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Full Files Tab entry
How-to guide

Put the Files tab in your app's navigation

Files home is available by default, but you often want to confirm the Files tab is in an app's navigation and visible to the right users. Do this in Setup so internal, partner, and customer users each see a Files tab that fits their needs.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated Jun 16, 2026

Files home is available by default, but you often want to confirm the Files tab is in an app's navigation and visible to the right users. Do this in Setup so internal, partner, and customer users each see a Files tab that fits their needs.

  1. Open the App Manager

    In Setup, go to App Manager. Find the Lightning app whose navigation you want to change, open its row dropdown, and choose Edit.

  2. Add Files to the navigation items

    In the App Settings, select Navigation Items. Move Files from Available Items into Selected Items so it appears in the app's navigation bar, then order it where you want.

  3. Assign the app to the right profiles

    Open the User Profiles section of the app and confirm the profiles that should reach this Files tab are assigned. Save the app to apply the change.

  4. Verify and optionally tailor library access

    Open the app, click Files, and confirm the filters and Libraries appear. For teams, grant the Manage Library permission so the right people can create and curate libraries from Files home.

Navigation Itemsremember

Controls whether the Files tab shows in an app's navigation bar and in what order; set per Lightning app in App Manager.

User Profiles (app assignment)remember

Determines which profiles can open the app and therefore see its Files tab; lets you give internal and external users different experiences.

Manage Library permissionremember

Lets a user create, edit, and organize libraries from Files home; without it they can view libraries they belong to but not curate them.

Gotchas
  • The Documents tab does not exist in Lightning Experience; point users to Files home instead, and migrate working documents into Salesforce Files.
  • Files uploaded from the tab start Private, so a user who forgets to share will think a file is missing when teammates simply have no access.
  • Salesforce Files Sync, the old desktop sync that powered a Synced view, was retired in Spring 18; do not expect a Synced filter on modern orgs.
  • A library cannot be deleted until its files are removed, so plan a cleanup before retiring a workspace.

See the full Files Tab entry

Files Tab includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.