If you plan on using your Paperless library on another Mac, you will want to transfer the library file from its existing location to the new Mac. This article provides instructions to transfer your Paperless library from the Mac it is currently stored on to another Mac.

Please Note: At this time, we do not support using a Paperless library concurrently on multiple computers. We provide additional guidelines on how and where to store a Paperless library in this knowledge base article.

Make a backup of your Paperless library

Making a backup of your library produces an archive file that can be transferred easily to another computer. To transfer your library, first make a backup of your Paperless library file; the backup file is the file you will transfer to your new Mac.

We provide instructions to make backups of a Paperless library in this knowledge base article.

Transfer the backup to the new Mac

In Finder, locate the .ZIP file created when backing up the Paperless library file; then, transfer this file to the new Mac. Here are two examples of ways that a file can be transferred to another computer:

• Copy the backup file from its existing location to a flash drive; then, access the flash drive on a new computer and copy the file onto the new Mac.

• Transfer the backup file over a network.

On the new Mac, open the file with Paperless

Once the library file has been transferred to the new Mac, open it with Paperless.

In order to use the copy of your Paperless library that was saved when you backed your library up, you will need to extract your library from the .ZIP file. To do this, simply double-click the .ZIP file. The Paperless library file should appear in the same folder as the .ZIP file.

To open the extracted library file with Paperless, double-click the file's icon in Finder.

Once the library has been opened with Paperless, it should be possible to begin using the file as a working library file on the new Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Paperless Library File?

The Paperless library file is the file all information for a Paperless library is stored within. We explain this in more detail in this knowledge base article.

Can't I just use Dropbox (or a similar service) to sync the library file to the new Mac?

At this time, we don't support using Dropbox (or any similar service) to sync a Paperless library. We provide additional information in this knowledge base article.