Documents & Folders
Finding your way around Documents
The folder panel, Home and All Documents, views, columns, sorting and the details pane.
Step 1
The Folders panel
The panel on the left holds your folder tree. Each folder shows how many files it holds and a lock if it is restricted. The arrow opens its subfolders. Pinned appears above the tree once you pin something, and Shared with me below it once someone shares something. Trash sits at the bottom, with Activity under it for admins.
Folders
New FolderStep 2
Hide or widen it
Press the folder button at the left of the toolbar to hide the panel, and again to bring it back. Drag the panel's right edge to make it wider or narrower. Secretary remembers both on this browser.
UploadStep 3
Home and All Documents
Home shows the top-level folders and files. All Documents shows every file you can open in one flat list.
Folders
New FolderStep 4
Where each file lives
In All Documents, and in search results, the Location column shows the folder each file is in. Hover it for the full path, and press it to go to that folder.
Q3-Report.pdf
NDA.docx
PrivateStep 5
Know where you are
The path above the list shows where you are. Press any part of it to go back up. A long path folds into two dots; press them to see all of it.
Q3-Report.pdf
Budget.xlsx
Step 6
Select, then open
Click a file or folder once to select it; it turns dark. Double-click to open it. In the Folders panel, one click opens a folder. On a phone, one tap opens.
2026
5 files
Q3-Report.pdf
Budget.xlsx
Step 7
Change the view
These three buttons switch between Compact, Medium and Tile view. Tile view shows image thumbnails and each file's tag.
2026
5 files
FinanceQ3-Report.pdf
Budget.xlsx
Step 8
Choose the columns
Press Customize columns to tick which columns show: Type, Location, Tags, Status, Uploaded by, Size and Date. The arrows move a column left or right, and Reset puts them back. Drag the edge of a column heading to make it wider.
Q3-Report.pdf
Budget.xlsx
Step 9
Sort
Press a column heading to sort by it, and press it again to flip the order. The list starts with the newest first. Folders always stay above files, A to Z.
2026
5 files
Budget.xlsx
Q3-Report.pdf
Step 10
Read the status
Status shows whether Secretary has read a file yet. Processing means it is still reading it. Ready means it can be searched and used in chat. Failed means reading it went wrong: hover the row and press Retry indexing. Not searchable yet means the file is saved, but it can't be searched or read by the AI until Secretary's database has space again; that finishes on its own. Not AI-scanned means Secretary cannot read that type of file, so it is stored and can be downloaded but is not used in chat.
Minutes.docx
Q3-Report.pdf
Scan-0412.pdf
Board-pack.pdf
Step 11
Open the details pane
Press the details button at the right end of the list's header. A panel opens beside the list, and the button turns dark while it is open. Press it again to close it.
Q3-Report.pdf
Budget.xlsx
Step 12
What the details pane shows
Select any file and the pane shows a preview, its type, size, when it was added, its folder, status, pages and words, who has access and its summaries. Open, Download and Delete sit at the bottom. Delete here moves the file to Trash straight away, with an Undo toast.
Q3-Financial-Report.pdf
Inherited from folder Reports
Direct access (1)
Alex Johnson
alex@example.com
Summaries
Try it in Secretary, or create an account to get started.
Related guides
Uploading documents
Add files to the folder you have open, or let Secretary read them and sort them into folders for you.
Uploading a whole folder
Upload a folder from your computer with all its subfolders, keeping the same structure.
Creating folders
Make folders and subfolders to organise your documents, and decide who can see them as you go.