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Files used to be a great feature in Xero. It was where we stored and organized important documents in a way that actually worked. The new Files update has made an already busy process unnecessarily difficult. What used to be quick and intuitive now takes more steps, more time, and significantly more effort.

Every document attached to invoices, vendor profiles, and journal entries is now being duplicated into the Files Archive. As a result, thousands of files are piling up in one place, with no practical or efficient way to manage or search them.

I genuinely don’t understand the logic behind this. If a document is already attached to the relevant transaction or contact, why is another copy being stored in the archive? It serves no functional purpose and only creates confusion.

This feels like change for the sake of change. It has added complexity where none was needed and made file management worse, not better. Please reconsider this approach and restore a file system that supports real accounting workflows instead of working against them.

I agree with Donna Carter. Files previously was a great feature. I created folders in the inbox for statements, tax year work and other important information. Clients knew where to add things to assist in this process. Accountants could easier access what was required.
When and if necessary I could archive or delete.
Now you (Xero) believe you know better than us and our clients and have put all the folders in archive! We cannot create a folder in the Inbox! Why and who thought this was a good idea is beyond me.
PLEASE bring these features back.
And to have a HUGE no of files all archived after being added to a transaction, which is not searchable is ridiculous. Just why?????
Client File I am currently looking at has 100 items per page and 20 pages - a needle in a hay stack if we want to find it.

WHY did you change the size of the drop area on the files screen???

If the Inbox is empty, then about half the screen is available to drop files onto (seems random...), but if there's already some files sitting in the Inbox then it's only a space slightly larger than the list of files.

So instead of the whole screen I have a small horizontal sliver to drag files onto.

DO YOU EVEN TEST THIS **** BEFORE UNLEASHING IT ON US??

I have used the files section to store scanned credit cards statements, employee contracts, and other important documents that were not necessarily related to a supplier or customer for our practice to date. Folders were set up for each thing I needed, without a problem.
I attach copies of invoices directly to bills when I enter them, so they were never in my FILES section.
Contracts or documents relating to a specific supplier/customer were saved to the supplier/customer at a contact level.

Everything was all very neat and tidy.

Since the changeover, I now have 8000+ documents in this FILES ARCHIVE section as all invoices, documents etc saved to suppliers or customers have all made their way into this archive folder. Documents saved against journal entries are also coming up.

WHY????

What would I need a copy of a document saved to here for if it is attached to the actual transaction or the contact.

Another POINTLESS CHANGE that just creates headaches and more work for the end user

There is nothing simpler or more efficient about this. there is now a column on the left, the list in the middle and the document on the right so everything is squashed together. What was wrong with the previous way of just opening the document full screen.

Now you can't use the arrow keys to move between documents which was the most simple and efficient it could have ever been. Previously it was double click to open and then 1 arrow key to move. now it is 1 click to open, 1 click to open full screen, 1 click to change tab to that documents, 1 click to close the new tab, 1 click to select the new document, 1 click to open full screen, one click to change tab. Has anyone who developed this even used it ?

If you have draft invoices created from documents which are emailed in and you remove the attachment "delete and move to files" it goes straight to archived. If i have removed it from a document then it is not attached to anything so surely it should go into the inbox. Now the archived section is filled with invoices which I haven't processed yet and I don't know which is which.

Please please please just go back to the old inbox. bookkeeping is bad enough anyway.

Files is now harder since the change and more time consuing for us - please can we revert back to the old way.
1. I cant upload more than 1 file at a time
2. its very time consuming
3. The clients are getting confused to if the invoices have been input or not and making duplicate errors

Just been to our monthly Australian Bookkeepers Network meeting, and I can definitely say, there are more unhappy BAS Agents who do not like your format with Xero Files. Please change it back..

Agree, its really poor. Not sure how having to put items in a folder and then moving them is more efficient than just putting them where you wanted in the first place.

Also, if you put the document on a wrong sales inv, but still want the document you don't have the option to remove and save to files, you just delete it. It may be in the archive somewhere but thats a lot to go through.

We used to create our sales invoices by sending the pdf and excel backing to the files, then select these to add to add to a sales invoice which we can no longer do as you are required to add a contact name, and it then still takes a while to add the info thats needed. We have to change our processes which now takes longer, but apparently all these updates make things simpler and easier.

The recent "Files" update has unfortunately made our workflow for supplier EOM statements significantly less efficient. The new process is counterintuitive: we have to drag files to the general inbox first, then manually move them to our specific 'Statements' sub-folder via several extra clicks. Furthermore, the system is unstable and crashes when we try to rename the files. Please revert to the prior, more functional version.

