Introduction
ENCLAWSED is a powerful Microsoft Word add-in designed for legal professionals who work with document-heavy references and footnotes.
The add-in helps you:
- Create and manage document references (annexes, exhibits, etc.)
- Link footnotes to documents automatically
- Track footnote positions, headings, and paragraph numbers
- Archive and restore documents and footnotes safely
- Export metadata for further processing
- Customize display settings (columns, labels, document types)
Whether you're preparing contracts, legal briefs, or regulatory documents, ENCLAWSED ensures your document references are always consistent and properly tracked — without wasting time on manual management.
Secure cloud-based authentication with Microsoft accounts and subscription-based access.
Installation & Authentication
ENCLAWSED is a Microsoft Word add-in that works entirely within Word. No desktop application required.
Authentication with your Microsoft account is required, along with an active subscription to use ENCLAWSED.
1. Install the ENCLAWSED Add-in
Get the ENCLAWSED add-in from Microsoft's AppSource store.
- Open Microsoft Word on your computer
- Go to Insert → Get Add-ins
- Search for "ENCLAWSED" and click Add
- The ENCLAWSED sidebar will appear on the right side of your Word window
The add-in works with Microsoft Word for Windows and macOS (Office 365 or Office 2019+).
2. Sign in with Your Microsoft Account
When you first open ENCLAWSED, you'll be prompted to sign in with your Microsoft account.
Authentication Flow
- Click "Sign in with Microsoft" in the login modal
- A popup window will open for Microsoft authentication
- Sign in with your work, school, or personal Microsoft account
- Grant ENCLAWSED the necessary permissions (User.Read)
- You'll be automatically redirected back to the add-in
ENCLAWSED supports both personal Microsoft accounts and organizational accounts (Azure AD).
3. Activate Your Subscription
After authentication, ENCLAWSED will verify your subscription status.
Subscription Required
An active subscription is required to use ENCLAWSED. If you don't have one:
- Click "Subscribe Now" in the subscription modal
- You'll be redirected to Microsoft AppSource
- Choose a subscription plan that fits your needs
- Complete the purchase process
- Return to Word and click "Verify Subscription"
Once your subscription is active, you'll have full access to all ENCLAWSED features.
4. First Launch - Welcome Modal
On your first use of ENCLAWSED in a document, you'll see a welcome modal with:
- A quick overview of the main features
- Tips for getting started
- Links to documentation and support
This modal will only appear once per Word document, ensuring a smooth onboarding experience.
Features – Interface Overview
Once authenticated and subscribed, the ENCLAWSED sidebar provides three main tabs:
📝 Footnotes
Create and manage footnotes linked to documents
📄 Documents
Add, organize, and archive your document references
⚙️ Settings
Configure display options and manage your data
1. Documents Tab - Manage Your References
Documents in ENCLAWSED represent the references (annexes, exhibits, attachments) you want to cite in your Word document.
From the Documents tab, you can:
➕ Create Documents
Click the "+" button to add a new document reference. Each document gets an automatic position number.
✏️ Edit Labels
Click on any document to edit its label. If no label is provided, it defaults to "Annex 1", "Annex 2", etc.
↕️ Reorder Documents
Drag and drop documents using the grip handle to change their order. Positions update automatically.
🗄️ Archive Documents
Archive documents instead of deleting them. All linked footnotes are archived automatically (cascade).
♻️ Restore Archived
View and restore archived documents from the dedicated section when "Show archived" is enabled.
📊 View Metadata
Each document shows its position, creation date, and last update timestamp.
Smart Archiving
When you archive a document, all footnotes linked to it are automatically archived too. This ensures data consistency and prevents orphaned footnotes.
2. Footnotes Tab - Create and Link References
The Footnotes tab is where you create footnotes and link them to your documents. Each footnote captures important context about where it appears in your Word document.
Creating a Footnote:
- Select text in your Word document that you want to reference
- In the Footnotes tab, select which document this footnote should link to
- Click "Add a footnote"
- ENCLAWSED will:
- Insert a footnote at your cursor position
- Save the selected text
- Record the paragraph number
- Capture the heading context (if applicable)
- Assign a sequential footnote number
- Link it to the chosen document
Smart Context Capture
ENCLAWSED automatically detects the heading and paragraph number where your footnote is inserted, helping you track the exact location of each reference in your document structure.
3. Managing Footnotes
Available Actions
If footnotes are manually deleted from Word, click this button to sync the database and remove orphaned footnote records.
Switch between showing full document labels (e.g., "Exhibit A") or simplified references (e.g., "Annex 1"). This updates all footnotes automatically.
Archive individual footnotes instead of deleting them. The footnote is removed from Word but remains recoverable in the database.
Restore archived footnotes back into your Word document. If the original text is found, it's re-inserted automatically. Otherwise, you'll be prompted to select the text manually.
