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Managing, Uploading, and Sharing Documents

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Practice Better's document management system helps you securely store, organize, and share files with your clients. Whether you're uploading lab results, client handouts, or treatment protocols, the Documents section keeps everything organized and accessible while maintaining complete control over what your clients can see.

In this article:

Understanding Your Documents Structure

Practice Better organizes your documents into several key areas to help you manage both general resources and client-specific files efficiently.

My Documents

In My Documents, you'll find all documents you've imported into Practice Better from your computer, Dropbox, and Google Drive. This is your central hub for managing files before sharing them with clients.

Default Client Documents Folders

Practice Better automatically creates a private organizational folder for each client you add to the system. These folders help you keep client-specific documents organized and secure. You can create custom subfolders within each client's root folder to further organize their documents based on your workflow needs.

Within each client's document structure, Practice Better creates default folders in the All Shared Documents directory to automatically organize files based on how they're created or shared:

  • My Shared Uploads: Contains all files you've uploaded and shared with your client from your My Documents section. You can also create custom folders here that will be visible to clients when shared.
  • [Client Name]'s Shared Uploads: Contains all files your client has uploaded through their Client Portal. In the client portal, they see this as "My Uploads" where they can upload files and create subfolders. All files uploaded from your clients' Client Portal are automatically shared with the account owner and can be shared with other team members by the client at their discretion.

📍 Please note: You cannot move or delete documents that clients upload to their "My Uploads" section. You can only view these files if the client has chosen to share them with you.

  • Messages: Contains any attachments shared through Practice Better's secure messenger by either you or your client.
  • Journal Entries: Contains images or documents attached to client journal entries. Clients can attach an image to a Food entry or a document to a Lifestyle > Note entry.
  • Completed Task Uploads: Contains files clients attach when completing tasks you've assigned to them.
  • Uploaded Forms: Contains forms you've uploaded (as opposed to created using the Practice Better Form Builder) that clients have completed and returned through the client portal.
  • Session Attachments: Contains documents attached in the Documents tab of a client Note that has been shared with the client.
  • Protocol Attachments: Contains any files or Supporting Documents attached in a client's published Protocol.

📍 Please note: These default folders populate automatically based on client actions. You cannot upload files directly into folders like "[Client Name]'s Shared Uploads" — only clients can add files there. Similarly, clients cannot upload files to folders you've created in the "My Shared Uploads" directory.

Uploading Documents to Client Folders

When you need to upload client-specific documents, Practice Better makes it easy to keep files organized and optionally share them immediately.

  1. Go to My Practice > Documents.
     
  2. Locate your client's document folder in the list. Practice Better automatically creates these folders when you add clients to the system.
     
  3. Double-click on the folder name to open it.
     
  4. Click the Fast Action Button (the red plus icon) in the bottom-right corner and select Upload to [Client Name] Docs.

     
  5. On the upload page, click Select files to choose files from your computer. You can upload up to 20 files at a time, and each file must be less than 120MB.

Sharing Files During Upload

By default, files uploaded to a client's folder remain private to you. Clients won't be notified when you upload documents unless you choose to share them.

To share files immediately during upload:

  1. Under the File Sharing section, select Share files with client.
     
  2. Click the checkbox next to your client's name.

     
  3. Click Upload in the top-right corner.

Your client will receive a notification (email and/or Instant Alert) that files have been shared with them and are available in their Client Portal to view and download.

✅ All set: If you don't share the files immediately, you can always share them later using the Manage Sharing Settings option. Your client will only see and receive notifications about documents once you explicitly share them.

Sharing Documents and Folders with Clients

You can easily share individual documents, multiple files, or entire folders with clients at any time. When folders are shared, clients will see the folder along with its files and subfolders in their Documents section of the Client Portal.

Sharing a Single Document or Folder

  1. Select the file or folder you want to share.
     
  2. Click the Manage Sharing Settings icon (the people icon).

     
  3. In the popup, choose one of the following options from the Share with... dropdown:
    • Private (not shared): File remains visible only to you
    • Share file with all clients: All current and future clients with portal access can view this file
    • Share file with specific clients: Select specific clients to share with
       
  4. If sharing with specific clients, click the checkbox next to each client's name.

     
  5. Click Update at the bottom of the pop-up.

Your client will receive an automated email notification with a link to their Documents page where they can view the shared documents.

