PaperPort's DesktopDelivery documentation warns that delivered files do not remain in the mapped external folder. A watched folder should therefore not be assumed to be an archive. Before enabling automated intake, decide where the authoritative source and any retained copy will live.
DesktopDelivery is documented as a PaperPort Professional feature. This guide concerns its intake behavior, rather than the general problem of a network folder not refreshing. Use disposable files in isolated test folders; do not point an untested configuration at the only copy of important records.
Distinguish the monitored source from the destination
Write down both complete paths. The source is the external local or network folder being monitored. The destination is the PaperPort folder configured to receive the delivered material. Similar folder names can hide the fact that they are different locations with different retention rules.
The official DesktopDelivery guidance explains the monitored-folder relationship and explicitly advises arranging an archive separately. That warning should shape the workflow before staff begin dropping production documents into the intake folder.
Identify the process owner
Ask who deposits files, who verifies delivery and who controls retention. If another system expects to read the source later, consuming its files can disrupt that second process. Resolve the shared-folder contract before enabling monitoring.
Keep test folders outside other automation
Do not use a live email intake or a directory already watched by another application. A clean test environment makes it possible to observe which process moves, converts or removes the file. It also reduces the risk of an unintended loop between two automated routes.
Review the configured folder pair
Open the supported DesktopDelivery manager and inspect the enabled source-destination relationship. Confirm any format conversion choice and the monitoring interval. Record the actual behavior you intend rather than assuming the feature is a simple read-only folder view.
The Folder Notes documentation describes metadata that may be applied to incoming PDF items. That is another reason to inspect the delivered copy: a transfer can affect both its location and its descriptive properties.
| Workflow requirement | Decision before enabling intake |
|---|---|
| Retain original input | Separate approved archive or upstream retention |
| Deliver to the right team | Exact receiving folder and permissions |
| Preserve metadata | Folder Notes and conflict behavior |
| Support another consuming system | Agreed ownership of the monitored source |
Test one harmless file from arrival to completion
Place a clearly named sample in the monitored test source. Wait for the documented monitoring cycle and inspect the destination. Confirm page count, readability and any requested conversion. Then check the original source location and record whether the sample remains.
Do not repeatedly reintroduce the same file
If a sample appears to be missing, inspect the destination and manager state before copying it in again. Repeated deposits can create duplicates or make a timing issue appear to be data loss. Track the sample with a unique, nonconfidential test label.
Check access from the actual operating context
A network path visible to an interactive user may behave differently in the context used by an automated component. Ask the administrator to review supported access if delivery fails. Do not widen permissions to everyone merely to make a test succeed.
Define a real retention arrangement
If the business needs the original input, establish an approved archive before the intake step or another supported preservation method. Do not describe a receiving folder as a backup simply because it holds the delivered version. Conversion, metadata changes, deletion and access policies may differ between source and destination.
Document who verifies completeness and what happens when delivery is interrupted. A folder automation should have an observable success condition rather than depend on the absence of an error popup.
For a separate scanning approach, the OneDrive mobile OCR guide explains capture and searchable text. It does not change DesktopDelivery's source-folder behavior.
Also test the agreed response to an unavailable destination with the administrator's oversight. Staff need a safe escalation path before production input accumulates or is deposited repeatedly.
Accept the workflow only when the sample reaches the intended destination intact, the source behavior is understood, and required retention exists independently. Keep the record small: folder pair, enabled options, test date and accountable owner are enough to prevent the watched folder being mistaken for permanent storage.
