> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.draftable.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Release Notes: Draftable Clean - September 2026 (v26.9.0)

> Draftable Clean v26.9.0 introduces PDF and ZIP bundling, improper PDF redaction warnings, and a Clean with Draftable action in iManage Work, alongside new Group Policy settings and licensing improvements. For a full list of items in all releases, please see our [Release Log.](/hc/en-us/Draftable-Clean-articles/Release-logs-and-notes/Release-Log-Draftable-Clean)

Draftable Clean v26.9.0 is about what happens after the clean. You can now combine cleaned files into a single PDF or ZIP without leaving the application, and Draftable Clean will warn you when a PDF looks like it has been redacted improperly — content covered over rather than removed.

Here are the five key features in this release:

* **PDF bundling** — combine several cleaned files into one PDF, with an optional index page, per-file bookmarks, and continuous page numbers
* **ZIP bundling** — pack selected cleaned files into a single ZIP archive from the same toolbar menu
* **Improper PDF redaction warnings** — Draftable Clean flags PDFs where text has been visually covered but not actually removed
* **Clean with Draftable in iManage Work** — launch Draftable Clean straight from the iManage right-click menu for one or more documents
* **Centrally deployed product keys** — a new **Configure product key** Group Policy activates Draftable Clean at launch, so keys no longer have to be entered machine by machine

***A note from our product team***

Draftable Clean has been built from the ground up based on feedback from our customers. We would love to hear from you as we continue to develop this product.

If you have feature ideas or product performance feedback, please share any suggestions with us by contacting [product@draftable.com](mailto:product@draftable.com).

## Bundling

### Combine cleaned files into a single PDF

A new **Bundle** action in the toolbar combines your selected files into a single PDF. Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files are converted to PDF as part of the process, so a mixed set of documents still produces one continuous PDF.

Select the files you want to combine, then choose **Bundle > Create PDF bundle**. The result appears in the file list as **PDF bundle.pdf**, which you can rename, clean, and save or email like any other file.

The same menu holds the PDF bundle options:

* **Include front-of-bundle index** — adds a table-of-contents page at the start of the bundle listing each combined file and the page it starts on. On by default.
* **Add file bookmarks** — adds a PDF bookmark for each file in the bundle, so you can jump between documents in your PDF reader. On by default.
* **Overlay page numbers** — stamps continuous page numbers across the bundle. Off by default. When enabled, you can also set the **Format** and the **Position** (Left, Center, or Right).

<Note>
  Page numbers are stamped **alongside** any numbering already present in the source documents. Draftable Clean does not remove or renumber the original page numbers.
</Note>

Administrators can set these defaults for an organization, and lock them, using the new PDF bundle policies. See [Configuring preferences with Group Policy](/hc/en-us/Draftable-Clean-articles/Configuring-preferences-with-Group-Policy-Draftable-Clean).

### Combine cleaned files into a single ZIP

Choose **Bundle > Create ZIP bundle** to pack the selected files into one ZIP archive. Like the PDF bundle, the archive lands back in the file list — named `cleaned-files-` followed by today's date — and you can rename, save, or email it from there.

ZIP bundling works with Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, and image files.

<Note>
  If any selected file cannot be added — because it is locked behind a password, cannot be read, or fails to convert — **no bundle is created at all**, and Draftable Clean names the files that caused the problem. A bundle is never shipped with files quietly missing from it. Resolve the listed files, or deselect them, and create the bundle again.
</Note>

## Cleaning

### Warnings for improperly redacted PDFs

Draftable Clean now inspects PDF files for content that has been **visually covered but not securely removed** — the classic mistake of drawing a black box over text that a reader can still select and copy.

Files where this is detected are flagged with **Potential improper redaction detected**, shown through the same issue indicator and navigator used for other file warnings. Draftable Clean looks for:

* A black or dark box drawn over text in the page content
* Dark text painted onto a dark fill it cannot be distinguished from
* Pending redaction annotations that were marked up but never applied
* Opaque shape annotations and dark highlight annotations drawn over text

<Warning>
  This warning is **advisory**. It does not block cleaning or saving, and Draftable Clean does **not** fix an improper redaction. If a file is flagged, review it with a dedicated redaction tool before sharing it.
</Warning>

Because the check works on colour and opacity, legitimate dark formatting — a dark table header cell behind dark text, for example — can occasionally be flagged. The wording deliberately says **potential**: treat a flag as a prompt to check the document, not as proof that content is exposed.

