Paperless-NGX: Your Path to the Paperless Office

Put an end to paper chaos and endless searching! Paperless-NGX is the leading open-source Document Management Software (DMS) that transforms your physical archive into a searchable, digital knowledge base. Whether it’s invoices, contracts, or notes – learn here how to install, configure, and optimally use Paperless-NGX to efficiently manage your documents and finally achieve the paperless office.

This guide serves as a central hub and summarizes the most important information from the blog posts.

What is Paperless-NGX and why should you use it?

• Origin & Development: Originally started as “Paperless” by Daniel Quinn, it was further developed as “Paperless-ng” by Jonas Winkler and found its current, actively maintained form as “Paperless-NGX”. This fork is supported by a dedicated community and constantly improved. (More on the history)
• Core Features:
  • Automatic OCR (Text Recognition): Makes scanned documents (PDFs, images) fully searchable.
  • Intelligent Metadata: Recognizes correspondents, types, dates, and suggests tags.
  • Flexible Tagging: Organize documents according to your own criteria.
  • Powerful Search: Find anything using full-text search and filters.
  • Automatic Import: Monitors folders or email inboxes.
  • Broad File Type Support: PDFs, images by default; Office documents and emails optionally with Tika/Gotenberg.
  • Web Interface & Mobile Apps: Access from anywhere.
  • Open Source & Self-Hosted: Full data control, free of charge.

Planning Your Paperless-NGX Setup

Before you install, consider:

1. The Right Platform:

   • Synology NAS: Ideal for many home users. Easy to set up, energy-efficient. Requires Docker/Container Manager. My Recommendation & Main Guide:
     ➡️ Guide: Install Paperless-NGX on Synology NAS
   • VPS/Dedicated Server: For more performance, flexibility, and access from anywhere. Requires Linux knowledge.
     ➡️ Guide: Install Paperless-NGX on a VPS/Linux Server
   • Other Home Server (Raspberry Pi, NUC, etc.): Feasible, pay attention to RAM (min. 4GB recommended with OCR/Tika). The VPS guide can often be adapted.
     ➡️ Guide: Paperless-NGX on Home Server (General) (Your general setup post)
   • Other NAS (QNAP, Ugreen, etc.): If Docker is supported, the Synology guide is often a good starting point, but details (folders, users) may differ.

2. Docker: Paperless-NGX is best run as a Docker container. This ensures easy installation and updates.

3. Storage Locations: Plan where the data, media, db, db-backup, and consume folders should reside. A clear structure is important!

4. Scan Workflow: How do documents get into the system? A network scanner scanning directly into the consume folder is the most elegant solution. Scan-to-email or manual upload are alternatives.

5. Backup: Absolutely essential! Back up at least data, media, and the database dumps from db-backup or the export from the document_exporter.

The Paperless-NGX Workflow in Detail

1. Capture (Consume): Document lands in the consume folder (or via email, upload).
2. Process & OCR: Duplicate check, text recognition.
3. Archive & Metadata: Automatic detection of correspondent, type, date; tag assignment (manual or rule-based).
4. Store: Original and optionally archive PDF land in the media folder.
5. Search & Find: Access via Web UI or apps.

Important Features & Configurations

• Tika & Gotenberg (Office Documents & Emails): To process more than just PDFs/images, add Tika and Gotenberg to your Docker stack. Increases RAM requirements!
• Performing Updates: Keep Paperless up-to-date! New versions often bring important improvements and fixes.
• Using Metadata Effectively: Learn how to use correspondents, document types, and tags optimally to quickly find your documents again.
• Filename Formatting (PAPERLESS_FILENAME_FORMAT): Control how your files are named and structured in the media folder.
• Backup & Restore: Set up a solid backup and test the restore process. The Document Exporter/Importer is useful for migrations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Is Paperless-NGX really free? Yes, the software is open source. Costs only arise for hardware (server/NAS/power) and optionally for cloud backup storage.
• How secure is my data? Security depends on your server/NAS configuration. Paperless-NGX itself is secure, but you need to ensure a secure environment (firewall, updates, strong passwords) and backups.
• Can I export documents again? Yes, you have direct access to the original files via the media folder. The Document Exporter also creates a structured archive including metadata.
• Is it worth the effort compared to cloud services? If data sovereignty, control, and no recurring subscription costs are important to you: Yes. Cloud services are often easier to set up, but you give up control.
• Which scanners work well? Scanners with network scanning capabilities (Scan-to-SMB/FTP/Email) are ideal. Models from Brother (e.g., ADS series) or Fujitsu (ScanSnap) are popular.