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Create folders for organizing documents and also for applying Share permissions on all documents with the folder and within any sub-folders. Note that all Share permissions on a folder are inherited by the documents and folders within that folder.

To learn more about organizing documents using folders, you can follow the self-paced course here: Creating Folders (opens in new tab).

To create a folder, on the Documents page:

  1. Select Create and then Folder.

    Example of Create drop down with Folder highlighted

  2. Specify a name for the folder.

  3. Click Create.

Notice the blue message at the top of the page: Folder created successfully in My Onshape alert .

You can use Share on a folder the same way you use Share for documents.

Viewing folders and their contents

Click the My Onshape Filter button filter in the left panel to organize your Documents page into listing Folders and Documents to which you have access. The Teams and Shared with me filters also display folders to which you have access.

To see the contents (documents and sub-folders) of a specific folder, click the name of the folder (an underline appears when you are in the correct position for clicking).

If there are no documents or folders in that folder, a message appears to that effect.

Breadcrumbs are displayed at the top of the page. Click these breadcrumbs to navigate along the folder tree.

Deleting folders

Right-click on the folder entry and select Send to trash or drag and drop the folder onto Trash button in the filter panel. The contents of the folder are also moved to Trash.

Nesting folders

While in a folder (after opening the folder by clicking on the underlined name), click Create, then Folder button to create another folder. Check the breadcrumbs to the right of the Create button to verify that you are inside of a folder. Nested folders inherit the Share permissions applied to the top-level folder.

Screenshot example of nested folders in Onshape

In the above illustration, Help Learning Project is the parent folder and Electrical is the sub-folder.

You can drag and drop a folder into another folder, provided you have permissions on both folders.

Moving documents among folders

You can move documents into and out of folders both from the Documents page, and also from within a document, through the Document menu.

After a document is created inside a folder, you can move it to another folder, or out of a folder altogether:

  1. Select the document (or use Ctr-click to select multiple documents).
  2. Right-click the folder and select Move to.

    Moving documents among folders

  3. Select the new folder from the list. (Use the breadcrumbs to navigate to another location, if desired.)
  4. Click Move here.

You can use drag and drop to maneuver documents and folders into and out of folders. While in a folder, you can drag a document or folder into another location in the breadcrumbs. In the example below, the test-doc document is being dragged into the aero-project folder. The selection document is highlighted in blue and the target folder is also highlighted in blue:

Example of a test document being dragged into a folder

Your cursor will have a small rectangle appended to it when the move is allowed, and a small circle with a line through it when the move is not allowed.

Keep in mind that when moving a document from one root folder to another, the ownership of that document is transferred to the owner of the folder into which it is moved. The Share permissions also change to be inherited from the new root folder.

Creating a document in a folder

Navigate to the folder in which you want to create the document. Once the folder name is visible in the breadcrumbs at the top of the Documents page:

  1. Click Create.
  2. Select Document button.
  3. Specify a name for the document.
  4. Click OK.

Sharing a folder

When a folder is created, only the creator of the folder has any permissions to that folder. (The exception is if the folder is created within a Professional or Enterprise subscription. In that case, the administrator also has access to, and permissions on the folder.)

The creator/owner of the folder is able to share the folder with other users and thereby assign Share permissions to the folder. These permissions are applied on a root folder level. All documents and sub-folders within the root inherit the permissions of the root folder.

You are able to specify additional Share permissions on individual documents within folders, but keep in mind that permissions are additive: these additional permissions are added to the folder permissions to create a larger set of permissions and access.

The Onshape best practice is to keep minimal permissions on the root folder and add additional access and permission on individual documents.

To share a folder:

  1. Select the folder on the Documents page.
  2. Click the Share button.
  3. Make the appropriate permission selections and enter the email addresses of the people with whom you wish to share the folder (or select a team or company).
  4. Click Share.

When a folder is shared, the permissions on that folder become the shared users’ permissions on any and all documents and folders within that folder.

Only top-level folders can be explicitly shared, and all Share details apply to the contents of the folder, including all documents and any sub-folders, even if they are moved into the folder at a later time.

For more information on Sharing, see Share Documents.

Transferring ownership of a folder

An admin of an enterprise or company may also transfer the ownership of a folder to an individual Onshape user who is not a member of the enterprise or company. Right-click on the document or folder (on the Documents page) and select Transfer ownership.

For more information on transferring ownership, see Transfer Ownership.

Copying document workspaces in folders

When copying a workspace in a folder (thereby creating a new document), you need edit permission on the folder in order for the copy to be placed in the same folder as the original document. If you do not have edit permission on the folder, the copy is placed at the root level of your Onshape account which is My Onshape. A blue notification is displayed at the top of the window upon successful copy that is has been created in My Onshape.

Actions on folders

You can nest folders: drag and drop a folder onto another folder. You can also use the context menu on any folder to act on that folder, including:

  • Rename - Edit the folder name
  • Move to parent folder - Move the folder and its contents to the parent folder, if present (tabs and folders within the folder remain within)
  • Unpack folder - Move any tabs or folders within the folder to the parent folder and delete the folder

These actions are also available through the Tab manager. For more information on folders, see Documents Page.

Create a folder

You can create and use folders to group documents within the user interface. All documents within a folder have the permissions dictate by the root folder. Permissions are assigned when you share a folder with another user. Those permissions are associated with the folder and apply to all documents within the folder. Sub-folders inherit the permissions of their root folder.

To create a folder:

Tap the leftmost button in the lower portion of the screen.

Specify a name for the folder and then tap OK.

Tap the My Onshape filter to organize your Documents page into listing Folders and Documents to which you have access. The Teams and Shared with me filters also display folders to which you have access.

To see the contents (documents and sub-folders) of a specific folder, tap the name of the folder.

