Managing Folders: File Interface Redesign Opt-in Until 5/29

In this article:

• Learn the Canopy File Hierarchy
• Create Folders
• Move Folders
• Upload Folders

Folders are a giant help when organizing and filtering firm-prepared and internal documents, as well as any files sent by your clients.

Opt-In

Canopy has recently given our files a makeover. You have all the same great functionalities with a fresh new look. The files interface redesign  is currently an opt-in experience. To opt in go to files and click on Client files (you can do this from anywhere you access files). You will see a blue gift box at the bottom of the page. Under Files Interface Redesign click “Try it Out”. You can return to the default setting by returning to this box at any time during the opt-in time period.

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To manage documents efficiently, Canopy enables you to create file and folder structures with different access levels. Inside each folder, you can create as many other folders as you need.

To find your file and folder structures, click on Files - your main document management hub.

At a high level, you can organize your files by:

• Client Files to create a folder inside a specific client's folder. 
• Internal Files to create a folder that is accessible to you and your team members.
• My Files to create a folder that only you can access.

Let’s look at how these files are organized. 

You will notice when you click Client files you now have the option to easily switch to internal files and my files on the left hand side. The File inbox also is easy to access and view how many notifications you have. If you click on the inbox icon you can get a quick glance at files that are ready for review! Click on the inbox icon again and it collapses back down. You can learn more about uploading files and the files inbox in a video linked here. 

Let’s look at a client’s files to see the other file organization features. 

Create Folders

Let’s look at each one. 

Client Files are for folders and files shared with specific clients. Client Files shows you a complete list of all client files within Canopy.

Before we dive into all the folders lets look at a few of the options here. 

• There are three icons that allow you to add a folder, add folder templates and expand all folders. 
• Below you can view archived files
• Up at the top you can click add to: Upload a file, upload a link, add a new folder, upload a new folder or add a folder template. (You can learn more about creating folder templates here) 
• There is also a search bar to easily look for specific files.

Let’s dive into this client’s folders.  Double clicking a folder takes you to the content of that folder. As you enter a subfolder, you can track your breadcrumbs in the file path off to the side. You can navigate to the folder by selecting the folder name.

To create a new folder:

1. Click add and then New Folder or Click on the New Folder icon (the one folder with a plus) 
2. Name the folder
3. Then decide who has access

By default, all Team Members who have client access will be able to see the folder you are creating. Of course, you can determine which team members can see the folder by selecting certain ones. If you’ve created Teams, those teams appear here as well. 

Once you’re ready, click Create.

You’re all set. This folder is ready to have files uploaded or moved to it.

Make Subfolders

You can continue to make folders within this folder following the same process. Click on the create folder icon, name it, set access, and create.

For Client files, you can also see this file structure in their Client  record.

• You can navigate straight to the client record by clicking on their name at the top of this window.
• Next, click on the Files tab.

Well, would you look at that! Here is the structure we created.

You can expand the folder structures by clicking the Expand Folder icon. This accordions all of your folders out for easier viewing. Including the two-deep folder structure, we made earlier.

It’s worth noting that you can create folders and upload files from this location as well. You’ll see similar icons here to add a folder and upload files. Naturally, whatever you create here appears back in Files.

Okay, let’s head back to Files.

File Actions

Let’s talk about some other actions you can take with folders. 

On a folder’s row, click the three-dot icon to find another menu of options. 

In this menu, you can:

• Rename the folder
• Download it 
• Move it 
• Change folder access 
• Create a retention rule - which will prevent the folder from being archived for a set amount of time. 
• Archive the folder

Everything we talked about folders in Clients also applies to Internal and My Files. 

Remember, Internal Files are for your team members. And My Files are the files you can only access.

Move Files

You can move folders around between these three areas.

Let’s click on My Files. Say you have a folder structure for your team. Click the three dots icon and choose Move.

The move file menu appears. Here, select the location you want to move this folder to. Since this folder is for the team, simply select Internal Files. Then select Move here. Now those files are in the internal files and are accessible to your team!

You can also move folders to subfolders.

Upload Folders

Lastly, let’s talk about uploading folders into Canopy.

Upload an entire folder to Canopy with ease. You can upload a folder to a client's folder in Canopy, the Internal Files screen, or the My Files screen. To upload a folder to Canopy, you will need to first compress the folder in your computer by creating a zip file. 

To upload a folder:

1. Select an upload location.
2. This can be Client, Internal, or My Files.
3. Click the Options menu icon. 
4. Choose Upload a folder.
5. Click and drag the zip file folder to the Upload a Folder popup.
6. Right-click the zipped file.
7. Select Unzip.

The folder will now load normally in Canopy.

Double-click the folder to view the files stored in it

Now that you are a folder expert you can create the folder structure of your dreams.