Footnotes Table Display
The footnotes table shows:
- #: Sequential footnote number
- Document: Linked document label or position
- Text: Selected text from Word
- Heading: Section heading context (toggleable)
- §: Paragraph number (toggleable)
- Actions: Archive or restore buttons
Column Visibility
You can customize which columns appear in the footnotes table:
- Toggle Heading column visibility in Settings
- Toggle Paragraph (§) column visibility in Settings
- When both are hidden, the Text column expands to use more space
All footnote data is automatically saved to a secure cloud database and synced across Word sessions. Your document retains a unique ID in its custom properties.
4. Archive System
Instead of permanently deleting documents and footnotes, ENCLAWSED now uses an archive system to help you manage your data safely.
How Archiving Works
- • When you archive a document, all linked footnotes are automatically archived too (cascade archiving)
- • Archived items are hidden by default but can be viewed by enabling "Show archived items" in the sidebar
- • Archived footnotes linked to archived documents remain hidden even when viewing archived items
- • You can restore items individually at any time
Archive Items
Instead of "Delete", click "Archive" on any document or footnote. It will be hidden but recoverable.
View Archived Items
Toggle "Show archived" in the ENCLAWSED sidebar to display all archived documents and footnotes.
Restore Items
Click "Restore" on any archived item to bring it back to active status.
Bulk Restore by Date
From Options, restore all items archived after a specific date and time.
⚠️ Warning: Bulk Restore by Date
The "Restore all after date/time" feature is a sensitive operation that can cause data inconsistencies if not used carefully.
Risk: Restoring footnotes without their linked documents (or vice versa) can corrupt your data structure and make the document unusable. Use this feature only if you understand the implications.
5. Settings Tab - Configuration & Data Management
The Settings tab provides powerful options to customize your ENCLAWSED experience and manage your data.
⚙️ Display Settings
📋 Document ID
Each Word document has a unique identifier stored in its custom properties:
- This ID links your Word file to the cloud database
- You can copy the ID for reference or support
- The ID persists across Word sessions
♻️ Bulk Restore by Date
Restore all documents and footnotes archived after a specific date and time.
- Expand the "Restore All After Date/Time" section
- Select a date and time using the date picker
- Type "UNARCHIVE" to confirm (case-sensitive)
- Click "Restore All Items"
Warning: Use with Caution
This operation can cause data inconsistencies if documents and their linked footnotes are restored separately. Always verify your data after bulk restore.
Permanent Data Deletion
From the Settings tab, you can permanently delete all data associated with the current Word document from ENCLAWSED servers.
This includes:
- All documents (active and archived)
- All footnotes (active and archived)
- All settings and preferences
- The WordDocument record and its unique ID
- All metadata and timestamps
⚠️ THIS ACTION IS IRREVERSIBLE AND CANNOT BE UNDONE
To confirm deletion, type "DELETE" (case-sensitive) and click the confirmation button. Use this feature only when you're absolutely certain you want to remove all your ENCLAWSED data for this document.
Account Information
Your Microsoft account information and subscription status are displayed in the Settings tab. You can also sign out from this panel.
Desktop App – PDF Assembly Workflow
The ENCLAWSED desktop application is a powerful PDF assembly tool that takes your exported Word document and metadata to create professional, court-ready PDF bundles.
The app follows a simple 5-step workflow, guiding you through the entire process from importing your main document to downloading the final assembled PDFs.
Workflow Overview
- Document: Import your main PDF (exported from Word)
- Data: Load your metadata JSON file
- Documents: Upload all annex PDF files
- Settings: Configure formatting and export options
- Generate: Create and download the final PDFs
Step 1: Import the Main PDF Document
Begin by exporting your Word document as a PDF (File → Save As → PDF).
Then, in the ENCLAWSED desktop app:
- Click the upload area or drag and drop your PDF file
- Only PDF files are accepted
- The file will be validated and loaded for processing
- Once imported, the "Next" button becomes active
Make sure your Word document includes all the main content and footnotes before exporting to PDF.
Step 2: Load Document & Footnote Metadata
Import the metadata JSON file that you exported from the Word add-in.
Two Ways to Import Data
Option 1: Upload JSON File
Click the upload area or drag and drop your exported JSON file from the Word add-in.
Option 2: Fetch from Server (Word Document ID)
Enter your Word document ID and click "Import" to fetch the data directly from the cloud.
The metadata file contains:
- Complete list of documents with labels and positions
- All footnotes with their text and document associations
- Document type configuration (e.g., "Annex", "Exhibit")
- Custom settings from the Word add-in
The JSON structure is validated automatically. If the file is invalid, you'll see a detailed error message.
Step 3: Upload Annex PDF Files
Now upload all the annex PDF files that are referenced in your Word document.
📤 Individual Upload
Click the "Upload" button next to each document to select its corresponding PDF file.
📂 Bulk Upload
Upload multiple PDFs at once and let the app automatically match them to your documents.
