Early "Spring Cleaning" for the File Manager [HubSpot Support Series]

We’ve all done it: we get really busy with life and start to forget how to (and when to) organize everything around us, until one day, we can’t find what we are looking for. That’s how it gets with the File Manager too—piles of files and no idea where to start cleaning up. I like to think of the File Manager like it’s my closet. I can either keep it incredibly organized and clean to find anything I own, or I can let it get messy with no trace of where things are.

Thinking of the File Manager like it's your closet will help you keep it organized, with everything accessible and easy to see/search. After you read this article, that disorganized lifestyle will all be in the past because today we are going to get a jump-start on spring cleaning where our first victim will be the closet, aka your File Manager!

Here’s how I like to break it down:

You’ve got your closet full of clothes, shoes, and accessories. With that comes the responsibility of keeping it clean and organized so that when you reach in you know exactly what you’re grabbing and where it is.

It’s the same thing with your File Manager: it can be easy for things to get out of control because you’re so quickly adding and removing files to be used in other parts of your website. When that happens you’ll start to notice a build-up, almost like a pile of clothes on the floor that is towering to the ceiling. (Well, hopefully not that high, but you get the point.)

The goal here is to understand how maintaining your File Manager can relate a lot to your closet and what to do if you start to make some changes. So what happens to your closet if you start removing, replacing, or even storing something away for later?

Deleting Files

If you decide you finally want to get rid of that shirt that seems to be fading all over and throw it out, what happens to it? Easy: the shirt is gone. It no longer lives in your closet and there is no longer a trace of that shirt.

The same is true for a file within the File Manager. If you decide you no longer want a file and nervously click that “delete” button, the item is gone. It can’t be traced back to the page on which it used to live and any pages that were using that file will now display a broken URL to represent that the file no longer lives there.

If you want to go back to the store where the shirt was originally purchased, you can then have that same shirt back, but it needed to come from the original source, the department store. The same goes for your files. If you delete a file but realize you want that file back, it must come from the original source, the original location of where you saved it.

It’s best to delete a file when you know you no longer want it to exist and have nothing else to replace it. However, if you find that you need to "upgrade" or "replace" that file instead, there’s no need to just delete it. Instead, you can always replace it. This brings me to the next stage in cleaning out the File Manager: replacing!

Replacing Files

It’s a new year and you’ve successfully lost all that weight you’ve been working so hard to drop. Now your clothes in your closet no longer fit; everything is too big and saggy on you. You run to the store and stock up on the basics, but in a smaller size. You’ve replaced the clothing in your closet from larger clothes to smaller clothes.

Replacing a file in the File Manager is a pretty similar process. You will still have the file in your portal, just swapped out for the upgraded version. The best part about it is that HubSpot will update the old file information with the new information automatically. You’ve done the hard work with swapping the file, now leave the rest to us!

Here’s an overview of replacing a file.

Archiving Files

Spring cleaning means “out with the old and in with the new,” but what if some items are memorabilia? Or what if you only want to keep out the warm-weather clothes and store away the heavy winter clothing? This is when you would store away clothing you don’t need to keep in your closet while to keep it from getting cluttered. You still own that jacket, but for now it’s stored away in a box until next year. You will always be able to reach for it again and you will always be able to use it at any time.

The same goes for archiving a file: it simply means you are hiding the file from your active files while not deleting it. You are just saving it for another time. That archived file will be live at its original URL if you want to share it or want to add it to your website.

Here’s the quick guide on archiving a file.

Moving Files

The day has come where you are able to do an upgrade on your closet and install a brand new organization system. You will be adding more drawers, hanging racks, and maybe even shelving. Now’s the time to commit to keeping this closet organized, because if you do all the hard work in the beginning, you will have a much cleaner and more organized closet in the long run.

Now what if you did that for your File Manager? Instead of new closet organizers, you’ll be adding brand new folders. You can create these folders, categorize them, arrange them according to your needs, and have a better system for accessing your files. What’s even better is that your images will automatically be updated in HubSpot on any of your pages when you move files between folders. Folders are friends because they keep everything as organized as you left it!

Here’s a breakdown on how to move a file between folders.

And there you have it! You are now not only an expert on cleaning out your “closet,” but you also have a system on how to organize it! It’s time to break out of the clutter and get that File Manager in order. Then, once you have your files in tip-top shape, show off your skills and spread the love for spring cleaning.