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Onplana Docs

Organize project files in document folders

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Every project has a Docs section with a Document Folders tab where your team keeps files: charters, contracts, specs, screenshots, exports. Folders keep related files together, and most common file types open right in the browser without a download.

Create a folder and upload files

Section titled “Create a folder and upload files”
The Docs tab of a project with a Design Assets document folder selected, showing its linked documents, the Upload files button, and search and sort controls.

  1. Open the project and go to Docs, then Document Folders.

  2. Create a new folder. The New Document Folder dialog suggests starting points (for example “Project Charters”) or you can name your own.

  3. Select Upload files, or simply drag files from your computer onto the folder. Each file can be up to 100 MB.

The automatic Project Documents folder

Section titled “The automatic Project Documents folder”

Each project gets a folder named Project Documents with an AUTO badge. You do not manage it directly: Onplana fills it for you. Files attached to tasks land here automatically, as do files uploaded while creating a task, project, or proposal. It is the one place to look when you remember “someone attached that file to a task somewhere.”

Preview files in the browser

Section titled “Preview files in the browser”

Click a file to open its preview. What you see depends on the file type:

  • PDF files display as-is.
  • Word and PowerPoint files (including older formats, OpenDocument, and RTF) are converted and displayed as a PDF-style preview.
  • Excel and other spreadsheets open in a tabbed viewer with one tab per sheet. Very large sheets show the first rows and columns with a note telling you to download for the full data.
  • Images display directly.
  • Text, Markdown, and CSV files render as text. Markdown documents are formatted, and can be edited in place.

Anything that cannot be previewed (or anything you want a local copy of) has a Download action.

Best practices

Section titled “Best practices”
  1. Organize by purpose, not by date. “Charters”, “Contracts”, “Specs” beat “January 2026” / “February 2026”. Purpose- based folders age better.
  2. Let the auto Project Documents folder collect attachments. Don’t move files out of it manually; let auto-routing land them there, and create purpose-folders for files that should be discovered directly.
  3. Use cloud-storage attach for files over 100 MB. Don’t break large files into parts. Use the cloud-storage integration. See Attach files from cloud storage.
  4. Preview before downloading. Most files preview in-browser; downloading for review is unnecessary. Saves roundtrips.
  5. Restrict sensitive libraries. A library with confidential contracts shouldn’t be viewable by every project member. See Share libraries and lists for the grant + restrict pattern.

Troubleshooting / common pitfalls

Section titled “Troubleshooting / common pitfalls”
  • Upload rejected (100 MB cap). Use a cloud-storage attach instead. Onplana links to the cloud-stored file rather than uploading.
  • Preview shows “Conversion unavailable”. Specific file types (legacy Office .xls) need LibreOffice; if the server lacks it, preview falls back to download.
  • PDF preview shows blank pages. Some corrupted PDFs render empty. Download to verify file integrity.
  • Auto Project Documents folder shows duplicates. Task attachments are mirrored into the library automatically. If duplicates appear, file a bug.
  • A file disappeared. Check the recycle bin first. Soft-deleted files restore intact.

How this combines with other features

Section titled “How this combines with other features”
  • Libraries + Task attachments. Task attachments mirror into the Project Documents library automatically. See Work with tasks.
  • Libraries + Edit Office documents. Word/Excel/PowerPoint files can be edited in-browser via OnlyOffice on Pro+. See Edit Office documents in browser.
  • Libraries + External-link attach. Mix files + Miro/Figma/Notion links in one folder. See Link external boards and docs.
  • Libraries + Sharing. Per-library restrict + grant lets sensitive libraries stay confidential. See Share libraries and lists.

Coming from another tool

Section titled “Coming from another tool”
ToolMapping
SharePointDirect concept; project-scoped document library
Google Drive foldersDirect
Dropbox shared foldersDirect
OneDrive for BusinessDirect
BoxDirect

FAQs

Section titled “FAQs”

Is there a file size limit? Yes, 100 MB per uploaded file. For larger files, keep them in your cloud storage and attach them instead (see Attach files from cloud storage).

Who can see the files in a project? The project’s members. Files live inside the project, so someone who is not on the project cannot browse its folders.

I deleted a file by mistake. Can I get it back? Yes. Deleted workspace files go to the Recycle Bin, where they can be restored.

Can I link things that are not files? Yes. Use Link Onplana item in a folder to link a task, wiki page, or whiteboard from the same project, and see Link external boards and docs for Miro, Figma, Notion, and similar references.

Are file uploads scanned for malware? Yes, uploads pass through MIME-type sniffing. Mismatched files (claimed type vs actual bytes) are rejected.

Can I version-control files? Today: each upload is a new file. For versioning Office docs, use OnlyOffice edit-in-browser; for code, link a GitHub repository via External Boards.

Can I bulk-upload via API? Yes, /api/workspace/libraries/:id/documents accepts file uploads via the MCP API.

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