Folders in Files and Documents

The article provides a comprehensive guide on managing folders in Files and Documents. It covers creating, sharing, renaming, and deleting folders. Users can create folders in both the Files and Documents sections, with specific instructions for each. Sharing options allow users to share folders with all employees or specific individuals, while access levels determine visibility. The article also details the process for renaming or deleting folders and files, emphasizing that deleting is permanent. Additionally, it explains how to move files or documents to different folders, including maintaining sharing permissions. The content is structured with clear headings and subheadings for easy navigation, ensuring users can efficiently manage their documents.

  • Jul 2, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
Folders in Files and Documents
Article Text
This feature is included in the Core, Pro, and Elite packages.

How can I manage my folders in Files and Documents?

Purpose: To show how to manage your document or file folders.

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Table of Contents

Create a folder
Create a folder in Files

To add a folder to for files, click the folder with a plus sign found in the top right corner, enter the folder name, and click Save.

After you click Save, you'll see the green successful creation banner and the new folder will show on the left side.

Create a folder in Documents

To create a folder on the Documents tab, navigate to any employee profile and click on the Documents tab. Click the folder with a plus inside, name the folder, provide a description (optional), and click Save. Notice the blue information banner before you save. Creating a folder on one employee profile creates the same folder on all employee profiles, saving you the trouble of creating the same folder multiple times.

After you click Save, you'll see the green successful creation banner, and administrators will see the new folder on all employees' Documents tabs. The folder will not be visible to the employee until a document has been uploaded to the folder.

Document folders are ordered alphabetically and cannot be rearranged.

Share a folder
Share a file folder

Navigate to the Files tab. Hover your mouse over a file folder, click the drop-down arrow, and select Share Folder...

When sharing a folder, you have two options:

  1. Share this Folder with all Employees: Click the checkbox if you want to share with all employees.
  2. Or only these people: Type an individual employee or a specific access level name.

Once you make your selection, click Share.

Keep in mind, unless the user is a Full admin or a custom access level user with access to Files, the Files tab will not appear until at least one file or folder has been shared with an employee.

View a successfully shared file folder

Charlotte Abbot can now see the Expense Submission Templates file folder and its contents. When a file folder is shared, the user will have access to view and email all files in the folder.

To unshare a document, file, or file folder, follow the same process you would use to share a file but instead click the "X" to remove people who have access or chooseUnshare...from the drop-down menu.

Share a document folder

If you share at least one document within a folder with an employee, the employee will automatically be able to see the folder. However, in order to grant another user access to a document folder in BambooHR, you will not share the folder, but rather grant access to the Documents tab and corresponding folders through access levels.

Manager access to documents

To grant a manager access to the documents tab, navigate to Settings > Access Levels. If your managers are already in an access level, select the access level from the center column, and click Access Level Settings to make edits. If you have not created a manager access level yet, follow the instructions in this guide and then return here to ensure the Documents tab is set up correctly.

Once you are editing the access level, choose the See About Other Employees tab, then Documents. Hover over the folder you want to "share" or grant access to, and change it from "No Access" to "View Only." Don't forget to save your changes!

Documents tab rules:

  • Only employees, Full Admin users, and custom access level users (with appropriate permissions) can upload to the Employee Uploads folder. Employees cannot move uploads from one folder to another.
  • Managers cannot upload documents to employee's documents folders or move documents from one folder to another.
  • Full Admin users and custom access level users (with appropriate permissions) are the only ones who can upload and move documents to folders.
Custom access to documents

To grant a custom access level user to the documents tab, navigate to Settings > Access Levels. If your user is already in an access level, select the access level from the center column, and click Access Level Settings to make edits. If you have not created a custom access level yet, follow the instructions in this guide and then return here to ensure the Documents tab is set up correctly.

Once you are editing the custom access level, scroll past the What Can People with this Access Level Do section. Under What Can People with this Access Level See, choose the See About Other Employees tab, then Documents. Hover over the folder you want to "share" or grant access to, and change it from "No Access" to "View Only" or "Edit." Don't forget to save your changes!

Documents tab rules:

  • Only employees, Full Admin users, and custom access level users (with appropriate permissions) can upload to the Employee Uploads folder. Employees cannot move uploads from one folder to another.
  • Managers cannot upload documents to employee's documents folders or move documents from one folder to another.
  • Full Admin users and custom access level users (with appropriate permissions) are the only ones who can upload and move documents to folders.
Rename or delete a folder
Rename or delete a file folder
Files

You can rename or delete a file folder by hovering over a file folder and clicking on the drop-down arrow. Select the corresponding option (rename or delete).

When deleting a folder with files, you will need to confirm that you would like to delete all files within the folder too.

Rename or delete a file
Files

If you need to rename or delete a file, click on the action menu that appears when you hover over the file.

If you are deleting an e-signature template that is attached to any on/offboarding tasks, you will see the warning above. Please note that if you would like to cancel any in-progress signature requests after you have deleted the template, you will still be able to do that through the Signed Documents report. See details on that process here.

Please note that deleting a file is a permanent action. You cannot recover a file after its deletion. We recommend downloading your file before you permanently delete it in BambooHR to have a copy for your records.

Rename or delete a document folder
Charlotte Abbott - Employee Files

You can rename or delete a document folder by going to an employee's Documents tab. Hover over a folder and click the action icon, then select the desired option. Note that you can also move the folder to be a subfolder here.

The following folders have a padlock icon in the top left corner. They are tied to the functionality of the system and cannot be deleted, edited, moved, or renamed:

  • Employee Uploads
  • Resumes and Applications
  • Signed Documents
  • Tasklist Attachments
  • Workflow Attachments
  • Benefits
  • Background Check Reports

Document folders apply to all employee profiles. When attempting to delete a document folder with documents, it will also delete the folder's documents. A warning will appear that asks you to confirm this action.

Rename or delete a document

If you need to rename or delete a document, click on the action icon that appears when you hover over the document.

When an employee signs an e-signature document, it will automatically upload to the selected document folder from the Signature set up. If you delete the selected document folder, it will automatically update the template to upload signed documents to the Signed Documents folder. You will need to update the Signature template if you would like to update this setting.

Please note that deleting a document is a permanent action. You cannot recover a document after its deletion. We recommend downloading your document before you permanently delete it in BambooHR to have a copy for your records.

Move a file or document to another folder
Move a file to another folder

To move a file to a different folder in the Files tab, check the box next to the file(s) you want to move. Click on the file(s) and drag it to the desired file folder. If the folder is shared with other users, you will need to confirm that you would like the new file to have the same sharing permissions as the selected folder.

Move a document to another folder

To move an employee's document to a new folder, click on the checkbox next to any documents you need to move (can be more than one at a time), then click Move. This will pull up a modal allowing you to select which folder or subfolder you would like to move the document(s) to. Once you have chosen the desired folder, click Save and the document(s) will be moved. Each document will retain the permissions it had when it is moved.

 If you would like to move a subfolder out from a main folder, follow the same process but select Documents Tab instead of a specific folder, then click Move. This will make the subfolder a main folder on the documents tab.

Please note that folders in documents will have a lock icon if no documents within that folder have been shared with the employee. If you move a shared document to a locked folder, the lock icon will disappear and the employee will be able to see the folder and any documents within it you have shared with them. If you would like that document to no longer be shared, you will need to unshare the individual document.

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