Getting started
What does Sopycat do?
You do a task once on your PC while Sopycat records the screen. It turns that recording into a step-by-step manual, with a picture and a short instruction for each click. It also includes a full PDF editor, so your manuals and your office's PDFs sit in one library.
What computer do I need?
Sopycat runs on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. You need a microphone only if you want to talk while you record.
Is there a Mac version?
Not yet. A Mac version is planned; today Sopycat runs on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Manuals you save as a PDF, Word document or web page open on any computer, including a Mac.
Do I need the internet?
Only now and then. Recording, writing the steps, editing and the PDF editor all work offline. You need the internet for updates, the key check every 3 days and the optional downloads (the Office pack and speech to text). Offline, a key keeps working for 14 days after its last check; after that, Sopycat opens read-only until it can check again.
Where are my manuals saved?
In your library folder, which is Documents\Sopycat unless you chose another. What you save from Sopycat is in its Saved files folder; Sopycat keeps everything else in a hidden folder beside it called Library data. They are all ordinary files. You can open the folder from Settings, and for one document's file, open the document and press Show in folder.
Settings › Library Location › Open folder
If I uninstall Sopycat, do I lose my manuals?
No. Uninstalling leaves the library folder where it is. Install Sopycat again and point it at the same folder to carry on.
How do I see the tour again?
Choose Take the tour again in Settings, or press Ctrl+K and type tour. Keys: → for the next stop, ← for the one before, Esc to end.
Settings › Tour & Tips › Take the tour again
What is on the Home page?
Sopycat opens on Home: a search box that looks inside every file, your library counted by file type, Recent (the documents and manuals you opened last, with the top one as the place to pick up), New manual and Add a document, the Tools (edit, fill in, sign and redact a PDF, edit a picture, convert, combine, batch jobs), Needs attention and This week. Until you have a few manuals, a card shows the three steps of recording a task; after that, Record a task sits beside the search box. Suggestions for what to try first are under More › Getting started. The Sopycat logo brings you back to Home.
Sidebar › Home
Does Sopycat work in other languages?
Sopycat's screens are in English. The spelling check follows the languages set in Windows. Voice transcription and making scans searchable (OCR) work in English only.
Recording
Can I pause a recording?
No, there is no pause button. Press Stop when you need a break, then add the rest later with Record more steps…. The new steps join the same manual.
Open the manual › ⋯ More options › Record more steps…
Can I record just one window?
No. Sopycat records a whole screen. If you have more than one, it asks Which screen will you use? before you start. Sopycat's own recording bar is never in the recording.
What if I type a password while recording?
Password boxes are never written down: the step just says Enter the Password. Card, social-security and phone numbers, email addresses, long account numbers and anything typed into a box named for private details are left out the same way. Other typing is written into the manual, so it can say things like "Enter 25.00 in Amount". To leave out everything you type, turn off Write down what I type.
Settings › Screen Recording › Write down what I type
How long does it take to write the manual?
Usually a minute or two after you press Stop. You can leave the page and keep working; Sopycat can tell you with a Windows notification when it is ready.
I made a mistake while recording. Do I start again?
You can press Start over on the recording bar, then click it again to confirm. Often it is quicker to carry on and remove the extra steps afterwards with the step's ⋯ › Remove step.
A step names the wrong button. How do I fix it?
Click the step's title and type the right words. Sopycat names each click from what Windows reports, or by reading the screen. While you record, the bar shows the name it will use for your last action, so you can redo an action if the name looks wrong.
I forgot a step in the middle. Can I add it?
Yes. On the step before the gap, open its ⋯ menu and choose Add a step after this, or on the step after the gap choose Add a step before this. From there you can record the missing part, paste a screenshot, pick a picture file or add a blank step.
Open the manual › the step's ⋯ › Add a step after this › Record more steps here…
Can I talk while I record?
