Tip of the week: How to organize your shared folders

A little bit of organization goes a long way, especially when it comes to setting up your Dropbox folders. In the spirit of spring cleaning and getting organized, this tip is all about how to structure your shared folders so everyone on your team can easily access what they need. So what’s the best system for managing all your folders? The answer will vary depending on your needs. But as a rule of thumb, we recommend organizing your shared folders based on who needs access to a particular group of files. Here are two common ways:

1. Organize folders by team

One of the simplest ways to stay organized is to create a shared folder for each department in your company — Marketing, Sales, Design, HR, you name it. Under this folder structure, members of the same department can access and collaborate on the same files, making it easier for everyone to stay aligned as a team. For instance, a shared folder for Sales could include in-progress purchase contracts, onboarding materials for new hires, and archived files of past deals.

2. Organize folders by project

Organizing folders by department makes a lot of sense when the bulk of your work takes place within individual teams. But what happens if you regularly work with people in other departments — or with collaborators outside your company? In this case, it might be better to organize your folders by project. Creative agencies, for example, often juggle multiple client projects involving cross-functional teams of strategists, designers, writers, and freelancers. Creating a shared folder for each of those projects lets team members easily share files and coordinate with specific individuals — without worrying about giving the wrong person access. By following these suggestions, you'll be able to keep your files — and your team — organized year-round. To learn more, visit our User Guide article on organizing folders.