If you’ve already got an estimate, a project, or a proposal written up somewhere else — a spreadsheet, a PDF, a Word doc — you don’t have to retype it into Eano line by line. Drop the file in, and Eano reads what it can and fills things in for you: the client’s details, the project info, and the scope itself, transcribed into editable line items. Think of it as handing your existing paperwork to an assistant who types it all up for you, leaving you to just check the work.
This article covers what the upload reads, the two places you can start it from, and how it’s different from a plan takeoff.
What It Pulls In
Drop in a document and Eano reads it for:
Client details — name, phone, and email, when they’re in the file.
Project info — the address and a description.
The scope of work — your line items, brought in with their quantities, units, unit costs, and markup, grouped the way you’d expect.
Nothing comes in locked. Every field and every line item is yours to edit, add to, or delete once it lands — the upload just saves you the typing.
Two Places to Start — Same Engine
There are two spots where you can do this, and they run the exact same reader behind the scenes, so you’ll get the same result either way. Pick whichever fits where you are:
When you’re creating the opportunity. On the Create New Opportunity form, keep the drop zone on its default Add Rows tab and drop your file there. (The other tab, Process with Takeoff Concierge, is for measuring quantities off plans — a different job, covered below.) Eano reads the document, fills in the client and project details it finds, and builds your scope from the line items.
From the Scope tab of an opportunity you’ve already created. Open the opportunity, go to the Scope tab, and use the Upload an Existing Project or Template option among the ways to get a scope started.
One thing to know about the Scope-tab route: those starting options are there for the blank-page moment, so they tuck away once your scope has anything in it. If you can’t see them, that’s why — and it is not a reason to delete what you’ve built. Your line items are worth keeping. To bring in another document once a scope already exists, create the opportunity fresh and upload there, then copy across what you need.
What Files Work
Formats: PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, and Text files all work, and so do photos — but photos need to be JPG or PNG. That last part trips people up: iPhones often save shots as HEIC, which won’t go through, so switch the camera to “Most Compatible” (or convert to JPG) first. If your estimate lives in some other format, export it to one of these before uploading.
Size: up to 10 MB per file.
One file at a time. The drop zone takes a single file per upload — not a batch. If your estimate is spread across several photos or pages, combine them into one document first (most phones can merge photos into a single PDF), then drop that in.
A clean, legible file reads best. Eano reads a photo by recognizing the text in it, so a sharp shot of a clearly printed estimate comes through far better than a blurry one or a page of messy handwriting. A tidy spreadsheet or a clean PDF is the most reliable of all. The rule of thumb: if it’s hard for you to read at a glance, it’ll be hard for Eano too — and handwritten scope is the least dependable of the bunch, so always double-check what comes in.
After you drop the file, give it a moment — reading a full estimate can take a few minutes. When it’s done, your scope fills in and you can start adjusting.
This Is Not a Plan Takeoff
It’s worth being clear about the one thing this upload doesn’t do: it doesn’t measure anything off drawings. It transcribes numbers you already have — if your document lists “1,200 sq ft of drywall,” that line comes across. But hand it a set of blueprints with no quantities written on them, and it can’t count square footage or fixtures for you.
If what you actually want is for Eano to read your plans and measure the quantities — square feet, linear feet, fixture counts — that’s a different tool: Takeoff Concierge. You can reach it two ways: switch the drop zone on the Create New Opportunity form to the Process with Takeoff Concierge tab, or open Ask AI from the left-hand navigation on any project, attach your plans, and ask for a takeoff. The Ask AI route works whether your scope is empty or full — you never need to clear line items for it. See Uploading Plans for an AI Takeoff for that path. The quick rule of thumb:
You already have the numbers (an estimate, a spreadsheet, a prior project) → Upload an Existing Project or Template.
You have drawings and need Eano to count → Takeoff Concierge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What file types can I upload, and how big? Images, PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, and Text, up to 10 MB. Export other formats to one of these first.
Is the upload on the New Opportunity form different from the Scope-tab card? No — they run the same reader and produce the same result. The only difference is when you start it: during opportunity creation versus from the Scope tab of one you’ve already made.
Can I drop in several photos at once — say, a set of pictures with the scope written on them? Not in one go — the drop zone takes one file per upload. If you’ve got a stack of photos (each with part of the job on it), merge them into a single PDF first (JPG/PNG images, since HEIC won’t upload), then drop that one file in and Eano reads it all together. One honest heads-up: Eano reads photos by recognizing the text on them, so clearly printed writing comes through well but handwritten scope is hit-or-miss — give whatever lands a careful review and fill in anything it missed.
Will it bring in my prices and markup, or just the item names? It brings in what it can read — quantities, units, unit costs, and markup included — and groups the items. Always give it a quick review against your original; everything’s editable.
I dropped in my plans but didn’t get quantities. Why? This tool transcribes an estimate you already have; it doesn’t measure off drawings. For quantities counted from plans, use Takeoff Concierge instead.
I don’t see the “Upload an Existing Project or Template” card in the Scope tab. That card only appears while the scope is empty. If you’ve already added a line item or template, the starter cards disappear. Start from a fresh opportunity (or clear the scope) and it’ll be back.
Does everything come in editable? Yes. The upload gives you a starting point — every detail and line item can be changed, added to, or removed.