Yes. Tick Record my voice too before you start. Your voice plays back on each step, and with voice transcription downloaded Sopycat can write your words into the steps. A narrated recording also gets a tutorial video.
Can I change the stop key?
Yes. The standard keys are Ctrl+F9 to stop and Ctrl+F8 to mark a spot as its own step. Type a new pair, such as Alt+F10, and they work from any program while you record.
Settings › Screen Recording
Editing
Do I need to save a manual?
No. A manual saves itself a moment after you stop typing, and the header shows Saved. Your changes are also kept as earlier versions you can go back to.
How do I hide private details in a picture?
Press Blur something on the step and drag over what you want hidden. Press × on a blur to take it away. Sopycat can also blur email addresses, phone numbers, card numbers and social-security numbers for you as it makes the manual.
Open the manual › the step › Blur something
I changed something by mistake. Can I undo it?
Removing, splitting or merging a step shows an Undo button for a few seconds. For anything older, open Earlier versions and press Put back on the version you want. Each manual keeps its 30 most recent versions.
Open the manual › ⋯ More options › Earlier versions
How do I move a step to another place?
Drag it by the grip (⋮⋮) to the left of its number. A line shows where it will land, and a label says what will happen, for example "Step 2 becomes step 4". Or open the step's ⋯ menu and choose Move up or Move down. The step numbers and the numbers on the pictures update by themselves.
Open the manual › drag the step's grip, or the step's ⋯ › Move up / Move down
Can I say why a step matters?
Yes. Open the step's ⋯ menu and choose Add why this step matters, then type the reason on the Why line, for example "so the refund posts the same day". It shows under the step in the manual, in Follow along, and in the PDF, Word document, web page and text file you save.
Open the manual › the step's ⋯ › Add why this step matters
Can I make a manual without recording?
Yes. Press New manual on Home or the Manuals page for an empty manual, then add screenshots and words yourself. Take a screenshot with Windows+Shift+S and press Ctrl+V in the manual to make it a step.
Home › New manual, or Manuals › New manual
The picture caught the wrong moment. Can I pick another?
Yes. Choose Change picture on the step, move through the recording with the slider, and press Use this picture. You can also drag the purple box to put the highlight in the right place.
Open the manual › the step's ⋯ › Change picture
The program changed. How do I know which steps are out of date?
Choose Compare the steps with the screen… with the program open on your main screen. Sopycat photographs the screen and marks each step as still matching, moved or looking different. You can also set a review date so the manual reminds you to check it.
Open the manual › ⋯ More options › Compare the steps with the screen…
Can Sopycat write the steps again?
Yes, if the manual came from a recording. Rewrite from the recording writes every step again from the recording. It replaces your changes to the words and pictures, but keeps steps you added yourself and leaves the old version under Earlier versions.
Open the manual › ⋯ More options › Rewrite from the recording
Sharing and training
Can people without Sopycat read my manuals?
Yes. Save the manual as a PDF, a Word document, a web page or a tutorial video, and send it or put it on a shared drive. Anyone can open those without Sopycat.
Can Sopycat make a training video?
Yes, from any manual that came from a recording. The video shows the screen with a ring and number on each click and a caption for each step, plus your voice if you narrated. Narrated recordings get one automatically.
Open the manual › ⋯ More options › Make a tutorial video
Can I print a manual?
Yes. Press View as PDF, then the printer button in the window that opens. The PDF is Letter size, with the title, the summary and each numbered step with its picture.
Open the manual › View as PDF
How do I know my staff read a manual?
Choose Ask staff to confirm they read this… and press Publish. Each reader sees a banner and presses I have read this, and their name is logged. If you publish again after changes, everyone is asked again. After the trial, reading confirmations need an Office key.
Open the manual › ⋯ More options › Ask staff to confirm they read this…
Do readers need Sopycat to confirm they read it?
Yes. Confirmations are made in Sopycat, so each reader needs Sopycat pointed at the same shared library folder. Their name comes from Settings › Name on Records, or their Windows user name if that is empty.
