Working with Documents

Boardwise provides secure document management for all your board materials.

Uploading Documents

Documents can be uploaded in several ways:

• To a meeting - Attach documents directly to agenda items
• To the library - Upload to folders for ongoing reference
• To a committee - Share documents with specific groups

Supported File Types

Boardwise accepts common document formats including:

• PDF files (recommended for board materials)
• Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Images (PNG, JPG)

Organizing with Folders

Create folders to organize your document library:

1. Go to Documents and click New Folder
2. Name the folder and set visibility permissions
3. Drag documents into folders or upload directly

Naming Folders

Folder names work the way they do on your computer:

• A name can be as short as you like ("Q1", "HR", "AGM") and up to 100 characters
• Two folders in the same place cannot share a name, and capital letters do not make a name different: "Board" and "board" are the same name
• Folders in different places can share a name, so "2025" and "2026" can each hold a "Minutes" folder
• Spaces at the start or end of a name are removed

If a name is already in use, Boardwise tells you where, for example "A folder named Minutes already exists in 2026."

Naming Documents

A document's name is its title: what people read in a list, an agenda or a Meeting Book. It does not include a file extension such as ".pdf".

• When you upload a file without typing a name, the document is named after the file, without the extension: "Q3 Board Deck.pdf" becomes "Q3 Board Deck"
• If you type a name that ends in the file's own extension, the extension is left off
• Spaces at the start or end of a name are removed
• You can rename a document at any time: open it, select Edit, and change Name. Renaming does not change the file

The icon beside a document shows what kind of file it holds. When a document is downloaded, alone or in a ZIP of a meeting or folder, its file is named with the title and the file's own extension, for example "Q3 Board Deck.pdf".

When a Name Is Already in Use

If you upload a file whose name matches a document that is already in the same folder, or on the same meeting, Boardwise stops and asks what the file is. Capital letters and the type of file do not make a name different: "budget.xlsx" matches a document named "Budget". Nothing is saved until you choose:

• A new version of the document: the file becomes the document's next version. The document keeps its place, its name and its history, and the file it held is kept as a previous version. Nothing is deleted. You can add a note saying what changed. See Document Versions
• A different document: a second document is added under the same name. You can rename either of them afterwards

Boardwise never makes this choice for you. If you upload several files at once, you are asked about each one that matches, and the others are not held up. To abandon a file instead, select Cancel this upload.

A few things to know:

• You are only offered a new version if you have permission to edit the existing document. The certified record of a written consent can never be replaced
• If the file is identical to the document's current version, Boardwise tells you and changes nothing
• Renaming a document, or moving it to another folder, so that it would share a name with a document already there also asks first. You can change the name or keep both
• Documents in the trash, and documents you do not have access to, never count

Two documents can share a name if you choose to keep both. A ZIP download numbers their files ("Budget.pdf", "Budget (2).pdf") so that neither is lost.

Replacing a Document's File

To correct a document, replace its file rather than uploading a second document: open the document, select Edit, and choose the new file under Replace the file. Uploading the corrected file where the document is, and choosing A new version when asked, does the same thing. The earlier file is kept as a previous version, with who replaced it and when. See Document Versions.

Document Access

Document access is controlled by several factors:

• Organization role - Admins have the broadest access, and Guests the narrowest
• Committee membership - Members see their committee's documents
• Meeting invitations - Attendees can access meeting materials

Annotations

Board members can annotate PDF documents:

• Highlight important sections
• Add notes and comments
• Annotations are private by default
• Annotations stay with the version of the file they were made on. See Document Versions

Downloading

Download individual documents or entire meeting packets:

• Click the download icon on any document
• Use Download All on a meeting to get a complete packet