📍 Please note: When you share documents with clients, they can both view and download them. Practice Better doesn't offer view-only permissions — sharing always grants full access to view and download.

Unsharing Documents

If you need to revoke access to a shared file:

  1. Click the Manage Sharing Settings icon again.
     
  2. Select Private (not shared) from the Share with... dropdown.
     
  3. Click Update.

⚠️ Important: If you delete a shared document from your Documents section, it will also be deleted from your client's view. Clients will no longer have access to that file.

Sharing Multiple Files at Once

Practice Better makes it easy to share several documents with one or more clients simultaneously, saving you time when distributing resources.

Method 1: Using Select Multiple

  1. Click the Select multiple button in the top-right corner.

     
  2. Check the boxes next to all files you'd like to share.

     
  3. Click the Manage Sharing Settings icon in the toolbar.

     
  4. Choose your sharing settings (share with specific clients or all clients).
     
  5. Click Update.

Method 2: Using Keyboard Shortcuts

  1. Click once on a file to select it.
     
  2. Hold down the Shift key.
     
  3. Click on a second file while holding the key. You can let go of the Shift key after at least two files are selected.
     
  4. Click the Manage Sharing Settings icon.
     
  5. Choose your sharing settings and click Update.

⚠️ Important: If the files you select have different existing sharing settings, all current settings will be reset and overwritten when you click Update. The new sharing settings you choose will apply to all selected files.

Sharing Entire Folders

You can share an entire folder with clients at once, which is helpful for organizing related materials like meal plans, workout guides, or educational resources. When you share a folder, clients will see the folder name and can access all files and subfolders within it.

📍 Please note: While you can share a folder as a unit, each individual file within that folder maintains its own sharing settings. If you later move a shared document to a different folder, the client may still have access depending on the document's individual sharing settings.

Managing Document Details and Settings

Practice Better provides a detailed view of each document's information and quick access to common actions through the Details panel.

Viewing Document Information

When you select a document from your list, the Details panel appears on the right side of your screen, showing:

  • Document name
  • Quick action buttons (View, Download, Edit, Manage Sharing, Move, Fax, Delete)
  • File type
  • File size
  • Creation date
  • Last modified date
  • Sharing status and history

Shared with details: In the Details panel, you'll see specific information about sharing, such as:

  • "Shared with all clients on [date]"
  • Individual client names and when the document was first shared with them

 

Understanding Sharing Status

The Details panel shows you exactly who has access to each document:

Shared icon: Look for the people icon next to document names in your main list — this indicates the file is currently shared with one or more clients.

💡 Tip: Clients can also see creation and modification dates for shared documents. When they click on a document in their portal, similar details appear in their Details panel, including when the file was created and last modified.

Tracking Document Activity

You can monitor document-related actions in two ways:

Client-specific activity:

  1. Open a client's record
  2. Go to their Recent Activity page
  3. Filter by category "Documents" to see their document actions (uploads, downloads, views)

Your own document activity:

  1. Access your in-portal Activity Logs.
  2. Filter by document-related topics:
    • Viewed a file
    • Uploaded file(s)
    • Updated file(s)
    • Deleted file(s)
    • Updated file sharing settings
    • Resynced a file
    • Downloaded a file
    • Renamed a client file

📍 Please note: The in-portal activity logs cannot be filtered by specific client names, so they show your overall document activity across all clients.

Resyncing Cloud Storage Documents

If you've connected [Dropbox or Google Drive to Practice Better], you can easily update documents without manually uploading new versions. This is particularly helpful when you've updated a handout or worksheet in your cloud storage and need to share the latest version with clients.

Learn more about Using Cloud Storage Integrations in Practice Better →

How Resync Works

When you resync a cloud-stored document, Practice Better retrieves the current version from your cloud storage and automatically updates it for all clients you've shared it with. This ensures everyone always has access to your most current materials.

Identifying Documents Eligible for Resync

Files that can be resynced display a cloud icon with circular arrows in the main documents list and have a Resync button in their action toolbar.