Can I show that someone completed a procedure?
Yes. When someone goes through a manual with Follow along, each step they tick or skip is logged with their name and the time. The Records page lists every run, and you can save the list as a CSV file for a spreadsheet. After the trial, completions are only recorded with an Office key.
Sidebar › Records › Save completions as CSV
What is Follow along?
A small window that stays on top of your other programs and shows one step at a time, with a short film of that step when the manual came from a recording. Press Done for each step, or Skip and give a reason. It can also show the steps as a checklist.
Open the manual › Follow along
PDFs and documents
Can I change the words in a PDF?
Yes. On the Edit text tab, click a line to change its words, or pick Paragraphs to rewrite a whole block. The old words are taken out of the file, not just covered. If the file lacks the font, Sopycat uses the closest standard one.
Does Sopycat change my original file?
No. The file you added is never written over. Each save makes a new version, and you can go back to the original at any time under Versions.
Open the document › ⋯ More options › Versions
Can Sopycat read a scanned PDF?
Yes, after you make it searchable. Make it searchable (OCR)… reads the words on each scanned page on your PC and adds them invisibly, so you can search the file and use Find and redact. It works in English.
Open the PDF › More › Make it searchable (OCR)…
Can I sign a PDF?
Yes. Draw or type your signature once and place it on any page. That is a picture of your signature. If you need a digital signature that shows any later change, use Sign with a certificate….
Open the PDF › Mark up › Signature
Is redaction really safe?
Yes. On save, Sopycat takes the words and picture data out from under each box, then checks the page again. If it cannot prove they are gone, it saves nothing and tells you. Every redaction is listed in the redaction log.
Can I open Word, Excel and PowerPoint files?
Yes, and edit them. Word files open in the Word editor, Excel and CSV files open as spreadsheets you can type into, with formulas worked out as you go, and PowerPoint decks open slide by slide so you can change their words. Pictures have their own editor too. Older formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt and OpenDocument files) are brought into the modern ones as you add them, which needs the free Office pack. The file you added is always kept.
Settings › Office File Conversion › Download the Office pack (about 350 MB)
Can I see only my PDFs, or only my pictures?
Yes. On the Documents page, the File type row at the top lists the kinds of file you have, each with a count. Click one to see only that kind, and All to see everything. The cards are grouped by file type; Group by › By Folder groups them by folder instead. Both choices are remembered on this computer.
Documents › File type › PDFs
How do I send someone a document's file?
Open the document's ⋯ menu and choose Copy file, then paste into an email, a chat message or a folder. Show in folder opens File Explorer with the file selected, in its latest version. Both are on the document's card on the Documents page; on the document's own page, Show in folder sits beside Open in its app.
The document's ⋯ › Copy file
The slides of my deck look different in Sopycat
The deck is probably set in a font this computer does not have. A note above the slides names the font and says the slide pictures use a stand-in. The deck itself is unchanged. Install the font to see the slides as designed.
Can I edit a password-protected PDF?
Only if you know the password. Type it and press Remove the password, and the locked copy stays under Versions. Without the password, Sopycat cannot open the lock.
How do I combine PDFs into one?
Use Convert files: drop in PDFs, pictures and Office files, choose Combine them into one PDF, put them in order and press the button at the foot of the page, such as Combine 3 files into one PDF. To add one PDF to the end of another, open the first and choose Add another PDF to the end.
Sidebar › PDF tools › Convert files › Combine them into one PDF
Sopycat closed before I saved my PDF edits. Are they lost?
Usually not. Sopycat keeps unsaved PDF edits on your PC every few seconds. When you open the file again it says You have unsaved changes, and you can press Restore.
Offices
Do we need a server?
No. A shared folder is all it takes. Sopycat marks who is editing each document and stops one save from replacing another. For fewer clashes, keep the computers' clocks correct and give each PC its own name in Windows.
