DocumentationWorkfrontWorkfront Guide

Document management overview for projects and related objects

Last update: May 20, 2026

CREATED FOR:

  • User

Your Adobe Workfront administrator can define the default for your organization’s storage preference to indicate where documents should be stored in Workfront.

The Workfront administrator can choose one of the following options:

  • Workfront storage
  • Adobe cloud storage

This preference allows you to automatically store documents attached to Workfront objects on one of the storage locations available.

IMPORTANT
Your Workfront instance might not have access to both Workfront and Adobe storage. Some Workfront instances have access only to Workfront, while others have access only to Adobe cloud storage by default. No configuration is needed for customers with access to only one type of storage.

The Workfront administrator can do one of the following:

  • Choose one of the two storage options as the default for your organization

  • Allow you to choose which storage you prefer to use when you create one of the following objects:

    • Projects
    • Portfolios
    • Templates

For information about setting storage preferences for Workfront, see Enable Adobe cloud storage for your organization.

This article describes how you can manage documents for projects, portfolios, programs, tasks, issues, templates, and template tasks.

Document storage overview

Customers might have access to one of the following document storage capabilities:

  • Only Workfront storage. The Storage Preferences area in System Preferences does not exist.

  • Only Adobe cloud storage. The Storage Preferences area in System Preferences does not exist.

  • Both Workfront Storage and Adobe cloud storage. The Workfront administrator can choose between the following:

    • Selects a default storage environment for how documents are handled in the future.

    • Allows users to choose which storage they choose when they create the following objects:

      • Projects
      • Portfolios
      • Templates
      note
      NOTE
      • Tasks and issues inherit the type of storage from the project.
      • Template tasks inherit the type of storage from the template
      • Programs inherit the type of storage from the portfolio.

Documents stored on objects in Workfront storage are managed differently than those stored in Adobe cloud storage.

For more information, see Adobe cloud storage overview.

The following sections document how document storage works for Workfront objects when both Workfront and Adobe cloud storage options exist in the same environment.

Document management for projects

Consider the following when working with projects:

  • When you create an Adobe cloud storage project, Workfront creates a folder in the Documents section of the project where documents are saved. The folder name is the same name as the project. You cannot delete or manually rename the folder. The folder is renamed if you change the name of the project to match the project’s new name.
  • When you create or move an Adobe cloud storage project to a legacy Workfront storage portfolio or program, the portfolio or program is automatically converted to an Adobe cloud storage object, if the portfolio or program do not have documents attached before the project is added.
  • You cannot create a legacy Workfront storage project for an Adobe cloud storage portfolio or program.
  • When you import a project from MS Project, Workfront creates a legacy Workfront storage project, even when your Workfront administrator made the Adobe cloud storage the default for your system.
  • When you create projects using a Workfront Planning automation, Workfront uses your system’s default storage preference for the project. You must purchase the Planning package for access to Workfront Planning.

Document management for portfolios

Consider the following when working with portfolios:

  • When you create an Adobe cloud storage portfolio, Workfront creates a folder in the Documents section of the portfolio where documents are saved. The folder name is the same name as the portfolio. You cannot delete or manually rename the folder. The folder is renamed if you change the name of the portfolio to match the portfolio’s new name.

  • When you add an Adobe cloud storage project to a legacy Workfront storage portfolio and the portfolio has no documents attached to it, the portfolio is converted to an Adobe cloud storage portfolio.

  • When you add an Adobe cloud storage project to a legacy Workfront storage portfolio and the portfolio has documents attached to it, the portfolio documents storage remains on Workfront storage. However, the legacy Workfront storage icon for the portfolio Legacy portfolio storage icon is removed from the portfolio.

  • You cannot add a legacy Workfront storage project to an Adobe cloud storage portfolio.

  • When you create portfolios using a Workfront Planning automation, Workfront uses your system’s default storage preference for the portfolio. You must purchase the Planning package for access to Workfront Planning.

Document management for programs

Consider the following when working with programs:

  • When you create an Adobe cloud storage program, Workfront creates a folder in the Documents section of the program where documents are saved. The folder name is the same as the name of the program. You cannot delete or manually rename the folder. The folder is renamed if you change the name of the program, to match the program’s new name.

  • When you add an Adobe cloud storage project to a legacy Workfront storage program and the program has no documents attached to it, the program is converted to an Adobe cloud storage program. The program’s portfolio is also converted.

  • When you add an Adobe cloud storage project to a legacy Workfront storage program and the program has documents attached to it, the program documents storage remains on Workfront storage. If the portfolio also has documents, its documents storage also remains on Workfront storage; otherwise, the portfolio is converted to Adobe cloud storage.

