Answers to common questions about managing documents in DataSnipper for Excel.

You can rename documents and pages, rotate pages, and add comments to source documents. You cannot edit the actual content within the PDF itself.

Version Comparison compares two PDF versions and highlights the changes between them. Version Comparison results and findings can currently be exported to Excel as a spreadsheet. Direct export of the Version Comparison result as a standalone marked-up PDF is not currently supported.

Exporting original files from Document Viewer and exporting Financial Statement Suite review PDFs are different export features. For the Version Comparison workflow, see How to compare documents using Version Comparison.

Yes. When importing a password-protected file, DataSnipper will prompt you for the password. Once imported, the document is no longer password-protected inside DataSnipper. Tip: password-protect the Excel workbook itself if the embedded documents should remain protected.

If "Include PDFs in Excel" is enabled (the default): imported documents are copied and embedded in the Excel file. Anyone with DataSnipper can view them, and the original files are not linked — changes to the originals have no effect on the embedded versions.

If "Include PDFs in Excel" is turned off: DataSnipper references the original file at its stored location rather than embedding it. The document is not in the Excel file itself, so other users can only view it if they have access to the same file path. Changes to the original document will be reflected in DataSnipper.

Yes. Most DataSnipper functionality works offline because it is a local application. Features that require an internet connection are OCR (Text Recognition), the Getting Started panel, and the Feedback button.

Three options, in order of recommendation:

Only the first document will be imported. DataSnipper does not allow multiple documents with the same name. Rename the first document in the Document Viewer before importing the second one.

By default, DataSnipper stores any documents that you import into a workbook inside the workbook itself. It does this by serializing the documents into byte strings and storing them inside Custom XML objects.

This has benefits, such as being able to share workbooks with imported documents seamlessly with colleagues. However, it also increases the size of the workbook. Depending on the number of imported documents, this can affect workbook performance.

DataSnipper can instead reference documents at their storage location, so the documents do not need to be stored inside the workbook. You can toggle this option using the slider in the DataSnipper ribbon.

With this slider toggled off, DataSnipper references the documents at their original storage location. The documents are no longer stored inside the workbook, which can improve performance when working with large sets of supporting documentation.

When this setting is turned off, DataSnipper references the supporting documents at the storage location relative to the active workbook. For example, if a workbook is stored at C:/ and the imported documents are stored at C:/Documents, the relative filepath is /Documents.

For DataSnipper to reference these documents, the relative filepath must stay the same. This is an important consideration when you want to share DataSnipper workbooks with other people.

If documents are not stored inside the workbook, it is best practice to create a ZIP folder containing the active workbook and the supporting documentation before sharing. This ensures that when a second user receives the workbook and supporting documentation, the relative filepath stays the same and DataSnipper can locate the documents.

If you have any questions about this functionality, contact our support team at [email protected].

If DataSnipper keeps showing “DataSnipper is still processing your previous action, please wait”, a previous action has not finished. Indexing or another background task may be involved. The message alone does not identify the cause.

Avoid repeatedly clicking buttons or submitting the same command while an action is pending. If processing has only just started, allow one initial 5–10 minute wait. If you have already waited or the problem keeps returning, continue with the checks below. Waiting does not by itself establish recovery.

For a shared workbook, confirm that collaborators can access the intended source files and allow normal shared-storage synchronization to finish. Coordinate imports and other major document changes so they do not overlap. Preserve the original files and their relative references; moving the working files to a local drive is not a general recovery step.

If a source file was moved, renamed or changed after import, establish what changed before choosing recovery. Use the Document is corrupt troubleshooting guide for the changed-document case and the co-authoring setup guide for shared access.

If an import requests a document password, use the approved password or ask the document owner for access. Password protection alone does not establish an indexing failure. See the Document Management FAQs.

If your organisation permits it, compare the same operation in a separate blank workbook with two or three affected documents. Preserve the original working files. Success in the small workbook helps narrow the investigation; it does not prove a cause or repair the original.

Use this procedure when local DataSnipper Cache recovery is relevant to the issue you are investigating. It clears only the Cache subfolder. An unexplained sign-in error alone does not establish a cache problem, and the cleanup does not guarantee a fix.

Save all work and keep your workbook and source documents in their existing locations. This manual folder route does not require signing in to DataSnipper or opening its ribbon.

If Cache is missing, inaccessible or still in use, stop. Do not delete a broader location, force-unlock files or end a process. Preserve user settings, templates, activation data and the user-wide %LocalAppData%\IsolatedStorage folder and contents.

Contact DataSnipper Support with the error or result and the steps you have already tried. If cleanup has already failed or is unavailable, share that information instead of repeating the same step.

When Excel and the DataSnipper ribbon are available, collect a log through DataSnipper > Learn > About > Save log file. Otherwise, share the error text, approximate failure time or a screenshot if available. Missing diagnostics do not prevent asking for help. See how to find the DataSnipper log file.

Share the action that triggered the message, the approximate failure time, which workbooks are affected and the results of checks already completed. Include a screenshot or version if available.

When Excel and the DataSnipper ribbon work, collect the log through DataSnipper > Learn > About > Save log file. If that route or another diagnostic is unavailable, say so; you can still ask for help. See log-file instructions.