Uploading Documents

FluentCase provides powerful document management capabilities with automatic OCR processing, version control, and cloud storage integration.

Uploading Documents

Upload Methods

  • Single File Upload
    1. Open a matter
    2. Click the Select Files button
    3. Your file explorer window will open
    4. Select a file to upload
    5. Click OK to begin the upload process
    6. Optionally add:
      • Description - Brief description of the document
      • Tags - Tags for organization
    7. Click Upload
  • Drag and Drop Upload
    1. Open a matter
    2. Drag one or more files from your computer
    3. Drop them onto the upload area
    4. Files will upload automatically

    From Outside of a Matter:

    1. Open your file explorer on your PC or Mac
    2. Drag and drop a document on the page
    3. The document will be added to the Unsorted Documents section
  • Multiple File Upload - Upload multiple documents at once:
    1. Click Upload → Upload Multiple Files
    2. Select multiple files (up to 20 at once)
    3. Files will upload and process automatically
    4. You can continue working while uploads complete

See Batch Scanning for high-volume document scanning workflows.

Supported File Formats

Documents

  • PDF (.pdf) - Recommended format
  • Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
  • Microsoft Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
  • Rich Text Format (.rtf)
  • Text Files (.txt)

Images

  • JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
  • PNG (.png)
  • TIFF (.tif, .tiff) - Including multi-page TIFF
  • GIF (.gif)
  • BMP (.bmp)

File Size Limits

  • Maximum file size: 384 MB per file
  • Multiple file upload: Up to 20 files at once
  • Total storage: Based on your subscription plan

Automatic OCR Processing

All uploaded documents are processed with OCR as needed so scanned text becomes searchable and selectable.

FluentCase downsamples images to 200 dpi before OCR for speed. OCR itself typically runs at about 1 second per page, not including the built-in overhead required for file transfer and document processing.

See OCR Processing for detailed information.

Document Naming

Automatic Naming

FluentCase automatically names documents based on:

  • Original filename
  • Document type (if detected)
  • Upload date

Renaming Documents

To rename a document:

  1. Open the document
  2. Click the Edit button (pencil icon)
  3. Change the File Display Name
  4. Click Save

Best Practices:

  • Use descriptive names: Medical Report - Dr. Smith - 2024-01-15
  • Include dates in YYYY-MM-DD format for sorting
  • Include document type: Deposition - John Doe
  • Avoid special characters: / \ : * ? " < > |

Document Organization

Tags

Tag documents for easy organization and retrieval:

  1. Open a document
  2. Click Add Tags
  3. Select existing tags or create new ones
  4. Common tags:
    • Medical Records
    • Correspondence
    • Court Filings
    • Discovery
    • Pleadings
    • Contracts

Folders (via Tags)

While FluentCase doesn’t use traditional folders, you can organize documents using tags:

  • Create tags like “Medical”, “Legal”, “Financial”
  • Filter documents by tag
  • Multiple tags per document

Document Types

FluentCase automatically detects common document types:

  • Medical records
  • Legal pleadings
  • Correspondence
  • Court filings
  • Contracts
  • Discovery documents

Document Versions

FluentCase maintains version history for documents:

Uploading a New Version

  1. Open the original document
  2. Click Upload New Version
  3. Select the updated file
  4. Add version notes (optional)
  5. Click Upload

Viewing Version History

  1. Open a document
  2. Click Version History
  3. View all previous versions
  4. Click any version to view or download it

Reverting to a Previous Version

  1. Open the document
  2. Click Version History
  3. Find the version you want to restore
  4. Click Revert to This Version
  5. Confirm the action

Document Metadata

Each document stores metadata:

  • File Name - Display name
  • Original Filename - Original file name
  • File Size - Size in MB
  • Upload Date - When uploaded
  • Uploaded By - User who uploaded
  • Matter - Associated matter
  • Description - User-provided description
  • Tags - Applied tags
  • Version - Version number

Document Permissions

Access to documents is controlled by:

  1. Matter Access - You must have access to the matter
  2. User Role - Your role determines what you can do
  3. Document Permissions - Some documents may have restricted access

Permission Levels

  • View - Can view and download documents
  • Upload - Can upload new documents
  • Edit - Can rename and edit metadata
  • Delete - Can delete documents (soft delete)

See User Roles and Permissions for details.

Downloading Documents

Single Document

  1. Open the document
  2. Click the Download button
  3. File downloads to your default download folder

Multiple Documents

  1. Select multiple documents (checkboxes)
  2. Click Download Selected
  3. Documents download as a ZIP file

PDF Version

For non-PDF documents, FluentCase can generate a PDF version:

  1. Open the document
  2. Click Download as PDF
  3. PDF version downloads

Moving Documents Between Matters

To move a document to a different matter:

  1. Open the document
  2. Click Move to Matter
  3. Search for and select the destination matter
  4. Click Move
  5. Document is moved and an activity is created in both matters

Deleting Documents

Warning: Deleted documents can be recovered within 30 days, after which they are permanently deleted.

To delete a document:

  1. Open the document
  2. Click the Delete button
  3. Confirm the deletion
  4. Document is soft-deleted

Recovering Deleted Documents

Administrators can recover deleted documents:

  1. Go to Settings → Deleted Items
  2. Find the document
  3. Click Restore

Use the search box to find documents by:

  • File name
  • Description
  • Tags
  • OCR text content
  • Matter name

Click Advanced Search to filter by:

  • Date Range - Upload date
  • Document Type - File type (PDF, Word, etc.)
  • Tags - Specific tags
  • Uploaded By - User who uploaded
  • Matter - Specific matter
  • File Size - Size range

Best Practices

File Naming

  • Use descriptive names before uploading
  • Include dates in filenames
  • Use consistent naming conventions

Organization

  • Tag documents immediately after upload
  • Use consistent tag names across your firm
  • Create a tagging guide for your team

OCR Optimization

  • Scan at 150-200 dpi
  • Do not exceed 200 dpi
  • Use black and white or grayscale for text documents
  • Ensure documents are straight and clear
  • See Optimizing PDF Files

Storage Management

  • Delete duplicate documents
  • Archive old matters to free up space
  • Use cloud storage integration for large files

Related Articles

Batch Scanning Documents OCR Processing Documents Document Templates Documents