# Import a paper schedule from a photo

Upload a photo of a paper or whiteboard schedule and the AI turns it into draft shifts. Check who's working what, create the shifts and publish as usual.

For: Managers, Admins · On: Web · [Help Center](https://www.mays.app/help) › [Scheduling](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling) · Last updated October 4, 2026 · Mays Team

Upload a photo of a paper or whiteboard schedule and the AI turns it into draft shifts. Check who's working what, create the shifts and publish as usual.

**Where:** **Scheduling → Schedule** on the web, **Parse photo**. Admins, and managers at their own locations. Scheduling is part of the Pro plan.

## Turn a photo into shifts

1. Open the week you want to fill, with the right location picked in the sidebar.
2. Click **Parse photo**.
3. Click **Upload a photo of a paper or whiteboard schedule** and pick the photo. *Parsing the schedule…* shows while the AI reads it.
4. Check the list. It starts with how many shifts were found, such as *Found 12 shifts · adjust assignments below, then create*. Each row has the date, the times, a person and a position:
   - If a name on the photo matched someone at this location, they're picked. If not, the box shows the name as written; pick the right person.
   - If the position wasn't matched, pick one or leave **No position**.
   - Untick a row to leave it out.
5. Click **Create N draft shift(s)**.
6. You see *Created N draft shifts. Publish from the grid when ready.* Check the new shifts on the grid, then publish. See [Publishing the schedule](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/publish-the-schedule).

![The Schedule toolbar with the Employees view, Day, Week and Month, the week Sep 21 – Sep 27, 2026, and the Manage staff, Parse photo, Auto-schedule, copy week, tools and Publish buttons](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__schedule-from-a-photo__01-parse-photo-button.fcc83229a3.png)

![The Parse a schedule photo window with the upload box Upload a photo of a paper or whiteboard schedule and a Close button](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__schedule-from-a-photo__02-parse-photo-dialog.3c978c8f0b.png)

**Upload another** reads the next photo, such as the second page, and replaces the list.

## How the photo is read

- **Names** are matched to the active people at this location: the full name first, then the first name alone, then the last name alone. If two people share a first name, check who was picked.
- **Dates:** if the schedule shows only days of the week, the dates of the week you're looking at are used.
- **Times** can be written any way; breaks are read if they're on the schedule, otherwise there are none.
- **Positions** are matched only when the name is the same as one of your positions.
- **If the AI isn't sure about a shift, it leaves it out,** so compare the count with your schedule.

## AI credits

Reading a photo uses AI credits from the location's balance. It's listed as **Scheduling-Vision** under **Usage by Feature**. See [AI credits](https://www.mays.app/help/account-billing/ai-credits).

## Good to know

- **Nothing is published yet.** The new shifts are drafts that only managers see until you publish.
- **Rows without a person are skipped** when you create them, even if they're ticked, so the result can be lower than the button said. Pick someone, or add those as open shifts on the grid.
- **The photo is added to what's there.** Shifts already on the grid stay, so check for doubles; overlapping shifts show in the conflicts banner.
- **Photos up to 8 MB.** A straight, well-lit photo of one week works best.

## Related articles

- Scheduling: [Building the weekly schedule](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/build-the-schedule) — Build a location's week on the web — add, move, copy and edit shifts, add open shifts, and keep an eye on time off, availability and labor cost while you work.
- Scheduling: [Publishing the schedule and notifying staff](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/publish-the-schedule) — Your team only sees a week once you publish it. Check the warnings, choose who gets notified, publish — and republish, undo or clear a week when plans change.
- Account & billing: [AI credits](https://www.mays.app/help/account-billing/ai-credits) — Mays's AI features use AI credits from each location's balance. What uses them, how many your plan adds every month, how to check a balance and how to buy more.
- Scheduling: [Copy a week and reuse common shifts](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/copy-week-and-common-shifts) — Start a new week from last week's shifts in one click, and fill in shift times you use all the time from the Common shifts list.
- Scheduling: [Auto-schedule with AI](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/auto-scheduler) — Let Mays build a week's draft schedule from last week — working around time off, availability, notes and weekly hours — then fine-tune it by chatting with the assistant.
- Scheduling: [Positions and wages](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/positions-and-wages) — Create the jobs people work — Barista, Cashier, Line Cook — with a colour and a default hourly wage, give people their positions and pay, and see where Mays uses them.

## Still need help?

Send us a support request and a real person on the Mays team will get back to you.

[Contact support](https://www.mays.app/contact?topic=support) · [Call +1 (561) 286-3939](tel:+15612863939)

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/schedule-from-a-photo