If there are no documents or folders in that folder, a message appears to that effect.

Breadcrumbs are displayed at the top of the page. You can click these breadcrumbs to navigate along the folder tree. You can also drag and drop folders and documents into the breadcrumb itself to reorganize documents on the Documents page.

While in a folder (after opening the folder by tapping the name), use the icon to create another folder. Check the breadcrumbs at the top of the screen to verify that you are inside of a folder.

Navigate to the folder in which you want to create the document. Once the folder name is visible in the breadcrumbs at the top of the Documents page:

  1. Tap the Create a document icon.
  2. Specify a name for the document.
  3. Tap OK.

When a folder is created, only the creator of the folder has any permissions to that folder. (The exception is if the folder is created within a company or enterprise subscription. In that case, the administrator also has access to, and permissions on the folder.)

The creator/owner of the folder can share the folder with other users and thereby assign permissions to the folder. These permissions are applied on a root folder level. All documents and sub-folders within the root inherit the permissions of the root folder.

You can specify additional Share permissions on individual documents within folders, but keep in mind that permissions are additive: these additional permissions are added to the folder permissions to create a larger set of permissions and access. For this reason, the Onshape best practice recommendation is to keep minimal permissions on the root folder and add additional access and permission through individual documents.

To share a folder:

  1. Tap the information icon to the right of the folder name.
  2. Tap the Share icon.
  3. Make the appropriate permission selections and enter the email addresses of the people with whom you wish to share the folder.

When a folder is shared, the permissions on that folder become the shared users’ permissions on any and all documents and folders within that folder.

Only first-level folders can be explicitly shared, and all Share details apply to the contents of the folder, including all documents and any sub-folders.

You can move documents and/or folders into and out of folders. You must have the appropriate permissions on the documents and the folders you wish to move and to move to.

  1. Tap the Information icon icon next to the document (or folder) in the Documents list to open the Details flyout for that document.
  2. Tap the Move Move folder icon icon and then select the folder into which to move the document (or folder).
  3. Once the target folder is selected, the contents of that folder are displayed.

    Moving a document (or a folder) into or out of a folder

  4. If this is the correct folder, click Move here (top right corner of the screen). If this is not the correct folder, click the X in the top left corner.

    If a transfer of ownership is required to move the document or folder into the new folder, a notification is displayed. Document ownership is transferred to the owner of the folder.

    Moving a document (or a folder) into or out of a folder transfer ownership notice

  5. Confirm the transfer of ownership (if appropriate) by selecting Transfer ownership, or click Cancel to cancel the move.
  6. Once the action is confirmed or dismissed, the Documents page is displayed again.

Create a folder

You can create and use folders to group documents within the user interface. All documents within a folder have the permissions dictated by the root folder. Permissions are assigned when you share a folder with another user. Those permissions are associated with the folder and apply to all documents within the folder. Sub-folders inherit the permissions of their root folder.

To create a folder:

Tap the leftmost button in the lower portion of the screen.

Create a folder icon

Specify a name for the folder and then tap OK.

Tap the My Onshape filter to organize your Documents page into listing Folders and Documents to which you have access. The Teams and Shared with me filters also display folders to which you have access.

To see the contents (documents and sub-folders) of a specific folder, tap the name of the folder.

If there are no documents or folders in that folder, a message appears to that effect.

Breadcrumbs are displayed at the top of the page. Click these breadcrumbs to navigate along the folder tree. You can also drag and drop folders and documents into the breadcrumb itself to reorganize documents on the Documents page.

While in a folder (after opening the folder by tapping the name), use the icon to create another folder. Check the breadcrumbs at the top of the screen to verify that you are inside of a folder.

Navigate to the folder in which you want to create the document. Once the folder name is visible in the breadcrumbs at the top of the Documents page:

  1. Tap the create a document icon.
  2. Specify a name for the document.
  3. Tap OK.

When a folder is created, only the creator of the folder has any permissions to that folder. (The exception is if the folder is created within a company subscription. In that case, the company administrator also has access to, and permissions on, the folder.)

The creator/owner of the folder may share the folder with other users and thereby assign permissions to the folder. These permissions are applied on a root folder level. All documents and sub-folders within the root inherit the permissions of the root folder.

You can specify additional Share permissions on individual documents within folders, but keep in mind that permissions are additive: these additional permissions are added to the folder permissions to create a larger set of permissions and access. For this reason, the Onshape best practice recommendation is to keep minimal permissions on the root folder and add additional access and permission through individual documents.

To share a folder:

  1. Tap the overflow menu to the right of the folder name.
  2. Tap the Share icon.
  3. Make the appropriate permission selections and enter the email addresses of the people with whom you wish to share the folder.

When a folder is shared, the permissions on that folder become the shared users’ permissions on any and all documents and folders within that folder.

Only first-level folders may be explicitly shared, and all Share details apply to the contents of the folder, including all documents and any sub-folders.

You can move documents and/or folders into and out of folders. You must have the appropriate permissions on the documents and the folders you wish to move and to move to.

  1. Tap the More overflow icon icon next to the document (or folder) in the Documents list to open the Detail panel for that document.
  2. Tap the Move Move to folder icon icon and then select the folder into which to move the document (or folder).
  3. Once the target folder is selected, the contents of that folder are displayed.
  4. If this is the correct folder, click Move here (top right corner of the screen). If this is not the correct folder, click the X in the top left corner.

    If a transfer of ownership is required to move the document or folder into the new folder, a notification is displayed. Document ownership is transferred to the owner of the folder.

    transfer ownership message

  5. Confirm the transfer of ownership (if appropriate) by selecting Transfer ownership, or click Cancel to cancel the move.
  6. Once the action is confirmed or dismissed, the Documents page is displayed again.