# Documents

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/documents-settings

> Create and manage the Document Categories used to organise documents across Astalty.

The **Documents** settings page is where you create and manage **Document Categories** - the labels used to organise documents across Astalty. You'll find it under [Settings → Documents](https://app.astalty.com.au/settings/documents).

Categories aren't limited to Participants - the same set of categories is available anywhere you attach a document in Astalty, including Participants, Contacts, Organisations, and Plan Managers. Setting up a clear, consistent set of categories makes documents far easier to find and filter later.

## Before You Start

By default, only Admins can edit, archive or restore Document Categories. Managers and Team Members can view and add them.

## Document Categories

Before you add a document to a Participant's profile, you may wish to add the different document categories based on your organisation's needs.

For example, you may wish to add a category entitled "Service Agreements" to categorise all the Service Agreements related to that Participant.

## Viewing Your Document Categories

The Documents settings page lists all of your categories in a table with the following columns:

- **Name** - the name of the category. Archived categories are marked with an **Archived** label next to their name.
- **Documents** - how many documents are currently assigned to the category. Categories with no documents show a dash (`-`).
- **Created** - the date the category was created.

You can sort the table by **Name** or **Created** by clicking the column heading.

### Searching and Filtering

- Use the **search** field at the top of the table to find a category by name.
- The pinned **Status** filter shows **Active** categories by default. Change it to narrow the list:
  - **Active** - categories currently in use.
  - **Archived** - categories that have been archived.
  - **Not used** - categories that don't have any documents assigned to them. This is handy for finding categories you can tidy up.

## Adding a Document Category

1. From the left-hand menu, select **Settings**, then select **Documents**.
2. Click **Add Category**.
3. Enter a **Name** for the category.
4. Click **Create**.

> **Create categories on the fly**
>
> You don't have to set every category up in advance. When uploading a document to a Participant, you can create a new Document Category at the point of upload. See [Documents](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/documents) for how categorising works during upload.

## Editing a Document Category

To rename an existing category:

1. On the Documents settings page, find the category and select the **three-dot menu** on its row.
2. Select **Edit**.
3. Update the **Name**.
4. Click **Update**.

## Archiving a Document Category

If a category is no longer needed, you can archive it rather than leaving it in your active list.

1. Open the category using the **three-dot menu** and **Edit**.
2. Select **Archive**, then confirm.

> **Archiving detaches the category from documents**
>
> When you archive a Document Category, it is **detached from all documents currently using it**. The documents themselves are not deleted, but they will no longer carry that category. If your goal is to combine a duplicate category while keeping the documents grouped, use [Merge](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/documents-settings/merging-document-categories) instead - merging moves the documents into the category you keep.

Archived categories are hidden from the active list. To see them again, set the **Status** filter to **Archived**.

### Restoring an Archived Category

1. Set the **Status** filter to **Archived**.
2. Open the archived category and select **Restore**.

The category will return to your active Document Categories list.

## Merging Document Categories

If you end up with duplicate categories, you can merge them together - all documents are moved into the category you keep and the duplicate is archived.

See [Merging Document Categories](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/documents-settings/merging-document-categories).

## Using Document Categories

To learn how to apply categories to documents on a Participant's profile, see the [Documents](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/documents) guide.