Manual tags let you organize documents by hand. Create a tag, then assign files individually through the file actions menu or in bulk via multi-select. Manual tags are static and only change when you explicitly add or remove files.
How to create a manual tag
At the top of the Tags tab, you'll find the Create Tag button. Click it and enter a descriptive name like "Key Exhibits" or "Privileged - Attorney-Client." Once you confirm, the new tag appears in the list with a file count of zero, ready for you to start assigning files.
Pick a name that clearly communicates the tag's purpose. Because tags don't nest, many teams adopt prefix-based conventions like "Privilege - AC" and "Privilege - WP" to keep related tags visually grouped.
Adding files to a manual tag
To assign a file, open the file actions menu on any file row and select Add to Tag. A submenu lists all existing tags plus an option to create a new tag on the spot. Select the target tag and the file is assigned immediately.
For bulk tagging, first select multiple files using multi-select, then choose Add to Tag from the bulk actions bar. Every selected file gets added to the chosen tag in one operation. This is especially useful when triaging a large document set during initial case setup.
Removing files from a manual tag
To remove a file, expand the tag in the Tags tab, right-click the file (or click its menu icon), and select Remove from Tag. The file leaves that tag but stays in the case and in any other tags it belongs to. Removing a file from a tag never deletes the underlying file.
You can also remove multiple files at once. Select the files with multi-select, then choose the remove option from the bulk actions bar. The file count on the tag updates immediately.
When to use manual tags
Manual tags are the right choice when categorization depends on human judgment rather than objective file attributes. Common examples include:
- Privilege review - After reading a document, you decide whether it's privileged and tag it accordingly.
- Key exhibits - You identify the most important documents for trial preparation and collect them in a dedicated tag.
- Review status - Tags like "Reviewed," "Needs Follow-Up," and "Flagged" let you track progress through a document set.
- Production sets - Before producing documents, you tag them into a production set to track what's been disclosed.
If you need to tag documents based on objective properties like file type, date range, or metadata content, consider using a smart tag instead. Smart tags handle the process automatically and can match thousands of files in seconds.