How to

Share a case and export a PDF summary

After this page you will be able to hand a complete case, with your moments and notes, to another JawAtlas user, import a folder full of such cases in one go, and produce a PDF of your marked views for people who do not have the app.

Two different things

JawAtlas has two export paths and it helps to keep them apart. Share Case packages the whole case for another JawAtlas user: scan, moments, marks, arch and notes. Take-home summary renders your moments to a PDF or to photos for anyone. The first is how teaching cases move between a teacher and a group; the second is a handout.

Go to the library and long-press the case. A context menu opens with "Rename", "Group", "Share Case" and "Delete".
Tap "Share Case". A toast says "Packing the case…" while the archive is built. It is named after the case label and ends in .jawatlas.zip.
Pick a destination in the share sheet. AirDrop to a nearby iPhone or iPad is the quickest. Mail, Messages, Files, or a cloud drive app all work; the file is an ordinary archive.
On the receiving device, open the file in JawAtlas. iOS asks which app to use, or the recipient taps the file in Files and chooses JawAtlas from the share sheet. The import sheet reports "Case received with its moments and notes" and offers "Open now".
Batch import a folder of cases. A teacher can collect several .jawatlas.zip files, or their unpacked folders, into one folder in the Files app. Students choose "Import from Files", select that folder, and the sheet reports, for example, "6 cases received with their moments and notes".

If the recipient already has the same scan, the app merges the shared moments and notes into the existing copy and says "Case notes and moments updated from the shared copy". No duplicate is created. The receiving side is described in more detail on Import a CBCT scan by AirDrop.

Steps: export a PDF summary

Save a few moments first. They become the pages of the summary. Without any, the sheet says "Save a few moments first" and there is nothing to export; see Save and replay moments.
Open the case and tap the share icon at the bottom left. This is the "Take-home summary" button. A sheet renders each moment and shows page previews you can scroll through.
Tap "Share as PDF". The share sheet opens with a single PDF, named after the case and the date. Send it by AirDrop, Mail, or save it to Files.
Or tap "Share as photos". The same pages are shared as images, which is handy for a slide deck or a chat group.

Every page of the PDF carries a footer stating that it is a study summary exported from JawAtlas for education and training, and not a diagnosis or treatment plan. That line cannot be turned off. If you used the AR view and captured a photo there, it is added as the last page.

JawAtlas itself never stores patient name, ID, birth date or similar fields; the importer reads only technical tags, and a shared case therefore carries none of them. But the app cannot see what is burned into pixels, what you typed into a case label or a note, or what is visible in a photo. Before sharing, check the label (rename it if it contains a name), read your notes, and make sure the scan was released for teaching. The free CBCT datasets page lists sources that are explicitly licensed for this. The privacy model is explained on Offline and private.

If it does not work

"The case could not be packed." The device ran out of space, or the case is still loading. Free some storage and try again.

The recipient sees "Nothing usable was received." The file was renamed or partly transferred. Resend from the library with "Share Case".

The summary sheet shows "Preparing the summary…" for a long time. Each moment is rendered at print resolution. Large strips take a moment on older devices; wait for the previews.

The PDF has no notes. By design: notes travel with the shared case, not with the summary. Put the teaching point in the captions instead.

Questions students ask

What is inside a shared JawAtlas case file?

The scan in the app's own format plus the saved moments, marks, arch curve and notes, packed as one archive ending in .jawatlas.zip. It contains no patient identifiers, because the importer never stored any. The recipient opens it in JawAtlas and gets the same case.

What does the PDF summary contain?

One page per saved moment with its picture, title and caption, plus the AR photo if you took one, with a footer on every page stating that it is a study summary for education and training, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. Case notes are not included.

Can I share a case with someone on Android or a PC?

You can send the file anywhere, but only JawAtlas on iPhone or iPad can open it. For other platforms, export the PDF summary or the photos instead; they open everywhere.

JawAtlas is an education and training aid. It is not a medical device and must not be used for diagnosis, treatment planning or any clinical decision.

Last reviewed 2026-10-13