    The legacy Workfront storage icon for the program Legacy portfolio storage icon is removed from the program.

  • You cannot add a legacy Workfront storage project to an Adobe cloud storage program.

  • When you create programs using a Workfront Planning automation, Workfront uses your system’s default storage preference for the program. You must purchase the Planning package for access to Workfront Planning.

Document management for tasks

Consider the following when working with tasks:

  • Tasks inherit the storage type from projects.

  • When you upload a document to a task on an Adobe cloud storage project, Workfront automatically creates a folder in the Documents section of the task. The folder name is the same as the task.

  • You can rename and delete the document folder from the Adobe cloud storage task which also deletes the documents in the folder. After you add new documents to the task, the folder is automatically recreated. Deleted documents are not placed back in the folder.

  • For Adobe cloud storage projects, the document folder on a task displays as a subfolder on the documents folder automatically created for the project.

  • You cannot copy or move a task from a legacy Workfront storage project to an Adobe cloud storage one. The reverse is also not possible.

  • The following scenarios exist when converting a task to a project:

    • A legacy Workfront storage task creates a legacy Workfront storage project.
    • An Adobe cloud storage task creates an Adobe cloud storage project.
    • Using a legacy Workfront storage template to convert an Adobe cloud storage task creates an Adobe cloud storage project.
    • Using an Adobe cloud storage template to convert a legacy Workfront storage task creates a legacy Workfront storage project.

  • You cannot add documents to Adobe cloud storage tasks in the Summary panel.

Document management for issues

Consider the following when working with issues:

  • Issues inherit the storage type from projects.

  • When you upload a document to an issue on an Adobe cloud storage project, Workfront automatically creates a folder in the Documents section of the issue. The folder name is the same as the issue.

  • You can rename and delete the document folder from the Adobe cloud storage issue which also deletes the documents in the folder. After you add new documents to the issue, the folder is automatically recreated. Deleted documents are not placed back in the folder.

  • For Adobe cloud storage projects, the document folder on an issue displays as a subfolder on the documents folder automatically created for the project.

  • You cannot copy or move an issue from a legacy Workfront storage project to an Adobe cloud storage one. The reverse is also not possible.

  • When you submit a request with a document attached to a legacy Workfront storage project, the Documents area of the request displays the document using the storage type of the project, even when the system storage default preference is Adobe cloud storage.

  • The following scenarios exist when converting an issue to a project:

    • A legacy Workfront storage issue creates a legacy Workfront storage project.
    • An Adobe cloud storage issue creates an Adobe cloud storage project.
    • Using a legacy Workfront storage template to convert an Adobe cloud storage issue creates an Adobe cloud storage project.
    • Using an Adobe cloud storage template to convert a legacy Workfront storage issue creates a legacy Workfront storage project.

  • You cannot add documents to Adobe cloud storage issues in the Summary panel.

Document management for project templates

Consider the following when working with templates:

  • When you create an Adobe cloud storage template, Workfront creates a folder in the Documents section of the template where documents are saved. The folder name is the same name as the program. You cannot delete or manually rename the folder. The folder is renamed if you change the name of the template, to match the template’s new name.
  • You can use a legacy Workfront storage template to create legacy Workfront storage projects; you can use an Adobe cloud storage template to create an Adobe cloud storage project.
  • You can attach a legacy Workfront storage template to an Adobe cloud storage project and this does not change the storage location of the documents on the project.
  • You can attach an Adobe cloud storage template to a legacy Workfront storage project and this does not change the storage location of the documents on the project. Documents in the Adobe cloud storage folder for the template are added to the project directly, without the folder, while the documents in the template task folders are added to folders attached to the project’s tasks in the Documents section of the tasks.

Document management for template tasks

Consider the following when working with template tasks:

  • Template tasks inherit the storage type from templates.
  • When you upload a document to a template task on an Adobe cloud storage template, Workfront automatically creates a folder in the Documents section of the template task. The folder name is the same as the template task.
  • You can rename and delete the document folder from the Adobe cloud storage template task which also deletes the documents in the folder. After you add new documents to the template task, the folder is automatically recreated. Deleted documents are not placed back in the folder.
  • For Adobe cloud storage templates, the document folder on a template task displays as a subfolder on the documents folder automatically created for the template.
  • You cannot copy or move a template task from a legacy Workfront storage template to an Adobe cloud storage one. The reverse is also not possible.
  • When you attach a document to an issue you submit to a request queue associated with Adobe storage, a folder is created for each submitted issue where the documents are stored. The folder is also added as a subfolder to the automatically created project folder on the request queue.
recommendation-more-help
workfront-help-quicksilver