Folder
A Folder in Salesforce is the access-control container for Reports, Dashboards, Email Templates, and Documents.
Definition
A Folder in Salesforce is the access-control container for Reports, Dashboards, Email Templates, and Documents. Each item lives in exactly one folder, and the folder's sharing settings determine who can see and modify the items inside. Folders predate the modern record sharing model and operate on their own access rules: an item is visible to a user if and only if the user has access to its folder. This means folders are the only place where Report or Dashboard sharing happens, separate from record sharing on other objects.
Folders come in two types. Public folders are accessible to specified users, roles, or public groups based on the folder's share settings. Private folders belong to one user (typically the creator) and are not shareable; items in a private folder are visible only to the owner. Salesforce historically used folders for nearly all content management, but the modern Files framework moved away from them in favor of library and record-based sharing. Reports, Dashboards, Email Templates, and Documents remain on the folder model.
How folders work in Salesforce
Folder types: Report, Dashboard, Email Template, Document
Salesforce has four parallel folder hierarchies, one per content type. Report folders contain reports; Dashboard folders contain dashboards; Email Template folders contain templates; Document folders contain Documents. The hierarchies are separate; a single folder cannot hold both reports and dashboards. Each hierarchy has its own root, its own permissions model, and its own list view in the corresponding tab.
Public versus Private folders
Public folders can be shared with users, roles, role-and-subordinates, and public groups. Each share specifies a permission level: Viewer, Editor, or Manager. Private folders are not shareable; only the owner sees them. New reports default to the creator's My Personal Custom Reports folder, which is private; users must move the report to a public folder to share it.
Permission levels
Three permission levels exist per share entry. Viewer can run reports and view dashboards but not change them. Editor can view, edit, save, and run. Manager can do everything Editor can plus delete the folder and manage its share settings. The Manager permission is sensitive because it lets the user revoke other users' access; assign it sparingly.
Folder hierarchy and nesting
Folders can be nested into a hierarchy, with child folders inheriting share settings from their parent by default. Override the inheritance per child if specific subsections need different access. The hierarchy is what makes folders manageable for large orgs; a flat list of 200 report folders is unworkable.
Document folders and the IsPublic flag
Document folders work slightly differently from Report and Dashboard folders. The Document object has an IsPublic flag at the record level, distinct from the folder's share settings. A Document marked IsPublic is streamable through a public URL even to anonymous users, regardless of folder permissions. This dual-control model is unique to Documents and stems from the object's role serving email-template images.
Folder visibility versus sharing rules
Folder access does not work through standard sharing rules. There is no concept of an Owner field, no Apex sharing for folders, no criteria-based shares. The only mechanism is the share table on the folder: explicit grants to users, roles, or groups. This is a hard constraint; anyone seeking dynamic folder sharing rules will be disappointed.
Migrating to the modern alternatives
For Files specifically, Salesforce shifted years ago to Libraries and record-based sharing. Reports and Dashboards remain on folders because the folder model fits their analytics use case better than a record-based model would. Email Templates have a Lightning Email Templates feature that uses a slightly different storage model with its own sharing, slowly replacing the legacy folder-based templates. Plan migration on a per-content-type basis.
Create and share a folder
Setting up a new folder is straightforward; the harder work is designing the folder hierarchy and permissions model. The steps below cover both the mechanical setup and the design considerations.
- Identify the content type
Pick the tab matching the content: Reports, Dashboards, Email Templates, or Documents. The folder you create only holds that content type.
- Plan the hierarchy
Before creating folders, sketch the structure. Group by business function (Sales Reports, Service Reports), by audience (Executive Dashboards, Manager Dashboards), or by lifecycle (Active, Archived). Avoid both flat lists and deep nesting.
- Create the folder
From the tab, click New Folder. Name it, choose the parent folder if nesting, save.
- Configure share settings
Click Share on the folder. Add users, roles, or public groups with the appropriate permission (Viewer, Editor, Manager). Default to Viewer; reserve higher permissions for clear need.
- Test access from a sample user
Use Login As to impersonate a user and confirm folder visibility matches the intent. Folder access bugs are usually a forgotten share, not a permissions bug.
- Move existing content
For each report or dashboard that should live in the folder, edit it and change the folder assignment. The move is metadata-only; no data is duplicated.
- Document the folder structure
Capture the hierarchy and permissions in a separate document or wiki. New admins arriving years later cannot infer the design from the folders alone.
Can run reports and view dashboards. The standard share level for most users.
Can view, edit, save, and run items in the folder. For users who maintain reports.
Can do everything plus delete the folder and manage shares. Reserve for folder owners.
Share to a public group rather than individuals. Easier to maintain as team membership changes.
Share to a role and everyone below it in the hierarchy. Useful for management hierarchies.
- New reports go to the creator's private folder by default. Users complaining their report is invisible to teammates usually need to move it first.
- Folder access has no criteria-based sharing. The only mechanism is the explicit share table; dynamic rules are not supported.
- Manager permission lets the user revoke other users' access. Audit Manager-level shares; an over-assigned Manager permission is the path to accidental lockouts.
- Document folders have a dual model with IsPublic. A public Document is reachable regardless of folder permissions; audit IsPublic Documents quarterly.
- Email Template folders (legacy) and Lightning Email Templates have different storage. New email template work increasingly uses Lightning; do not assume folder-based shares apply.
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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