Definitely don't see what value add does the new view provide. The previous view was definitely better. This new view causes a lot of extra clicks, slowing work progresses.

Now, when first access the Inbox, the docs are in random order! Previously the docs are sorted by name. Now, need to click the name to sort them by name each time viewing the files and attaching the file to the transaction.

Then, need to either adjust the screen or open up the doc to get a proper view of the doc as I only use half a screen to view the doc, and use the other half for data entry. Previously, the

Also, previously, there is page ("<" / ">") option when viewing the doc. Now, can only click on the name to open the file to view.

Then, if I decide to skip docs and later want to find the docs skip, but unfortunately forgot which one I skip, I need to refresh the screen, sort the docs by file name again, adjust the doc view size again. Previously I only need to refresh screen.

The new Files system is terrible! We use this for clients to upload supplier invoices/statements, along with other important documents. You can't drag from the inbox to a folder, which, for some reason, these have all now been labelled as Archive.
Super frustrating to say the least! Please revert to the old way, which worked perfectly.

I too hate the new Files set up. As already pointed out the files I email or upload to the transaction are now duplicated in Archive. I have pages and pages of unwanted files in Archive that don't need to be there. And if you delete the file it also gets deleted off the transaction so there is no choice. I liked to use Files for saving core EOY or permanent documents. All nicely saved in Year folders down the left side of the inbox. Please listen to us and revert or improve so we have more control over this feature.

Reading all of the comments I am obviously not alone. I can work with archiving but I should have that choice it should not have just happened the way it has.

I am really disappointed with this change. I would have liked a choice to Archive the documents. Also notice as emails are in the archive if a Bill is send to Xero as an attachment and the email has logos you end up with a million images in the Archive folder. I prefer to keep the current year in the inbox but everything has now been moved to the archive folder. "Archive All" is a duplicate of what I have in my archived folder and I do not want to see them in this area. I do not want emailed bills in the archive folder why do we need them there all of the bills are saved with the entry in the contacts. This is just a duplicate plus all of the images. Mainly I would have liked the CHOICE to archive my folders not to just see them now all in Archive.

I cannot even explain how bad this new Files set up is. The old inbox was perfect - all of our corporate documents, audit schedules, government notice of assessments etc etc was filed in an appropriate folder. Our auditors loved it.

Every individual transaction had the invoice attached.

It is a complete hot mess now. Everything attached to a transaction is in the files?? They can't be deleted from the files, or they will disappear from the transaction.

I can't upload directly to the subfolders in the now re-named "Archive" folder. I have to upload a file, find it, and then move it the the named folder? This is just ridiculous. I contacted Xero support and they helpfully indicated "While we don't have plans to reverse the changes, we're committed to continuously improving our product based on user feedback. The new layout, with the Inbox and Archive tabs, is designed to help organize files more efficiently. However, we recognise that adjustments to established workflows can be challenging."

Way to blame your absolutely ridiculous "improvement" on the end user.

Very disappointing change and unrequired - very frustrating - no communication. Slowing down work performance, and complicating a simple file structure that was easy to use for all users of xero - Bookkeepers- their clients - and their accountants.

Alot more clicks required to view document in inbox now.

Please revert back to the old format - this change has slowed down work performance and created inefficiencies.

Please restore Xero files to the previous version. So many processes have now gone out the window.
This was my filing cabinet and accountant access for bank statements, loan documents, you name it.
Why would someone who never does bookkeeping, decide to change this part of Xero unnecessarily.

I would like the old format of FILES to be reinstated please. In the new format you can only process from the INBOX, which sends paperwork into ARCHIVE. It can go anywhere as it is shunted according to date uploaded and NOT date processed. When you try to find the item to MOVE TO another folder it can be anywhere!
The MOVE TO command is misleading as the item is NOT MOVED but a copy of it is posted to a file created. This results in a huge stack of items in the ARCHIVED tab which is going to get too large to handle efficiently.
Also there seems to be copies made into ARCHIVE for every transaction posted. This is unnecessary and just added to the enormous amount sitting in ARCHIVE.
Not thought through at all.

Totally agree with the original post. We use this for clients to upload supplier statements amongst other things. Now you can't drag from the inbox to a folder - which for some reason have now been labelled as Archive. In addition, you can not rename a folder anymore, so you need to create a new one and move everything and delete the incorrectly named folder.