Document Search
💡 Beta Feature: Document Search is currently in Beta. To enable it, go to Settings > Experimental Features and toggle on Document Search.
Document Search lets you find files and folders by name across all of Canopy's file areas — it does not search file contents.
Required: Available to all Canopy users with access to Files.
Why it matters: Tracking down a specific client document during a busy season used to mean scrolling through folders manually. Search surfaces matching files and folders instantly — with filters to narrow by document type, team member, date, visibility, and more — so you spend less time hunting and more time working.
Table of Contents
Search from Global Files
When to use this: You need to find a file but don't know which client it belongs to, or you're searching across Client files, Internal files, or My files at once.
Go to Files in the left navigation
Select Client files, Internal files, or My files
Click into the Search bar at the top of the file list.
A dropdown appears showing your Recent searches — click any entry to run it again.
Start typing a file or folder name.
Matching results appear instantly in a dropdown, grouped by files and folders, with the client name and date shown for each result.
Use the tabs at the top of the dropdown — Client files, Internal files, My files, All files — to scope results before pressing Enter.
Press Enter or click All results to see the full results page.
Results are grouped into Folders and Files sections.
The result count displays next to your search term (e.g., "12 results for 'tax'").
Filter and Sort Search Results
When to use this: Your search returns too many results and you need to narrow them down by type, date, team member, or visibility.
After running a search, use the filter bar directly below the search field to refine results.
Click any filter pill to open its options:
Sort by — Change the sort order (e.g., Newest to oldest by upload date).
Document Type — Filter to a specific file type.
Contact — Filter by the client the file belongs to.
Team Member — Filter to files added or modified by a specific team member.
Added — Filter by the date the file was added.
Modified — Filter by the date the file was last modified.
Visibility — Filter by whether files are visible to clients in the portal.
Select your filter criteria. Active filters display as highlighted pills in the filter bar.
To remove a filter, click the X on its pill.
📝 Note: Use Include archived to include archived files in your results. This filter is off by default.
Preview a File from Search Results
Skip this section if you don't need to check file contents before taking action — click the file name to open it directly.
Run a search and locate the file in results.
Hover over the Preview button on the right side of any file row.
A thumbnail preview of the document appears inline, showing the first page.
Use the arrow controls on either side of the thumbnail to page through the document.
To open the full file previewer, click the 3-dot icon > View > Preview.
Search from a Client Record
When to use this: You're already in a client's record and need to find a specific file within their files.
Open a client record and select the Files tab.
Click into the Search bar at the top of the file list.
Recent searches appear in a dropdown for quick re-use.
Type a file or folder name.
Results appear instantly in the dropdown, scoped to that client's files only.
Press Enter or select a result from the dropdown to go directly to that file.
View Files Visible in the Client Portal from Search Results
When to use this: You want to confirm which files a client can see in their portal without leaving the search results view.
To view specific files visible in the Client Portal:
From a client record, run a search in the Files tab.
Click the Visibility filter pill and select the Visible in client portal filter.
Click Apply.
To view all files and folders visible in the Client Portal:
Click the View Client Portal icon to see a list of all files and folders that are visible to the client.
Summary
Document Search lets you find files and folders by name from both Global Files and individual client records, with filters to narrow results by type, date, team member, and visibility. Use inline preview to check a document before opening it, and View Client Portal to confirm what's visible to your client — all without leaving search results.
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