Document Management Overview
August uses project-based organization to keep your matters separated and your documents easy to find. Within each project, use folders to organize source documents, and attach them to Assistant or Tabular Review when you're ready to work.
Projects and Workspace Structure
Each user starts with a default Personal project—a private starting point for early work. Create additional projects as needed to separate matters and keep context focused.
Projects share a common sidebar structure so teams can navigate consistently. Use project boundaries to separate matters and keep context focused. Consistent project structure improves discoverability and handoff.
This video demonstrates how to create and manage projects.
Folders vs. Projects: Key Differences
Understanding when to use Projects versus Folders helps you organize work effectively:
Aspect | Projects | Folders |
|---|---|---|
Purpose | Top-level workspace boundary for matter separation | Document organization within a project |
Scope | Contains all related documents, chats, and outputs | Groups files by client, matter, or document type |
Permissions | Project-level sharing and access control | Inherits project permissions |
Use Case | Separate different matters, clients, or cases | Organize documents within a single matter |
Rule of thumb: Create a new Project for each distinct matter or client. Use Folders to organize documents within that project by type (e.g., "Correspondence," "Agreements," "Due Diligence").
Folders and Subfolders
Folders are accessible from the sidebar and support document organization:
Create folders to group documents by client, matter, or document type.
Upload files by drag-and-drop or the upload button.
Create subfolders when matter structure requires layered organization.
Folder views show item counts and creation timing.
Well-structured folders improve downstream review efficiency.
This video shows how to upload folders with documents in them.
Uploading Documents
Files can be uploaded through multiple paths:
In Assistant: Click the plus button to upload files directly into a conversation.
In Folders: Drag and drop or use the upload button to add files to organized containers.
Uploads are used as source context for analysis, review, and drafting. In diligence and litigation workflows, upload document sets early for orientation.
Use clear naming and grouping to support retrieval later. Source-grounded output quality depends on clean document inputs.
File Naming Best Practices
Include the correct file extension in every filename you upload. August uses extensions to determine how to process and open files. Supported extensions include .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pdf, .txt, .msg, .eml, and common image and audio formats.
If a file lacks a recognizable extension, August may still open it correctly by detecting the actual content type. However, uploads through Genius Mode require filenames with real extensions. For consistent behavior across upload, viewing, and download, always include the correct extension.
Attaching Files and Folders to Assistant
Assistant supports attaching individual files and whole folders to query context:
Click the plus button in Assistant.
Select files or folders to attach.
Use @mentions and search to pull in specific items quickly.
Folder attachment is useful when answers depend on multiple related documents. Use attachment scope intentionally to reduce irrelevant context. For large sets, start with orientation requests before deep analysis.
Pair attachment workflows with citations for verification.
Document Organization Best Practices
Organize by matter: Keep documents grouped by client or matter number.
Use consistent naming: Include document type, date, and version in file names for easy search and @mention retrieval.
Prefer pass-based workflows: Orient first, then extract or compare, then summarize.
Maintain precedent sets: Keep precedent sets and recurring templates maintained for reuse.
Treat organization as a prerequisite for reliable AI-assisted review.
Supported File Formats
August supports a range of file formats for document analysis, review, transcription, and drafting:
Format | Use Case |
|---|---|
DOCX | Drafts, agreements, tracked changes, editable outputs |
Finalized agreements, scanned documents, OCR processing | |
TIFF/Images | Document productions, scanned filings, OCR extraction |
EML | Email productions, correspondence analysis |
Audio | Live Assist transcription for depositions and calls |
For detailed format guidance, see Supported File Formats.
What to Read Next
Assistant Overview for document analysis workflows
Tabular Review for multi-document comparison
Integrations to connect SharePoint, Outlook, and other systems