only the root account sees Delete account.

Who is root and what users may do: Root account and users. Invite colleagues: Invite a user.

Credits and billing in brief

PaperOffice AI bills by usage instead of per user. Processing, AI features and the API consume Credits from the shared pool of the organization. Your plan includes monthly plan credits; usage beyond that runs through the wallet. The free plan includes one-time starter credits. The details are in the guide on billing and Credits: What are Credits?

Help and support

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need my own server? No. By default your documents are stored in the PaperOffice EU data center. Your own storage is optional.
  • Which AI-DMS tier should I choose? Start with Premium. You can use different tiers in different workspaces.
  • Can I change the storage mode later? No. Datacenter or own storage is fixed when you save the workspace.
  • Is the desktop app a different product? No. It is the same PaperOffice AI as in the browser.
  • Is PaperOffice AI the same as PaperOffice Classic? No. Classic is a different product with its own help.