--- title: "Using Files" description: "Find, open, and download your community's documents, including the files in your member groups." url: https://support.communitrak.com/en/articles/23-using-files collection: "Files & Documents for Residents" updated: 2026-10-13 language: en --- # Using Files Find, open, and download your community's documents, including the files in your member groups. Files is where your community keeps its documents: governing documents, meeting minutes, forms, newsletters, and anything else your Community Leaders share. This article covers finding, opening, and downloading files. To upload files, set up folders, or share by link, see the article on managing files. ## **Who can do this** Every community member can browse and download the files in folders they have access to. Some folders are open to the whole community, and some are limited to certain roles or to a member group. You only see the folders you can open. Uploading, organizing, and sharing files each need their own permissions, which residents don't have by default. Some options may be unavailable or appear differently depending on your level of account access. ## **Open Files** 1. Log in to Communitrak at [https://app.communitrak.com](https://app.communitrak.com). 2. Click **Files** in the main navigation menu. Files opens at **Home**. If you belong to any member groups, they appear first under **Member Groups**, followed by the community's **Files & Folders**. Click a group, or double-click a folder, to open it. The trail across the top shows where you are; click any part of it, such as **Home**, to go back up. If you don't see **Files** in the menu, your community hasn't turned it on. ## **Find a file** - **Search**: type in **Search files and folders** to filter what's in the folder you're viewing by name. Search doesn't look inside other folders, so open the right folder first. - **Grid or list**: use the two buttons beside the search bar. List view adds **Uploaded**, **Size**, and **Type** columns you can click to sort. - **Sort**: order the folder by name (**Name A-Z**, **Name Z-A**), upload date (**Newest First**, **Oldest First**), or size (**Largest First**, **Smallest First**). Each file shows its size and when it was uploaded, and images show a small preview. Each folder shows how many files and folders it holds. Two small icons can appear beside a name: - A **link** icon means it's shared by link, so people outside the community can open it. - A **globe** icon marks an older public file that anyone with its direct link can open. ## **Open or download a file** - Double-click a file to open it in a new tab. PDFs, images, and many other files show a preview there, with a **Download** button. - Or click the **⋮** button on a file and choose **Download** or **View File**. To download several files at once, select them, then click **Download** in the bar that appears at the bottom of the page. To select a file, hover over it and tick the box in its top-left corner, or hold Ctrl (Cmd on a Mac) and click it. In list view, use the checkboxes in the first column. Each file downloads separately. Download isn't offered when a folder is part of the selection. ## **Files in your member groups** A member group can have its own folders, which every active member of the group can open. You'll find them in two places: the group's tile under **Member Groups** on the Files page, and the **Files** tab on the group's own page. They hold the same files. People outside the group can't see them. The group's admins can upload files and create folders from the group's **Files** tab. If the group allows it, every member can upload too: you'll see an **Upload** button. Documents, images, audio, video, and ZIP files are accepted, up to 100 MB each. ## **Send a file to someone** - **A link for another member**: click **⋮** on the file or folder and choose **Copy link**. Only members who can already see it can open the link, after signing in. - **In a message**: select files and click **Post or Message** in the bottom bar, or use **Attach from Files** while writing a message. See the article on sharing files. Sending someone a link doesn't give them access. If a neighbor can't open a file you sent, they may not have access to the folder it's in. Ask a Community Leader. ## **Things to know** - Files are private to your community. Opening one needs you to be signed in, unless a Community Leader has shared it by link or it's an older public file. - If a folder you expect to see is missing, it's probably limited to certain roles or to a member group you're not in. A folder inside a limited folder is limited too. - Each folder has its own web address, so your browser's back and forward buttons move between folders, and you can bookmark one. - The bar at the bottom right of the page shows how much of the community's storage is in use. Hover over it for the exact amount. If you have questions or need help, chat with Communitrak Support from any page using the messenger icon in the bottom-right corner.