What happens if two people edit the same thing?
The second person sees who is editing and can choose Open read-only. If both save anyway, Sopycat refuses the save that would overwrite a newer one and offers Reload theirs or Keep yours as a copy. Nothing is replaced silently.
What is regulated-office mode?
A setting for offices with strict rules. It turns off saving a web page, turns off automatic updates, and logs every view, edit and export. It is set on each PC, so switch it on for every PC in the office. After the trial it needs an Office key.
Settings › Regulated Office Mode › Regulated-office mode
Is there an audit log?
Yes. Redactions, signatures, read confirmations, Follow along runs, publishing, deletes and restores are always logged. In regulated-office mode, views, edits, exports and backups are logged too. You can see it in Settings and save it as a CSV file.
Settings › Regulated Office Mode › Show the audit log
How do we back up the library?
Press Back up the library… to save everything in one .zip file, or tick Back up automatically once a week and pick a folder on another drive. The weekly backup keeps the last 4 and runs while Sopycat is open. Restoring adds what is missing and never writes over what is there.
Settings › Backup & Restore
Does installing need admin rights?
No. Sopycat installs for the person signed in to Windows, so no admin password is needed. The same goes for the Office pack.
Privacy
Does Sopycat upload my recordings?
No. Recordings, manuals, PDFs and records stay on your PC in your library folder. Sopycat sends none of them anywhere.
Does Sopycat use AI?
No AI writes your manuals. Each step is written on your PC from what Windows reports about the click, what you typed and the words on the screen. Nothing is sent to an AI service. Speech to text, an optional download, turns your narration into words on your PC.
What does the key check send?
The key and an anonymous ID for this computer, such as "Sopycat PC 7F3A21", to Lemon Squeezy, our store. The ID is made from the Windows installation, never from the computer's name or your Windows user name. Nothing about your documents is sent.
Can Sopycat blur personal details for me?
Yes, with Blur personal details in the pictures automatically on. Email addresses, phone numbers, card numbers and social-security numbers are pixelated on your PC as the manual is made. Other details, such as names, are not found automatically.
Settings › Screen Recording › Blur personal details in the pictures automatically
Does Sopycat send anything on its own?
Only two things: the update check, which you can turn off, and with a key, the key check every 3 days. Nothing is sent automatically when something goes wrong. A problem report is a file you save and email to us yourself. The app has no analytics or telemetry.
Settings › App Updates, and Settings › Plan & License
Can I use Sopycat with client or patient information?
Sopycat keeps everything on your PC. Private values you type, such as card and account numbers, are left out automatically. It does not make your office compliant with any rule by itself. Remember that the unblurred original frames stay in each manual's folder, so keep the library where only the right people can reach it.
Buying
Is there a free trial?
Yes. You can try every recording, editing and PDF feature free for 14 days, with no account and no card. Manuals saved during the trial carry a small Made with Sopycat mark, and the Office plan's team features need an Office key.
What happens when the trial ends?
Nothing is deleted. You can still open and read every manual and PDF, search, pin, label and sort them into folders. Recording, editing, importing and exporting wait until you enter a key.
How many computers can I use my key on?
An Individual key works on one computer at a time. An Office key works on one computer for each person you pay for, and the whole office uses the same key. You can move a key: choose Release this computer in Settings on the old one, then enter the key on the new one.
Does Sopycat need to be online to check my key?
Only now and then. The key is checked when you enter it and every 3 days after that. Offline, it keeps working for 14 days after the last check. After that, Sopycat opens read-only until it can check again.
Can I get a refund?
You can have a full refund within 30 days of your first payment, no questions asked. Renewals are not refunded, but you can cancel any time before the next renewal and you will not be charged again. Lemon Squeezy, our store, processes refunds. To ask for one, write to [email protected].
Who do I contact about buying?
Write to [email protected] with the email address you bought with.
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