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Getting Started

Capture items

Add files, photos, camera images, voice notes, pasted text, or items shared from another app.

Open the Capture menu

Tap Capture in the middle of the bottom bar. Choose the kind of item you want to add.

Only one capture batch is processed at a time. If Cella says Still processing, wait for the current batch to finish and try again.

Capture a file

  1. Tap Capture > Files.
  2. Choose one or more supported documents.
  3. Cella copies them into the current vault and opens Document Processing.

The Files picker accepts PDF, RTF, plain-text, and DOCX documents. A single capture can accept up to 20 documents, but your plan's document limit still applies.

Cella importing a driver licence from Files and opening the processed document.
Import a driver licence Choose a document in Files, let Cella process it, then open the finished item.

Capture a photo or camera image

  • Tap Capture > Photos to choose one or more existing images.
  • Tap Capture > Camera to take one photo on a device with a camera.

Photos requires access to the images you select. Camera requires camera permission. Clear, well-lit images give text recognition the best chance of working.

Good to know: Camera capture takes one photo. It is not a multi-page document scanner.

Capture a voice note

  1. Tap Capture > Voice.
  2. Allow microphone and speech-recognition access when asked.
  3. Tap the microphone to start, Pause when needed, and the stop button when finished.
  4. Review and edit the transcript, then tap Save.

A recording can be up to five minutes. If Settings > Voice Dictation > Auto-save dictation is on, a valid transcript saves as soon as recording stops.

Capture pasted or typed text

  1. Tap Capture > Paste text.
  2. Type into the editor, or tap the clipboard button to paste copied text.
  3. If the editor already contains text, confirm before replacing it from the clipboard.
  4. Tap Save.

Share from another app

Use the iOS share sheet when a supported file or text is already open in Mail, Files, Photos, Safari, or another app:

  1. Tap the app's Share action.
  2. Choose Cella.
  3. Review the items and select Default or Private under Save to.
  4. Tap Save. Cella opens to index the items.

The share extension accepts PDF, images, RTF, DOCX, and plain text. It cannot accept a new share while a previous capture batch is still processing.

Resolve a duplicate

When Cella finds an item that is already in the vault, choose:

  • Replace to remove the existing copy and use the new one.
  • Keep Both to save both copies.
  • Cancel to leave the existing item unchanged and skip the new copy.

After a successful capture, use Document Processing to follow progress.