Resyncing a Document

  1. Click once on the document you want to update, or hover your mouse over it to see the options.
     
  2. Click the Resync icon in the action toolbar.

     
  3. Practice Better will fetch the latest version from your connected cloud storage.
     
  4. The updated document automatically replaces the old version for all clients who have access to it.

⚠️ Important: This feature only applies to documents imported from Dropbox and Google Drive.

Documents That Cannot Be Resynced

Documents uploaded directly from your computer are static files. If you need to update a computer-uploaded document that's already shared with clients:

  1. Make your changes to the file on your computer.
     
  2. Upload the new version to Practice Better.
     
  3. Share the updated document with clients (the original version will remain unless you delete it).

💡 Tip: Consider using Dropbox or Google Drive for documents you update frequently, like evolving protocol templates or regularly updated educational materials. This way, you can use the resync feature instead of managing multiple versions.

Viewing Shared Documents by Client

Practice Better makes it easy to see all documents associated with a specific client, whether shared by you or uploaded by them.

Accessing Client Documents

Go to My Practice > Documents and select your client's name from the left navigation bar.

From here, you can click into All Shared Documents for the default client folders; My Uploads displays all files uploaded by the logged-in practitioner.  

If you are part of a team plan, you’ll see Team Uploads, where you can view documents uploaded into this client’s folder by other team members.

After clicking into All Shared Documents and you'll see two main views:

Defaul client folders: At the top, you'll find organized folders showing different types of shared content (My Shared Uploads, [Client Name]'s Shared Uploads, Messages, Journal Entries, etc.).

All shared files: Below the folders, you'll see a complete list of all documents shared between you and your client, with descriptions of where each file originated (for example, "From Protocol: Gut Health Reset" or "From Session: Initial Consultation").

Team Plan Document Sharing

If you're on the Team Plan, document management includes additional collaboration features.

Viewing documents uploaded by team members:

  • Go to the client's record > Documents
  • Look for the Team Uploads tab
  • The "Uploaded by" column shows which team member added each document

Viewing documents clients shared with other team members:

  1. Go to My Practice > Documents
     
  2. Select a team member's name from the Team Member dropdown.
  3. Open a client's folder and click All Shared Documents
     
  4. Files uploaded and shared by the client with that team member appear in the list and in [Client Name]'s Shared Uploads folder

📍 Please note: All files uploaded from clients' Client Portals are automatically shared with the account owner. Clients can choose to share their uploads with specific team members during the upload process by checking boxes next to team member names.

Accessing Documents from Client Records

You don't always need to navigate to the main Documents section to access client files. Practice Better provides convenient shortcuts directly from client records.

Quick Access from Client Files

  1. Open any client's record.
     
  2. Look for Documents in the left navigation bar within the client's file.

     
  3. Click Documents to jump directly to that client's document folders and shared files.

This shortcut takes you to the same view you'd see by going to My Practice > Documents and selecting the client, but saves you navigation time when you're already working in a client's record.

Storage Limits and File Requirements

Understanding Practice Better's storage capacity and file requirements helps you manage your document library effectively.

Storage Capacity by Plan

  • Starter Plan: 1GB of storage.
     
  • Professional Plan: 5GB of storage (you can purchase additional storage as an add-on if needed, up to a maximum of 30 GB).
     
  • Plus and Team Plans: Unlimited storage for all your audio, video, and client documents

💡 Tip: You can check your current storage usage at the bottom of the Documents page where it displays your used space (for example, "1.8s of 1.0 GB storage used").

File Upload Requirements

File size limit: Each document must be less than 120MB

Batch upload limit: You can upload up to 20 documents at once

Supported file types: Practice Better accepts most common file formats, including:

  • PDFs
  • Microsoft Word documents (.doc, .docx)
  • Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx)
  • Images (.jpg, .png, .gif)
  • And other standard document formats

📍 Please note: If you need to share files larger than 120MB or upload more than 20 files simultaneously, you can complete multiple upload batches or consider linking your Dropbox or Google Drive account to access larger files through cloud integration.

Additional Resources

If you have questions about document management or need support with file sharing, our team is here to help you make the most of Practice Better's document features.

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