Document Library
A Document Library is a folder on the Salesforce Classic Documents tab used to store and organize files such as logos, brochures, templates, and reference images that are not attached to any specific record.
Definition
A Document Library is a folder on the Salesforce Classic Documents tab used to store and organize files such as logos, brochures, templates, and reference images that are not attached to any specific record. Each document lives inside a folder, and folder access controls who can view or edit the items it holds.
This is an older storage model. The Documents tab is only available in Salesforce Classic, not in Lightning Experience, so most new work uses Salesforce Files instead. Documents are still kept around in many orgs because features like HTML email templates reference logos and images stored there.
How the Documents tab fits among Salesforce file storage options
What a Document Library actually is
On the Documents tab, a library is simply a folder plus the documents filed inside it. A document can be an uploaded file or a reference link that points to a network path or a URL. When you upload, you give the document a name (or let it keep the original filename), pick a folder, and optionally add a description and keywords so it can be found through search later. Two checkboxes shape how the item behaves. "Indicate Document is Internal" flags content that viewers should not share outside the company. "Externally Available Image" marks an image, like a logo, as non-confidential so it can load in HTML email templates without anyone signing in. The Documents tab is available in every edition, but only inside Salesforce Classic. Because items here are not tied to a record, they work well as shared org assets: a brand logo reused across templates, a price sheet sales reps download, or a graphic embedded in a Visualforce page. The trade-off is that folders alone make large collections hard to search.
Folders and who can see them
Folders are the access boundary on the Documents tab. When you create a folder, you decide whether it is public, hidden, or read-only, and which users, roles, or public groups can work with it. A document inherits the visibility of the folder it sits in, so moving a file between folders can change who reaches it. This is coarser than the record-level sharing model used elsewhere in Salesforce. There is no per-document sharing and no version history on the document itself, beyond replacing the file. Admins often build a small set of folders that mirror teams or content types, for example Marketing Assets, Email Logos, and Internal Templates. Keeping the folder list short matters, because users browse rather than filter, and a long flat list slows everyone down. The "Externally Available Image" flag deserves care here. An image marked that way is reachable by its URL without a login, which is what makes it work in outbound email, but it also means the file is not private. Reserve that flag for logos and graphics you are comfortable exposing publicly.
Documents, Files, CRM Content, and Attachments
Salesforce has several storage homes, and they are easy to confuse. The Documents tab holds web resources like logos and Visualforce assets in folders, with a 5 MB cap for most documents and 20 KB for a custom app logo. Salesforce Files is the modern home in Lightning Experience and supports uploads up to 2 GB, with previews, sharing, following, and version history. Salesforce CRM Content publishes official corporate material and customer deliverables into searchable libraries, also up to 2 GB, and adds tagging, content packs, and delivery tracking. Attachments differ again: they sit directly on a single record rather than in a shared library. The practical rule is about reuse versus context. Reach for the Documents tab or Files when an asset is shared across the org, and for an attachment when a file belongs to one record. Among the shared options, Files is the default for anything new, while the Documents tab survives mostly for the email-template and logo cases that still depend on it.
Why it is considered legacy
The Documents tab predates Lightning Experience, and it never made the jump. In Lightning the tab is not present, so a user working there cannot browse document folders at all. Salesforce positions Files as the best way to save, organize, and share files, and most of the platform now reads and writes Files objects rather than legacy documents. The capability gap is real. The Documents tab has no rich preview, no in-app collaboration, no per-file sharing, and a small 5 MB ceiling that rules out most modern assets. Files clears all of that and scales to 2 GB. Despite this, Salesforce has not retired the Documents tab. It still works in Classic, and several features quietly depend on it. HTML email templates point at logos stored there, and some older customizations reference document IDs directly. That is why Salesforce explicitly warns against deleting these documents during a cleanup. The tab is best understood as maintained-but-frozen: safe to keep using for the narrow jobs it still does, but not where you build anything new.
Moving content to Salesforce Files
There is no one-click button that converts a Document Library into Files, so migration takes planning. Salesforce describes three routes. You can include documents in the org's Weekly Export, then upload the exported files into Salesforce Files. You can use a data export tool from AppExchange to move them in bulk. Or you can build an automated path with the Connect REST API, uploading each item as an asset file. Whichever route you pick, audit dependencies first. Email templates that embed a logo by its document URL will break if that document disappears, which is exactly why the guidance is to keep the originals in place even after copies live in Files. A common pattern is to migrate the bulk of reusable content to Files for everyday use, while leaving the handful of template logos and externally available images untouched on the Documents tab. Track which documents are referenced where before you delete anything. A short spreadsheet of document name, folder, and the templates or pages that use it saves a lot of broken-image surprises later.
When the Documents tab still earns its place
For brand-new orgs that start in Lightning Experience, the Documents tab rarely appears, and teams build on Files from day one. The tab matters most in established Classic orgs and in hybrid orgs that run both interfaces. The clearest reason to keep it is HTML email. An "Externally Available Image" logo on the Documents tab loads in a recipient's inbox without a login, and that behavior is hard to replace casually. Visualforce pages that reference a document by ID are another reason. So is any long-standing integration or custom button that was wired to a document URL years ago. If your org sends branded email or runs older Visualforce, the Documents tab is probably still doing quiet work. The honest stance for an admin is to inventory what depends on it, migrate everything that can move to Files, and treat the remainder as a small, documented legacy surface. Knowing which storage model holds a given asset, and why, is the difference between a clean modernization and a wave of broken links.
How to add a document to a Document Library
Adding a document to a Document Library is a Classic task. Switch to Salesforce Classic, open the Documents tab, and create the document inside the folder you want. This is the right place for a shared org asset like a logo or a brochure, not a file that belongs to one record.
- Switch to Salesforce Classic
The Documents tab does not exist in Lightning Experience. Use the profile menu to switch to Classic, then find the Documents tab (you may need the App Launcher or the tab bar arrow).
- Start a new document
On the Documents tab click New Document. Choose the folder that should hold the item. You can only file into folders you have write access to, so confirm folder permissions first.
- Fill in the details
Enter a clear name and, optionally, a description and keywords so search can find it. Decide whether to upload a file from your computer or store a link to a network path or URL.
- Set the sharing flags
Use "Indicate Document is Internal" for content that should stay inside the company. Use "Externally Available Image" only for logos or graphics you are comfortable exposing publicly, since that lets email templates load them without a login.
- Save and reference it
Save the document. You can now point an HTML email template, Visualforce page, or custom logo setting at it. To update later, open the document and choose Replace Document.
The document label. Leave it blank to keep the original filename, but a descriptive name makes search and folder browsing easier.
Required. The folder controls who can see and edit the document, so pick one whose access matches the audience for this file.
Either upload an actual file (up to 5 MB, or 20 KB for a custom app logo) or store a link to a network path or URL instead of the file itself.
- The Documents tab is Classic only. Lightning users cannot browse document folders, so anything you expect them to find should live in Salesforce Files.
- "Externally Available Image" makes a file reachable by URL with no login. That is what email templates need, but it also means the image is public, so never flag confidential content.
- Do not delete documents that email templates or Visualforce pages reference by ID or URL. There is no automatic relink, and the asset will show as broken.
- Standard documents are capped at 5 MB. For larger or modern assets, upload to Salesforce Files (up to 2 GB) instead.
Prefer this walkthrough as its own page? How to Document Library in Salesforce, step by step
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Document Library.
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Document Library.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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Q1. Which structure does a Document Library use to store files in Salesforce?
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