I use Dropbox for this purpose. The search is much better than Spotlight on iOS, and it allows selected folders to be always downloaded (i find this essential for receipts when i need them and there’s no mobile signal, like in some shops). I tried DEVONthink to Go but couldn’t stand the app, I much prefer Dropbox’s iOS app.
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I use a ScanSnap S1300i and the ScanSnap Software. The files are scanned, run through OCR and are then automatically dropped into a folder within OneDrive. I then tag those files weekly. Hazel reads the tags and automatically moves the files to the file structure that I have set up.
Since the are in OneDrive, I have access to them wherever I am on my computer or mobile device.
I tried Evernote, Dropbox and Devonthink and they just did not work for me. I found using a folder based system was the best for me.
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When I extracted myself from Evernote several years ago, I made a promise to myself to never use a proprietary database again.
I follow the same process that other have already mentioned.
- Scan files into an incoming folder
- Rename the files manually usually starting with date in YYYY-MM-DD format. You could use Hazel to do this if you have a large volume of files, but I find it overkill for the volume that I’m working with.
- Store the files in my iCloud documents folder using a simple sub-folder structure by topic area (finances, family, manuals, etc) and use spotlight search to find files if needed
I also use Backblaze to keep an offsite backup copy of all my documents.
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Does hazel support Catalina ?
Yup. No problems here with Hazel on Catalina.
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The website says that it has problems ?
The Noodlesoft website says there are Hazel issues with Dark Mode and a few cosmetic glitches on Catalina. None of these has any substantive effect on Hazel’s operation or performance. Hazel works fine for me on Catalina, FWIW.
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+1 for #evernote. I believe the ScanSnap will send directly into EN and once there EN does the OCR automatically. Add a title and a tag or two then move out of the way and use search to find what you need. I spend a ton of my day using EN and it is literally the one place I keep everything.
Give the free tier a go and see if it will work for your needs.
@Madasafish110, I really appreciate you taking the time to post your questions. I’ve been in the same place (sadly) for the last few years. For multiple reasons like health issues, I’ve not had it all figured out yet. I’ve found the suggestions here really helpful.
What I wanted to post, even though it’s several months later (in case others find this like me), is to please avoid #Evernote at this point. There are several really concerning things. They are drastically changing their desktop software (sort of dumbing it down to achieve more consistency across all their platforms) and the recent updates have been disasters for loads of people. I know so many folks have recommended Evernote the past several years and I’ve really tried to like it, even love it. But I basically hate it, especially for my workflow with a lot of iOS/iPadOS usage. There have been a lot of concerns about privacy, too, with no fighting turning over user data. Even if it’s required by law, I’m always concerned about not fighting for privacy and what that means for the future. I’m working now to get everything out and into a MacOS based paperless setup, likely with DevonThink as the central “brains”. I’m so grateful you posted your question as it’s so similar to what I’m looking for and the replies were so helpful.
Thanks again!
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