Smart Automatch System
The app uses intelligent filename matching to automatically assign PDFs to the correct documents:
- Compares document labels with uploaded filenames
- Handles case differences, accents, and punctuation
- Uses similarity threshold to find best matches
- Shows match confidence and allows manual override
Automatch Settings (Customizable)
Matching Errors
If files cannot be automatically matched, they'll be flagged with an error. You can manually assign them by clicking the "Upload" button for each document.
A progress bar shows how many documents have been successfully matched:
Step 4: Configure Export Settings
Fine-tune how your final PDFs will be structured and formatted.
General Settings
Client ID
Displayed centered at the top of each PDF page. This helps identify the client or case number throughout the document.
Max File Size per PDF
If the combined PDF exceeds this limit, it will be automatically split into multiple parts. Choose from:
- 10 MB - Very Safe (compatible everywhere)
- 15 MB - Good Compromise
- 20 MB - Recommended (standard) ← Default
- 25 MB - Maximum (Gmail/Yahoo limit)
Summary Sheet Configuration
A summary table ("bordereau") listing all footnotes and their page references will be added to the end of your main PDF.
Document Type Prefix
3-letter code displayed in the first column before the index number (e.g., "ANN" for Annex, "EXH" for Exhibit).
Document Language
Language for column headers in the summary table. Available: Français, English, Nederlands.
Summary Sheet Header
Custom header information displayed at the top of the summary table:
- Title: Main heading for the summary sheet
- Subtitle: Secondary heading or case description
- User: Name of the person preparing the document
- Code: Additional reference or case code
Cover Page Settings
Cover Title Template
Each annex PDF will get a cover page. The title will be formatted as: "[Your Title] + [Index Number]". For example, if you enter "Annex", cover pages will be titled "Annex 1", "Annex 2", etc.
All settings are automatically saved and will be remembered for your next session.
Step 5: Generate & Download Final PDFs
Once all previous steps are complete, click "Next" to start the PDF generation process.
What Happens During Generation
- The app loads and validates your main PDF document
- A summary table is generated from your footnote data
- The summary table is added to the end of your main PDF
- Each annex PDF is processed and prepared
- Cover pages are created for each annex
- Client ID headers are added to all pages
- Page numbers are calculated and added sequentially
- Document headers are added to identify each annex
- If needed, PDFs are split into multiple parts based on file size limits
- Final PDFs are prepared for download
Progress Tracking
A detailed progress bar shows the current operation and completion percentage:
Download Your Files
After generation completes, you'll see a list of downloadable files:
- Main.pdf: Your original Word document + summary table (or Main-Part1.pdf, Main-Part2.pdf if split)
- Documents.pdf: All annexes with cover pages and pagination (or Documents-Part1.pdf, Documents-Part2.pdf if split)
Click the "Download" button next to each file to save it to your computer.
✅ Your PDFs are Ready!
The generated PDFs are professionally formatted with proper pagination, headers, cover pages, and a complete summary table. They're ready to be submitted to court, sent to clients, or filed in your case management system.
Additional Features
Automatic Updates
The desktop app checks for updates when launched and installs them automatically in the background. You'll be notified when a new version is ready.
Drag & Drop Support
Throughout the entire workflow, you can drag and drop PDF files directly into the app instead of using the upload dialogs.
Smart PDF Splitting
Large PDFs are automatically split into manageable parts while maintaining continuous page numbering across all parts.
Real-time Validation
Each step validates your data before allowing you to proceed, ensuring the final PDFs are always correctly formatted.
Troubleshooting & Risks
Common Issues
Add-in not appearing in Word
Make sure you have Office 365 or Office 2019+. Restart Word after installation. Check if your admin has blocked add-ins.
Footnotes not syncing properly
Use the "Sync" button in the ENCLAWSED sidebar to restore consistency. Avoid manually editing footnote numbers in Word.
⚠️ Important Warning: Footnote corruption
Microsoft Word footnotes can become corrupted if the document is heavily edited, especially when footnotes are inserted or deleted manually.
This is a known limitation of Word's footnote system and is not specific to ENCLAWSED.
If this happens:
- Save a backup of your Word document before using ENCLAWSED
- Use the "Sync" button frequently to maintain consistency
- Contact support if you encounter persistent issues
Privacy & Data Handling
Your documents and files never leave your computer.
The only data stored remotely (temporarily and securely) includes:
- The name of each defined document
- The selected text for each footnote
- The association between footnotes and documents
This minimal data enables better compatibility between the Word extension and the desktop app.
Updates
- The Word add-in is automatically updated through Microsoft AppSource
- The desktop app updates itself when launched, if a new version is available
We release updates regularly with bug fixes and new features. No action required on your part.
Get in Touch
Ready to revolutionize your document workflow? Let's discuss how ENCLAWSED can save you hours every week.