Organising and Using Files in Groups

In ChurchDesk, you can upload, organise, and share files within each group. You can create folders and subfolders, set files to be visible publicly or only to the group, and use them in other modules like websites, newsletters, or blog posts. This article shows you how to manage your files effectively and what options are available.

Important to Know: Roles and Permissions

All group members can upload, edit, and delete their own files.
Only group leaders can edit or move all files in the group, even if they didn’t upload them.
Only users with the appropriate permission can set files to be “publicly visible.”
Public visibility is required to share files outside of ChurchDesk (e.g. on websites).

Uploading and Managing Files

How to Upload Files

You’ll find the file section in every group under “Files” in the left-hand menu. From there, you can upload and organise new files.
When uploading, the following fields are required (especially for images):
Title
Visibility (public or for group members only)
Copyright (who took the picture?)
Alt text (for accessibility and searchability)
Tip: Good file names, alt texts, and tags help with later searches and keep your group’s file area organised.

Folder Structure and File Management

Inside the group file manager, you can create a clear folder structure with folders and subfolders – without limit.
Files can be moved using drag & drop or the “Move” button.
Only group leaders can move files they didn’t upload.
Group members can rename only their own files and folders.
A good folder structure helps your group in the long term – it’s best to start right away.

1. Moving Files in the General File Overview

In the file overview (outside a specific group), you can move one or multiple files at the same time – either within the same group or from one group to another:
Select files:
Click the small checkbox next to a file name to select one or multiple files.
Click “Move”:
Once selected, a “Move” button will appear at the top, next to “Download.”


Choose a destination folder:
In the next step, choose the target folder – either in the same group or the general file area.

Another method:

Go to the Files module in the source group and open any folder.
Select the desired files.
Drag the files to “Home” (at the top of the folder list).
A window opens for selecting a target group – choose the group.
Important: Talk to the person who uploaded the file beforehand – especially with sensitive content.

2. Moving Files within Groups

It is not possible to move files directly between groups. However, there is a workaround:
You need to be a group leader in the source group
Or the file must be your own, if you're only a member
Select files:
Click the checkbox next to the file(s).
Click “Move”:
The “Move” button appears.
Choose a destination folder:
Pick a folder within the same group.

File Types & Upload Limits

ChurchDesk supports many file formats, such as:
Images: gif, jpeg, jpg, png, psd, tif
Documents: pdf, docx, xlsx, pptx, txt etc.
Media: mp3, mp4, avi, wmv etc.
Other: zip, rar, eps, indd and more
Note: Files larger than 100 MB cannot be uploaded. If you try, you’ll see an error like:
“This file could not be uploaded. The file size exceeds the maximum limit of 100 MB.”
→ For large videos, we recommend uploading to YouTube and embedding them in your website or blog.

Finding and Sorting Files

Search in the file manager works only by file name. So be sure to use clear and descriptive names.
You can also sort files by clicking the column headers:
Name
Type
Uploaded by
Visibility
Size
Last modified

Using Files in Other Modules

Files uploaded to the group module can be used in many other areas:
Blog posts
Newsletters
Websites
Forms
Donations
Calendar (e.g. event images)
Files uploaded from within other modules will also be stored in the group file manager. Only there can they be managed and reused over time.
You can also share a file via link. To do so, open the file and click “Get link.”
To share the file with external (non-ChurchDesk) users, the file must be set to “public.”
Otherwise, the link will not be accessible.

This is what the recipient will see:

Note: Files shared via link are not password-protected or time-limited. To remove access, change the visibility back to “not public.”

Using Files in the ChurchDesk App

In the app, you can:
View files
Download files
However, you cannot upload or edit files in the app. Please use the browser version for that.

Best Practices for Group File Management

Well-organised files make everyone’s work easier. We recommend:
Clear and meaningful file names
Descriptive alt texts
A consistent and understandable folder structure
Using tags (keywords)



This way, everyone stays organised – even new group members.
Keywords: files, file manager, groups, upload files, move files, edit files, group files, file permissions, visibility, public files, file formats, folder structure, sort files, search files, file size, drag and drop, ChurchDesk app, file workaround, group permissions, media management, alt text, copyright, tags, manage documents, manage images

Updated on: 16/06/2025