Save any file from your computer into the Desktop Assistant's scan folder to upload it to a client in Canopy, with its PDF bookmarks kept.
Required: The Canopy Desktop Assistant installed on your computer and signed in.
Print to Canopy is the fastest way to upload, but it flattens PDFs, which removes their bookmarks. If you need those bookmarks, for example on a return exported from Drake or other tax software, save the file to Canopy instead. It uploads exactly as you saved it.
Table of Contents
Find Your Scan Folder on a Mac
The Desktop Assistant watches this folder. You only need to find it once.
Open Finder.
Press Command + Shift + G, or select Go > Go to Folder in the menu bar.
Type /Users/Shared/Canopy Desktop Assistant and press Return.
Press Return instead of clicking a suggestion in the list. A suggestion may open a different folder.
Open the folder with your Mac username, then watch-folder, then scan.
Drag the scan folder into the Favorites section of the Finder sidebar.
From then on, the folder is one click away in any Finder window or Save dialog.
Full path: Macintosh HD > Users > Shared > Canopy Desktop Assistant > [your username] > watch-folder > scan
Find Your Scan Folder on Windows
Open File Explorer.
Find the Scan to Canopy folder.
Right-click the folder and select Pin to Quick access.
Save a File to Canopy
Open the file you want to upload, such as a PDF of a return from your tax software.
Select Save As, Download or Export. The wording depends on the program.
This works for PDFs, Excel and Word files.
In the Save dialog, select your scan folder under Favorites (Mac) or Quick access (Windows), then click Save.
The Desktop Assistant opens a pop-up.
In the pop-up:
Enter a File name.
Search for and select the Client.
Choose a folder, or create a new one.
Click Upload.
Click View in Canopy to open the file with its bookmarks.
Note: The file is removed from the scan folder after it uploads. If you also need a copy on your computer, save one somewhere else as well.
Upload Several Files at Once
Select the files on your computer.
Copy and paste them into your scan folder.
Dragging files moves them instead of copying them, so the originals won't stay where they were.
In each pop-up, choose the client and folder, then click Upload.
The Desktop Assistant shows one pop-up per file, so each file can go to a different client.
Troubleshooting
I can't find Macintosh HD in Finder.
In Finder, press Command + Shift + C, or select Go > Computer. This lists every drive on your Mac.
To keep the drive in the sidebar, go to Finder > Settings > Sidebar and check Hard disks under Locations.
If the checkbox won't stay checked, your firm's IT may manage that setting. Use Command + Shift + C instead.
The bookmarks are missing after upload.
Check that you saved the file to Canopy rather than printing it.
Open the original file and confirm it has bookmarks. Some programs only include bookmarks when you export or save as PDF, not when you print to PDF.
The pop-up doesn't appear.
Check that the Desktop Assistant is running and signed in.
Check that the file was saved in the scan folder, not in watch-folder or a folder next to scan.
Summary
Save or copy a file into the Desktop Assistant's scan folder, and the Desktop Assistant uploads it to the client and folder you choose, unchanged. Use this instead of Print to Canopy whenever a PDF's bookmarks need to come through.
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