Use folders with automations

Use folders to keep your automations organized. You can use folders to group automations (and other assets) together by keyword, topic, audience, purpose, and more. Once you add a folder to an automation, you can filter the Automations overview page by that folder to quickly find what you need.

You can assign more than one folder to an automation, so one automation can be grouped in several ways.

In this article, you’ll learn how to create, apply, edit, remove, and delete folders for your automations.

Take note

• Automations, forms, and campaigns share the same folders. Any folders created on the Automations page will appear in the Folders page and can be used with forms and campaigns

Create a new folder from the Automations overview page

You can create a new folder for one or multiple automations simultaneously.

Create a new folder for a single automation:

1. Click Automations on the left menu.
2. Locate the automation that should receive a net new folder, then click the “+” in the "Business Goals/ Folders" column.
3. A small modal window will appear. Click the “Add new folder” button.
4. A new modal window will appear where you can create a new folder:
   • Enter the folder name into the field provided
   • Select a folder color
   • Click the “Create” button

The new folder will appear to the right of the automation's name in the "Business Goals/ Folders" column. In addition, this folder will be added to the Folders page and can be applied to any form or campaign of your choice.

Create a new folder for multiple automations:

1. Create a new folder using the steps outlined above. 
2. Click the checkbox next to each automation that will receive the new folder.
3. Click the “Edit (number of) automations" button that appears above the "Automation" column.
   
   
4. Click the "Select a bulk action" dropdown.
5. Select "Add folders."
6. Click the "Select" dropdown and scroll through the list of folders.
7. When you find the folder you created, click the checkbox to the left of it to select it. Note that you can select more than one folder in this step.
8. Click the blue "Apply" button.

The new folder will be applied to the selected automations. It will appear next to each automation name.

In addition, this folder will be added to the Folders page and can be applied to any form or campaign of your choice.

Apply an existing folder

You can apply an existing folder to one or multiple automations simultaneously.

Apply an existing folder to a single automation:

1. Click Automations on the left menu.
2. Locate the automation that will receive the folder, then click the “+” in the "Business Goals/ Folders" column.
3. A small modal window will appear. Scroll through the list of folders.
4. When you find the one you want to use, click the checkbox on its left to select it.

The folder will be applied to the automation.

Apply an existing folder to multiple automations at the same time:

1. Click Automations on the left menu.
2. Click the checkbox next to each automation that will receive a folder.
3. Click the “Edit (number of) automations" button that appears above the "Automation" column.
4. Click the "Select a bulk action" dropdown.
5. Select "Add folders."
6. Click the "Select" dropdown and scroll through the list of folders.
7. When you find the folder you want to use, click the checkbox to the left of it to select it. Note that you can select more than one folder in this step.
8. Click the blue "Apply" button.

The folder will be applied to the selected automations.

Edit a folder

Changes to a folder apply across your account.

1. Click Business Goals on the left menu, then click Folders.
2. On the folder card, click More Options, then click Edit.
3. Update Folder Name, Description, or Folder Color.
4. Click Save.

You can also open a regular folder and click Settings to edit it. For a business goal, Settings opens the goal details page.

Remove a folder

You can remove a folder from a single automation or multiple automations simultaneously. Removing a folder removes it from the selected automation(s). It does not permanently delete it from your account.

Remove a folder from a single automation:

1. Click Automations on the left menu.
2. Locate the automation from which you want to remove a folder.
3. Click the name of the folder you want to remove.
4. A small modal window will appear. Scroll through the list of folders.
5. When you find the folder you want to remove, click the checkbox on its left to uncheck it.

The folder will be removed from the automation.

Remove a folder from multiple automations at the same time:

1. Click Automations on the left menu.
2. Click the checkbox next to each automation that you want to remove the folder from.
3. Click the “Edit (number of) automations" button that appears above the "Automation" column.
4. Click the "Select a bulk action" dropdown.
5. Select "Remove folders."
6. Click the "Select" dropdown and scroll through the list of folders.
7. When you find the folder you want to remove, click the checkbox on its left to select it. Note that you can select more than one folder in this step.
8. Click the blue "Apply" button.

The folder will be removed from the selected automations.

Delete a folder

Deleting a folder removes its connections to assets across your account. It does not delete the assets. You cannot undo the folder deletion.

1. Click Business Goals on the left menu, then click Folders.
2. On the folder card, click More Options, then click Delete.
3. Review the message, then click Delete to confirm.

To remove a folder from selected automations without deleting it, follow the steps in Remove a folder above.

Filter automations by folder

You can filter the Automations page by folders. This will allow you to only view the automations that have been assigned a specific folder. To filter the page:

1. Click the "Filter" button located above the "Automation" column.
2. Click in the Folder dropdown menu.
3. Select the folder you want to filter by. Multiple folders can be selected for the filter.
4. Click the blue "Apply" button.

The page will reload and display all automations with that folder.

View related assets in one place

Click Business Goals on the left menu, then click Folders. Open a folder to see its campaigns, SMS campaigns, automations, and forms. Available asset types depend on your plan and add-ons. Learn more in Manage folders in ActiveCampaign.