Files

Store and manage your files from entirely within the Paradigm web app. The following covers our capabilities, from creating new files to navigating between and organizing them.

​

Filesystem basics

Get familiar with the building blocks of your files and how they’re scoped.

• Item types: The filesystem contains two item types — folders and sheets. Folders help you organize, while sheets are the working documents you open and edit.
• Spaces: Your sidebar has two primary spaces:
  • Private: Only visible to you.
  • Team: Visible to everyone in your organization.
• Organization-scoped: Files are stored per organization. Switching organizations changes the entire filesystem you see (both Private and Team).

​

Viewing files

There are two main ways to view your files and navigate the filesystem: through the home page and using the sidebar.

• Sidebar mirrors your filesystem: The tree in the sidebar is the source of truth for your structure. Clicking a sheet opens its page; clicking a folder navigates you to that folder’s view within Home.
• Home and folder pages: The Home page lists your top-level items. Navigating into a folder shows the same items you see nested under that folder in the sidebar.
• Shared and Public: The “Shared with me” and “Public sheets” sections are separate views and do not change your Private/Team filesystem. They provide quick access to sheets others shared with you or that you opened publicly.

​

Creating items

Create new sheets and folders from the sidebar or command palette, and convert existing work into templates.

• New sheet:
  • From the sidebar: click “New sheet” at the top, or use the section header actions under Private/Team.
  • From the command palette: press Cmd + K (or Ctrl + K) and choose “Create new sheet.”
• New folder: Use the section header actions under Private/Team to add a folder, then rename it as needed.
• Upload files: Use “Upload” in the section header to add data and automatically create a sheet. See the Upload guide for details: Upload.
• Duplicate a sheet: Use a sheet’s context menu to create an identical copy.
• Create a template from a sheet: Turn any sheet into a reusable template from the sheet’s menu. See Templates.

​

Organizing and moving

Keep your workspace tidy with drag-and-drop, nesting, and quick rename actions.

• Drag and drop: Reorder items, move sheets into folders, and nest folders. Drop indicators show exactly where the item will land.
• Move to root: Drag an item to the top-level area (e.g., over “Home” in the Private section) to move it back to its root position (the top level folder).
• Nesting: Folders can contain both sheets and other folders for deeper organization.
• Rename: Use the context menu on any item to rename it.
• Context menus: Right-click or use the ”•••” menu on an item. Options differ for folders vs sheets (e.g., create template and duplicate are sheet-specific).

​

Deleting and recovery

Understand how deleting files and folders works and what to do if you need something back.

• Delete sheet or folder: Use the item’s context menu, then confirm. Deleting a folder removes all items inside it.
• Irreversible in app: Deletions take effect immediately and cascade on folders.
• Recovery options: See Recovering data for what can be restored and how to request help.

​

Access and collaboration

Know who can see and edit items across Private, Team, Shared, and Public views.

• Private: Only you can see items created in your Private space.
• Team: Everyone in your organization can see items in Team.
• Shared sheets: Sheets explicitly shared with you appear under Shared; your access may be view-only or editor. If you lack edit rights, the sheet opens in view-only mode.
• Public sheets: Public items you’ve opened are listed separately and don’t change your Private/Team filesystem structure.

​

Switching workspaces

Switch organizations to see a different Private/Team filesystem.

• Change organization: Open the organization menu in the sidebar header and select another workspace.
• Scope changes: Your Private and Team lists update to that org, and items from other orgs are no longer visible until you switch back.

​

Quick actions and help

Move faster with search and command shortcuts.

• Command palette: Press Cmd + K (or Ctrl + K) to quickly create a sheet, open recent sheets, and jump to pages.
• Help menu: Use the question mark icon in the sidebar to open docs or join the community for workflow tips.

​

Best practices

Simple guidelines to keep your workspace navigable as your team grows.

• Consistent naming: Use clear, searchable names (e.g., “Prospects — 2025 Q1”).
• Shallow hierarchy: Prefer a few broad folders over many deep ones.
• Choose the right space: Draft privately; publish shared assets in Team.
• Templatize repeat work: Convert good patterns into templates to standardize new sheets.

​

Beginner’s workflow

Take the first step of your Paradigm journey: create a new folder by clicking the Create new button and select New folder. After creating a folder, drag and drop your sheets into it to organize them. You can also put folders within other folders. You can create sheets and folders in both the Private and Team spaces. Items created in the Private section are only visible to you. Items created in the Team space can be seen by all the members in your organization.