## Integrations

### Clean with Draftable from the iManage right-click menu

You can now start a clean straight from **iManage Work**. Right-click one or more documents or versions and choose **Clean with Draftable**, and the selected files open in the Draftable Clean desktop application, ready to scan and clean.

<Warning>
  This action requires a **new iManage integration package** to be deployed into iManage Work by your iManage administrator. It is separate from the existing Draftable Compare package — deploying one does not affect the other, and installing Draftable Clean alone is not enough. See [Troubleshooting: DMS integrations](/hc/en-us/Draftable-Clean-articles/Troubleshooting-DMS-Integrations).
</Warning>

The package talks to the Draftable Clean desktop application over the local HTTP listener. Its **Draftable Clean Communication Port** setting must match the port Draftable Clean is listening on — both default to **5044**.

### NetDocuments browsing includes images and ZIP files

The NetDocuments picker now lists **image files and ZIP files** alongside documents, so you can bring them into Draftable Clean without downloading them first.

### DMS buttons follow what your system supports

The **iManage** and **NetDocs** entries in the interface now appear only where the connected system actually supports the action, rather than being shown and then failing.

## Ease of Use

### File browser defaults to compatible files

When you click **Browse**, the file dialog now opens with the **Compatible Files** filter selected rather than **All Files**. This shows only the file types Draftable Clean can scan and clean.

<Tip>
  If you are looking for a file and cannot see it, change the filter in the bottom-right of the file dialog. **All Files** is still available at the end of the filter list.
</Tip>

### Clearer rules when renaming files

The inline rename editor now tells you straight away when a name will not work, instead of accepting it and quietly rewriting it when the file is saved.

A file name cannot contain any of these characters: `\ / : * ? " < > |`. Windows reserved device names — such as `CON`, `PRN`, `AUX`, `NUL`, `COM1` to `COM9`, and `LPT1` to `LPT9` — cannot be used as a file name either.

<Note>
  Previously, typing a `/` in a file name could result in everything before the slash being dropped when the file was saved. Names that arrive from a document management system are now corrected on save rather than truncated.
</Note>

## Admin Configuration

### Deploy product keys with Group Policy

**Configure product key** is now available as a Group Policy setting under **Draftable Clean**. When it is enabled with a valid key, Draftable Clean attempts license activation automatically at launch, so administrators can deploy keys centrally instead of having each user enter one. The policy can be applied under Computer Configuration or User Configuration.

Previously the product key could only be written directly to the registry, because it was not included in the administrative templates.

### New PDF bundle policies

Five new policies set the organization-wide defaults for PDF bundles: the index page, file bookmarks, page numbers, and the page number format and position. See [Configuring preferences with Group Policy](/hc/en-us/Draftable-Clean-articles/Configuring-preferences-with-Group-Policy-Draftable-Clean).

<Warning>
  The ADMX and ADML templates changed in this release. Administrators using the templates should **reinstall them from a v26.9.0 installation** — the product key and PDF bundle policies do not appear in the Group Policy editor until the templates are updated.
</Warning>

## Licensing

### Licenses refresh without restarting

Draftable Clean now revalidates your license with the licensing server whenever the **Settings > License** tab is opened, and refreshes it automatically when it expires. A license that has been renewed no longer requires the application to be restarted before it takes effect. The expiry date shown on the final day of a license is also now correct.

## Reliability

This release also includes the following fixes:

* **iManage** — documents in **My Favourites** can now be selected in the picker
* **iManage** — the **CONVERTING** status label is no longer truncated
* **Cleaning profiles** — the prompt no longer reappears repeatedly after using **Reserve all** or **Replace all** in a custom profile
* **SharePoint** — a sign-in that never completes now recovers instead of leaving the integration stuck
* **Installation** — Start Menu shortcuts are correctly created again after an install
* **PDF bundles** — the bundle option checkboxes no longer render a double checkmark

<Note>
  The library Draftable Clean uses to process PowerPoint files has been updated in this release. This affects PPTX cleaning. No change in behavior is expected, but if a PowerPoint file that cleaned correctly on v26.7.0 does not on v26.9.0, please send us the file and your [diagnostic logs](/hc/en-us/Draftable-Clean-articles/Troubleshooting-Diagnostic-Logs-and-Support).
</Note>

## Outlook add-in

The Draftable Clean **Outlook add-in** is released separately from the desktop application and is not included in this installer. See the [Release Log](/hc/en-us/Draftable-Clean-articles/Release-logs-and-notes/Release-Log-Draftable-Clean) for add-in releases.

If you ever need help troubleshooting issues with Draftable Clean, please reach out to [support@draftable.com](mailto:support@draftable.com).