Overview
Documents is the central library where your firm stores and manages every file connected to your diligence activity. It brings together the files your team uploads and the files Requestors and Investors share with you, so you no longer need to search across individual projects or email threads to find a policy, questionnaire, or supporting attachment.
Because all files sit in one library, you can search across the entire collection at once, organize files into folders that match how your team works, and control who is able to remove content. Each document carries attributes such as its associated entity, document type, and as of date, which makes it possible to filter a large library down to exactly the files you need.
What You Can Do
- Centralize your files: Keep uploaded and received documents together in a single searchable library.
- Find files quickly: Use keyword search, column filters, and date ranges to narrow results.
- Reuse what you have already sent: Keep completed policies and standard attachments in one place so they are ready for the next request.
- Organize at scale: Move files into folders individually, in bulk, or automatically by date and firm.
- Protect your records: Apply firm-level deletion rules and restore files removed by mistake.
The four views available in the Documents library
Accessing Documents
Open the library from the left navigation panel.
Content > Documents
The library opens on four tabs, each showing a different slice of your files.
Uploads
Displays the documents your firm has added to DiligenceVault. This is the only tab where you can upload new files and run Bulk Folder Actions.
The Uploads tab showing documents added by your firm
Received
Displays the documents Requestors and Investors have shared with you. Files you have not yet opened appear in bold, so recent activity is easy to spot. The Owner Firm Name column tells you which firm each document came from.
The Received tab showing documents shared with your firm
All
Combines uploaded and received documents into a single consolidated list. This tab is the fastest way to search across your entire library when you are not sure where a file came from.
The All tab combining uploaded and received documents
Recently Deleted
Holds documents that have been removed from the library so they can be recovered if needed.
The Recently Deleted tab with the 30 day retention notice
Searching and Filtering
Each tab provides several ways to narrow a long list down to the files you need.
- Keyword Search: Enter a term to locate documents by name or text content.
- Column filters: Use the search fields beneath each column heading to filter by document name, folder path, document type, associated entity, or date.
- Owner Firm Name: On the Received and All tabs, filter by the firm that owns the document to see everything from one Requestor together.
- Filter icon: Open the filter panel for additional criteria beyond the column level fields.
- Date Range Filter: Select a period from the calendar to show only documents updated within that timeframe. On the Recently Deleted tab this filter applies to the deletion date rather than the last updated date.
- Saved views: Adjust the columns and filters you want, then select Save View to keep that configuration for future visits.
| Note : The label beneath the date field tells you which date the filter is applied to, so check it before assuming a file falls outside your selected range. |
Switching Between File and Folder View
Use the toggle in the upper area of the page to change how documents are presented.
- File View: Shows a flat list of all documents, which works well for searching and bulk edits.
- Folder View: Shows your documents arranged within their folder structure, which works well for browsing and reorganizing. Bulk Folder Actions appear only in this view.
The same tab shown in File View and Folder View
| Note: Selecting Hide empty folders in Folder View removes folders with no documents from the display, which is useful after a large reorganization. |
Adding Documents and Folders
The button in the upper right corner changes depending on which tab you are viewing.
From the Uploads Tab
Select + New to open a menu with three options.
- New Folder: Create a folder to organize your documents.
- Upload Document: Add one or more individual files.
- Upload Folder: Add an entire folder and preserve its structure.
The + New menu on the Uploads tab
From the Received and All Tabs
These tabs display a + New Folder button instead. You can create folders here to organize existing documents, but files are uploaded from the Uploads tab only.
| Note: Folders are shared across the library. A folder you create in any tab appears in Uploads, Received, and All, so your structure stays consistent no matter where a document originated. |
Managing Individual Documents
Hover over any document row to reveal the preview icon and the three dot menu. The menu provides the following actions.
- Edit: Update the entity type, associated entity, document type, and as of date.
- Share: Share the document with others. This action is available for uploaded documents only and does not appear for received documents.
- Delete: Move the document to Recently Deleted. This action appears only if your firm's deletion setting permits it.
- Download: Save a copy of the file to your device.
Document actions available from the three dot menu
Working With Multiple Documents
Select the checkbox beside each document you want to act on, or use the checkbox in the header row to select everything currently displayed. An action bar appears at the top of the list showing how many documents are selected.
- Edit: Apply the same attribute updates to every selected document at once.
- Delete: Move all selected documents to Recently Deleted.
- Download: Download the selected documents together.
Bulk actions available after selecting documents
| Note: These bulk actions are the same on the Uploads, Received, and All tabs, giving you a consistent experience wherever you are working. Select the cross at the right of the action bar to clear your selection. |
Organizing Folders in Bulk
When you are on the Uploads tab in Folder View, a Bulk Folder Actions menu becomes available. These operations restructure your entire library at once rather than acting on a selection.
Bulk Organize Documents
Automatically sorts documents into folders using an attribute you choose.
- As of Date: Group by year, by month, or by individual date.
- Owner Firm: Create one folder for each firm.
- Owner Firm and As of Date: Combine both attributes into a nested structure.
Flatten All Folders
Removes all folder assignments and returns every document to a single flat list. This is the reverse of Bulk Organize and is useful when you want to start a new folder structure from scratch.
How Bulk Organize and Flatten All Folders reshape your library
The Bulk Folder Actions menu in Folder View on the Uploads tab
| Important: Flatten All Folders applies to the whole library rather than a selection. Review your folder structure before running it, since restoring the previous arrangement means organizing the documents again. |
Deleting and Restoring Documents
Deleted documents are not removed immediately. They move to the Recently Deleted tab, where they remain available for 30 days.
Restoring a Document
- Open the Recently Deleted tab.
- Select the checkbox beside each document you want to recover.
- Select Restore to return the documents to their original tab.
| Important: Documents in Recently Deleted are permanently removed after 30 days and cannot be recovered afterwards. Restore anything you still need before that window closes. |
Firm-Level Deletion Settings
Firm Admins can control who is able to delete documents across the firm. This reduces the risk of accidental or unauthorized deletion and supports your firm's record retention requirements.
To configure the setting, follow this path.
Your initials (bottom left) > Firm Settings > Preferences > Firm Preferences > Document Defaults > Default Deletion
Three options are available.
- All Documents: Users can delete both uploaded and received documents.
- Only Uploaded Documents: Users can delete documents their firm uploaded. Documents received from Requestors cannot be deleted.
- Don't Allow Deletion: Deletion is turned off for the firm and the delete action is unavailable.
Select your preferred option and then select Save Firm Preferences to apply it.
The Default Deletion setting under Document Defaults
What each deletion setting permits
| Note: Changing this setting does not affect documents already sitting in Recently Deleted. Those files continue to follow the existing 30 day timeline unless they are restored. |
The same Document Defaults section also lets Firm Admins set the Default Tab and Default View that users see when they open the library, so your team can start on the tab and layout that suits how they work.
Need Help?
If you have questions about the Documents library or need help configuring deletion settings for your firm, contact us at ask@diligencevault.com.