A litigation team may need OCR before review. An accounting team may need a processor to extract statement transactions. Measuring the folder first can help describe the handoff, but the count and the processing decision answer different questions.
Correction, October 6, 2026: Earlier copy overstated fully offline use and counting coverage. This version distinguishes local document processing from licensing requests, explains partial totals, and treats browser tools according to their actual workflow.
Separate the task from the interface
Write down whether you need an inventory, PDF page counts, OCR, spreadsheet analysis, hosting or substantive review. A page counter cannot substitute for all of those jobs. For a few readable PDFs, an approved viewer and a simple local worksheet may be enough: Mozilla documents Firefox's built-in PDF viewer and page navigation. Check the file-opening workflow and any extensions you use.
A browser interface alone does not show whether document content is sent to a server. Check the specific tool's current documentation and terms. An approved hosted review platform may be the better choice when the task requires collaboration or review. Local measurement avoids an additional content transfer for that measurement; it does not establish that a cloud-synced folder has never left the machine or that the whole computer is secure.
Record the scope before sending files
The following is FileTally's practical worksheet, not a prescribed legal or audit procedure. Copy it into a local record and fill in the blanks before a handoff:
- Task and owner: State the requested operation, who approved it and what output is expected. Keep OCR, counting and review distinct.
- Source scope: Record the selected folder or batch, date, included formats and exclusions. A folder inventory does not show that every relevant document was collected.
- Units and methods: Record file count, successfully measured PDF pages, any separate spreadsheet measurement and bytes when relevant. Do not add these different units together. For legacy FileTally Excel results, printed pages depend on rendering and print settings; a worksheet fallback is an estimate.
- Exceptions: List unreadable, encrypted, failed and unsupported files, along with provisional counts. Assign a next action. An unknown count is not zero.
- Delivery scope: Record the exact files selected for the task, held files and excluded files. Preserve the source documents; an intake count is not permission to delete copies.
- Recipient and channel: Use your team's approved recipient and transfer method. Record the applicable handling terms, access, retention and subprocessors. Refer unresolved questions to the person responsible for the engagement or security decision.
- Receipt and reconciliation: Compare the recipient's received-file list with the delivery record. Follow up on missing files, changed scope and processing exceptions before treating the job as complete.
Reports may contain paths or filenames that reveal client or business information. Keep the worksheet and count report in the same approved handling process as the documents.
A worked handoff example
Synthetic assumptions: This invented accounting packet illustrates the worksheet; it is not a FileTally scan or an installed-app demonstration. Two readable PDFs have assumed counts of four and five pages. A third PDF cannot be measured. A workbook is outside the requested PDF OCR task.
| Item | PDF pages | Handoff status |
|---|---|---|
| January PDF | 4 | Selected for OCR |
| February PDF | 5 | Selected for OCR |
| March PDF | Unknown | Held for a readable replacement |
| Ledger workbook | Different unit | Excluded from this PDF task |
The source inventory contains four files. The planned delivery contains two readable PDFs and nine measured PDF pages: 4 + 5 = 9. One PDF remains held with an unknown page count; one workbook is excluded from this task. Nine is a total for the selected readable PDFs, not a complete page total for the source packet.
If the received-file list names the January and February PDFs and confirms two files, the selected delivery's listed names and file count reconcile. Matching names alone does not establish byte identity. That receipt does not show that OCR succeeded, that all three PDFs were delivered, or that the financial information is correct. Record the held PDF and any processing failures separately.
Keep source bytes separate too. A vendor may bill native, processed or hosted volume under different terms. Our guide to files, pages and gigabytes in eDiscovery quotes explains why a page total cannot replace the vendor's billing unit.
Handling decisions need their own evidence
ABA Model Rule 1.6(c) calls for reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized disclosure or access. Comments 18 and 19 discuss context, including sensitivity, safeguards and reasonable expectations of privacy. They do not establish a blanket prohibition on cloud tools. The Model Rules are a reference; check the rules adopted in the relevant jurisdiction and any engagement-specific requirements.
For accounting work, a received-file list or page count cannot verify an account balance, a tax return or an audit opinion. Local processing does not approve a vendor, prevent breaches or satisfy a professional obligation by itself. Necessary OCR, review, authentication and security controls remain separate work.
Where FileTally fits
FileTally 1.0 for Windows and Mac measures supported local documents and exports CSV or JSONL. Keep counted pages separate from estimates and excluded files. Spreadsheet pages are estimated from each sheet's used range on a standard page; populated cells are reported separately and never added to the page total.
FileTally does not upload document content for counting. A paid license activates online once on each computer, then works offline; see the licensing details.
If your immediate task is local counting, review FileTally's formats and methods or compare counting workflows. If the next task needs another processor, use the worksheet to describe that approved handoff and its unresolved limits.
Questions people ask
Does FileTally require an internet connection?
Document counting and export generation run locally on Windows. A paid license activates online once on each computer, then works offline. Local document processing does not mean the app makes no network requests.
Does a local count prove the folder is complete?
No. File counts, measured pages and unresolved exceptions describe the selected scan scope. They do not prove every relevant document was collected or reviewed, establish legal sufficiency, or verify an account balance or audit opinion.
Does using a browser always mean uploading the PDF?
No. A browser interface alone does not establish where a tool processes document content. Check the specific workflow and current documentation. Firefox, for example, includes a built-in PDF viewer; an online service may instead require an upload.