Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about ChockaDocs.
Why is it called ChockaDocs?
"Chocka" is Australian slang for "completely full" or "packed to the brim." ChockaDocs is all about filling your library—collecting documents, filling collections, chocking them full of tags and metadata. Plus, it's a bit cheeky and memorable, which felt right for an indie Mac app built by someone who loves great tools.
Is ChockaDocs Mac-only?
Yes. ChockaDocs is built specifically for macOS using native Swift and SwiftUI. We built it as a Mac app first because that's where the best experience lives. No plans for Windows or iOS at this time.
How much does it cost?
ChockaDocs is a one-time purchase available on the Mac App Store. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no surprise fees. You buy it once and it's yours forever, with free updates included.
Where does my data live?
Everything stays on your Mac. There's no cloud sync, no servers, no accounts to log into. Your library lives in a local .chockadocs package that you fully control. You can move it, back it up, or copy it wherever you want—it's completely yours.
Can I import from Paperless?
Yes. ChockaDocs can import your entire Paperless library in one go—all your documents, tags, collections, document types, and OCR text come along. It's designed to be a straightforward migration path from Paperless to a modern Mac app.
Can I use ChockaDocs on multiple Macs?
v1.0 supports one library per Mac. In v1.1, you'll be able to switch between multiple libraries on the same Mac. For using the same library across multiple machines, you can move your library to external storage or use a sync solution like iCloud Drive or Dropbox—your choice.
Does it have full-text search?
v1.0 has free-text search across titles, descriptions, notes, tags, and people. Full-text search across document content is coming in v1.2 with OCR improvements.
How does it handle large libraries?
ChockaDocs is built to scale. Even with thousands of documents, search is fast and the interface stays responsive. Thumbnails are cached intelligently, and the database is optimised for quick queries. Performance is a core design principle.