How to import and store company files in the ‘Files’ area

This article explains how to import and store files that you might need while working on your accounts - such as email attachments, digital receipts, invoices or bills - in the ‘Files’ area in FreeAgent. It also explains how to rename, download and remove a file.

Please note that you can upload files up to 5MB in size to the ‘Files’ area. You can upload files in a number of different formats. Whilst not a comprehensive list, some of the more popular file types supported are: .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf, .png, .bmp, .tiff, .zip, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .ofx, .qif.

The instructions in this article explain how to perform the actions below on the desktop version of FreeAgent, but you can also import files into FreeAgent via the FreeAgent mobile app. If you import image files into your FreeAgent account on a regular basis, you might also want to consider using the ‘Capture for later’ functionality on the FreeAgent mobile app. Please note that you won't be able to use the FreeAgent mobile app if you have an unincorporated landlord account.

Files imported using 'Capture for later'

FreeAgent’s ‘Auto Extract’ functionality automatically extracts the date and amount from files that are added using ‘Capture for later’. These files will then automatically be assigned to ‘Money Out’ bank transactions that are marked ‘For Approval’ and have a matching date and value.

Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for FreeAgent to automatically match a receipt to a bank transaction if the receipt is uploaded before the bank transaction has been imported into FreeAgent. For more information on how FreeAgent automatically matches receipts to bank transactions, and how to disable the functionality, please see this article.

Once the bank transaction is approved, or the file is converted into an out-of-pocket expense, the attachment will be removed from the ‘Files’ area and exist only on the bank transaction or out-of-pocket expense. If you then remove the bank transaction explanation, the attachment will automatically be moved back to the the 'Files' area.

Accessing the 'Files' area

To access the 'Files' area and any files you already have saved in FreeAgent, navigate to the drop-down menu at the top-right of the screen and select 'Files’.

This will bring up a list of your files.

To convert a file into an out-of-pocket expense, follow the instructions in this article. Please note that you can only use this feature with files that have been uploaded to the ‘Files’ area via the FreeAgent mobile app using ‘Capture for later’ and have the lightning bolt symbol to the left of the 'Total value’ column.

Uploading a new file

To upload a file from your computer, navigate to the 'Files’ area, choose 'Select a file' and select the file you wish to upload from your computer.

Once you've chosen the relevant file, select 'Upload' to complete the process.

Editing the name and privacy status of a file

You can edit a file’s name and its privacy status (if you uploaded the file after 13th October 2020 and have a user access level of 7 or above). Please note that if you did not upload the file, or you uploaded the file before 13th October 2020 or have a user access level of 6 or below, you’ll only be able to edit the name of the file.

To do this, select the three dots to the right of the file and select 'Edit name & privacy' from the drop-down menu.

Enter the new name in the ‘File name’ field and select the relevant privacy option from the ‘Privacy’ drop-down menu. A file with ‘Private’ status can only be viewed by you or your accountant (provided your accountant is a FreeAgent partner). A file with ‘Shared’ status can be viewed by all users with an access level of 4 or above.

Once you’ve made the relevant changes, select 'Save changes' to complete the process.

Downloading an original copy of a file

You can download an original copy of a file in the 'Files' area to your computer by selecting the three dots to the right of the file and selecting 'Download original' from the drop-down menu.

The original copy of the file will then download to your computer. Alternatively, select the file name from the 'File name' column to automatically download the original copy of the file to your computer. 

Deleting a file

You can delete a file from the 'Files' area by selecting the three dots to the right of the file and selecting 'Delete file' from the drop-down menu.

Please note that a locked file can’t be deleted from the ‘Files’ area. If you would like to delete a locked file, follow the steps below.

Select 'OK' in the pop-up window to complete the process.

Locked files

If you have attached a file to an email template, the file will be locked in the ‘Files' area and there will be a lock symbol to the far right-hand side of the file.

Please note that a locked file can’t be deleted from the ‘Files’ area or attached to an out-of-pocket expense, bill or bank transaction.

If you want to delete a locked file or attach a locked file to an out-of-pocket expense, bill or bank transaction, you will first need to remove it as an attachment from the email template.

To do this, select ‘Settings’ from the drop-down menu in the top-right corner and then select 'Email Templates’.

Select the relevant email template from the tabs below ‘Email Templates’.

Select the cross icon next to the file attachment to remove it from the email template.

Select ‘Save [X] Template’ to complete the process.

Once it has been removed from the template, you can either delete the file, attach it to an out-of-pocket expense, bill or bank transaction, or convert it into an out-of-pocket expense.