How to Setup and Manage Folders
Folders let you organize your captures, and on Business and Enterprise plans, share them with your team in one common space. Use them to separate work by subsidiary, department, project, or any structure that fits your organization. In this article you will learn how to create folders, add captures, manage nested folders, and control access for your team. You can also try the interactive demo below to see it in action.
What is a Folder?
A Folder is a container in your Polycam library that lets you group and organize captures by team, project, or any category that makes sense for you. On Business and Enterprise plans, folders can also be shared across your organization, which is especially useful when multiple subsidiaries or departments within your company use Polycam, as each group can have its own dedicated space with access controlled independently. Workspace Owners can manage folder-wide settings from Admin settings, while individual access can be configured from the People tab.
Plan Availability
Folders themselves are available to everyone, on every plan. Using folders to share captures across your team, however, requires a Business or Enterprise subscription.
| Plan | iOS | Web | Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Available | Available | Available |
| Basic | Available | Available | Available |
| ProLEGACY | Available | Available | Available |
| Business | Available | Available | Available |
| Enterprise | Available | Available | Available |
Sharing Folders Across a Team
| Plan | iOS | Web | Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Basic | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| ProLEGACY | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Business | Available | Available | Available |
| Enterprise | Available | Available | Available |
- Free, Basic, Pro: Personal folders only
- Business: Personal folders, plus team-wide shared folders (same access for everyone)
- Enterprise: Personal folders, team-wide sharing, plus per-folder and per-person access control
Try the Interactive Demo
Get a feel for creating and organizing folders directly in Polycam with the interactive walkthrough below.
Create a New Folder
On Web
In your Polycam library, click the button on the left-hand side of the page. From the drop-down menu, select New folder. Enter a name and optional description for your folder, then click to confirm.
On iOS and Android
Open the Library tab, then tap the icon in the top-right corner. Select New folder from the options, enter a name and optional description, then confirm to create it.
Adding Captures to a Folder
Once your folder is created, you can move captures into it directly from your library on any platform.
On Web
- Drag and drop individual captures into the folder.
- To move multiple captures at once, select them using multi-select, then drag the group into the desired folder.
On iOS and Android
- Open the Library tab and locate the capture you want to move.
- Tap and hold the capture, or use multi-select to choose several at once.
- Select Move, then choose the destination folder.
Creating Nested Folders
Folders can be nested inside other folders to create a deeper organizational structure, for example grouping project sub-folders under a parent department folder.
- On iOS and Android: Navigate inside an existing folder, then tap the icon and select New folder. The new folder will be created nested inside the current one.
- On Web: When creating a new folder, use the Parent folder drop-down to select which existing folder it should be nested inside.
Managing Workspace-Wide Folder Access
Workspace Owners can control how folders are shared across the entire workspace from Admin settings. Any changes made here apply to all members.
- Open Admin settings from the left-hand navigation menu.
- Under Workspace access, click .
- In the Workspace Access panel, use the checkboxes to mark each folder as Shared or Private.
- Click to apply your changes.
Changing Folder Access for a Specific Person
If a team member needs different access than the workspace default, you can set folder permissions on a per-person basis from the People tab.
- Navigate to the People tab in the left-hand menu.
- Find the user and click the folder icon next to their name.
- In the User Access panel, select the folders you want this person to access.
- Use the drop-down to set their permission level: No access, Can view, Editor, or Owner.
- Click to apply the changes.
Folder Permission Levels
There are four permission levels available when granting folder access to a user:
| Permission | What they can do |
|---|---|
| No access | The folder is hidden entirely. The user cannot see that the folder exists, and cannot view, edit, or manage any captures inside it. |
| Can view | Browse and view captures inside the folder, but cannot make changes. |
| Editor | Add, edit, and delete captures within the folder. |
| Owner | Full control of this folder, including managing folder access for other users. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to a folder if its owner is removed from the account?
If a folder Owner is removed from the workspace, ownership of that folder transfers automatically to a Workspace Owner. No folder content or settings will be lost.
Can a capture exist in multiple folders at the same time?
No, a capture can only belong to one folder at a time.
Is there a limit to how many folders I can create?
Yes, you can nest up to 255 folders inside any single folder, on any plan.
Can view-only users create folders?
No, only users with an Editor or Owner role can create or manage folders.
What does the "No access" permission do?
It hides the folder from that user entirely, as described above.