How to Use the File Manager in CrmLeaf

Overview

The File Manager is a nested folder tree for the documents your team needs to keep in one place but which do not belong to a single record. It is scoped per Company and per Organization, and it is separate from the attachments that live on individual records.

It is built specifically for office documents, not for general file storage: uploads are restricted to spreadsheets, Word documents and PDFs (see Uploaded File Types, below), and it also has a built-in spreadsheet editor for creating and editing a spreadsheet directly online.

Use it for shared material such as policies, templates and reference documents in one of the supported formats. Use record attachments for anything that belongs to one lead, project, task, invoice or purchase order, and for file types the File Manager does not accept, such as photographs.

How It Works

You build a folder tree and upload files into it, or create a new spreadsheet directly inside a folder and edit it with the built-in spreadsheet editor. The tree belongs to the Company and to the Organization you have selected, so each workspace has its own structure. Files are written to whichever storage destination the account has configured.

Create folders → Upload files or create a spreadsheet → Organise into the tree → Team members open files → Download when needed

• Folders can be nested, so you can build a structure that matches how your business thinks about its documents.
• The tree is scoped per Company and Organization. Switching Organization shows that workspace's own folders.
• Uploads are restricted to specific file types and a size limit — see Uploaded File Types, below. It is not a general-purpose file store.
• A spreadsheet can be created and edited online, without leaving the File Manager, using its built-in spreadsheet editor.
• It is separate from per-entity attachments. A file attached to a project, task, invoice or survey stays with that record and does not appear in the File Manager tree.
• Files are written to the account's storage destination — local storage, Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, Wasabi or MinIO — and they count towards the plan's storage limit.
• Access is controlled by the Employees module, not by a folder-specific permission. Anyone with that module enabled sees the whole tree for the Company and Organization they are in; no way to restrict visibility to particular folders was found.

Who Can Use This Feature?

Administrator

• Design the folder structure so people can find documents without asking.
• Confirm the storage destination is configured before the team uploads in volume.
• Watch usage against the plan's storage limit.

User

• Create folders and upload files within the workspace you are in.
• Create and edit a spreadsheet directly in the File Manager.
• Find and Download the documents you need.
• Rename or delete a folder or file you have access to; an empty folder deletes directly, but one with files or subfolders must be emptied first.
• Keep record-specific files on the record instead of in the shared tree.

Access requires the Employees module to be enabled for your account; every user with that module sees the full folder tree for the Company and Organization they are in.

Uploaded File Types

Other file types, including images, are not accepted by the upload control. If your team needs to store a photograph or another unsupported file type centrally, attach it to the relevant record instead, or ask about the Drive Integration add-on module.

Prerequisites

• File storage is configured for the account.
• You are in the Company and Organization whose folder tree you want to use.
• Storage headroom remains under the plan's limit.
• The Employees module is enabled for your account.

File Manager Compared with Record Attachments

For Administrators

Step 1: Confirm storage is configured

Go to: Settings → Storage Settings

What to do: Confirm the account's storage destination is set and working before the team starts uploading.

What to verify: A test upload succeeds and downloads intact.

Step 2: Design the folder structure

What to do: Agree a small number of top-level folders that reflect how your business looks for documents, and create them before inviting users to upload. A structure agreed once is far easier than a reorganisation later.

What to verify: Someone who did not design the structure can find a document in it.

Step 3: Repeat per Organization if needed

What to do: Because the tree is scoped per Organization, create the structure in each workspace that needs one. Keep the naming consistent across workspaces.

What to verify: Switching Organization shows that workspace's own folders with the expected names.

Step 4: Brief users on what belongs where

What to do: Tell users to attach record-specific files to the record and to use the File Manager only for shared material. This is the single decision that keeps both usable.

What to verify: Spot-check the tree after a few weeks. It should not be filling up with files that belong on records.

For Users

Step 1: Open the File Manager

Go to: App switcher (grid icon in the top bar) → Files

What to do: Open the File Manager for the workspace you are in from the app switcher's Files tile. Check the active Company and Organization first, because each workspace has its own tree. (On the Payroll edition, the same screen is also reachable from the sidebar as All Files.)

What to verify: The folder tree you expect is shown.

Step 2: Create a folder

What to do: Add a folder, inside an existing folder if you need a nested structure, and give it a name your colleagues will understand.

What to verify: The folder appears in the tree in the right place.

Step 3: Upload files, or create a spreadsheet

What to do: Open the folder and Upload a file — Excel (.xls, .xlsx), Word (.doc, .docx) or PDF, up to 20 MB. Other file types are rejected. Alternatively, use Create Spreadsheet to start a new spreadsheet inside the folder and edit it with the built-in online editor, without uploading anything.

What to verify: Each file (or new spreadsheet) is listed in the folder and can be opened.

Step 4: Find and download a document

What to do: Browse the tree, or use Search, then Download the file you need.

What to verify: The downloaded file opens correctly.

Step 5: Rename or remove an item

What to do: Rename a folder or file from the tree. To remove one, use Delete — a file deletes immediately, but a folder only deletes once it is empty; if it still holds files or subfolders, delete those first.

What to verify: The rename or deletion is reflected in the tree immediately.

Step 6: Keep record files on the record

What to do: Attach anything that belongs to a single lead, project, task, invoice, purchase order or survey to that record rather than to the File Manager, so the file travels with the work. Anything that is not a spreadsheet, Word document or PDF — a photograph, for example — has to go on the record anyway, since the File Manager will not accept it.

What to verify: The file is visible on the record to everyone who can see the record.