Creating folders and subfolders

Folders enable you to group files together in a meaningful way. Top-level folders can be designated as private, shared, or available to everyone. Subfolders inherit the folder sharing information, private, shared, or available to everyone, from the top-level folder. You must have Editor access to a folder in order to create a subfolder within it.

About this task

You can optionally enable one of three types of file sharing capabilities to allow others to collaborate on files within the folder: reader, editor, or owner.

When you create a subfolder, it always inherits the sharing information of the top-level folder, even if the top-level folder is more than one level up from the subfolder you are creating. A top-level folder can be private, shared with people, groups, or communities, shared with the entire organization, or shared externally.
Note: You can also share folders within a community by using the Files application in the Community application. For information, see Sharing folders with your community.
  • Files in private folders can be viewed and edited only by their owner and others with whom the owner shares the file.

    If you make a private folder public, files that are not assigned to be public are removed from the folder.

  • Files in folders that are shared with people or communities can be viewed and edited by people and communities with whom the folder is shared. However, a user must have the appropriate access, Reader for viewing or Editor for editing, and the file must not be marked as private.
    People and communities can have Reader, Editor, or Owner access to a folder and the files in the folder.
    • Owner access: If you create a top-level folder, you are the Owner. Owners can share their folders with people or communities, and can share a folder with others as Owners. Owners can add, edit, and delete files and subfolders in their folders, and assign Reader or Editor access to their folders or to files in their folders.
    • Editor access: Users who are granted Editor access to a folder by an Owner can read, edit, comment on, download, recommend, upload a new version of, and set properties on files in the folder. Editors can be notified of changes to the files in the folder, share the files in the folder, and see information about the files in the folder. Editors can add files to the folder, add subfolders to the folder, and delete files and subfolders in the folder.
      Note: A folder Owner can change the settings of individual files in a folder to prevent Editor access to those files.
    • Reader access: Users who are granted Reader access to a folder by an Owner or Editor or through sharing from another Reader can read, comment on, download, and recommend a file in the folder, be notified of changes to the files in the folder, and reshare files in a folder. However, a Reader cannot reshare the folder with anyone, even as a Reader.

    When you share a folder with people and communities, they can only see the files in that folder within the context of the folder, unless you explicitly share the file with them. For example, if you add a file to a folder and share the folder with Cathy but do not share the file with Cathy, she can see and open the file in the folder, but cannot see it in any other list.

    When you share a folder with people or change their role, those people are notified.

  • Files in public folders can be read by anyone, but only the owner and people who are made Editor or Owner can add files to those folders.
    Note: External users cannot see or access public folders and files.

Procedure

  1. Select New > Folder.
  2. Type a folder name. Folder names cannot include the following characters: backslash (\), slash (/), colon (:), asterisk (*), question mark (?), greater than (>), less than (<), vertical bar (|), double quotes (").
  3. Optional: Type a description.
  4. If this is a top-level folder, specify how to share the folder. Subfolders inherit the folder sharing information of the top-level folder: private, shared, or available to everyone.
    • Select No one to make the folder private.
    • Select People or Communities to share the file with specific people.
      1. Select a Person or a Community.
      2. Assign an access level of as Reader, as Editor, or as Owner.
      3. Type a name or email address, then select that name or address if it is displayed.
    • Select Public to make the file visible to everyone, even people who are not logged in. Optionally enable Everyone can contribute to this folder to make the folder available to everyone who is logged in.
  5. Click Create to create the folder.
  6. Click Save to save the folder.