Name files so people can find them

Simple rules

• Start with what it is about, such as the client, job or subject: “Harbor Dental - Proposal.”
• Add dates as year-month-day: 2026-10-24. Files then sort in date order automatically.
• Be specific. “Q3 sales report” beats “Report.”
• Keep it reasonably short. Long names and deep folders can cause problems when syncing.
• Avoid special characters such as # % & * : < > ? / \ { } and ~. Some systems reject them.
• Agree on the format as a team and write it down.

Versions

With files in OneDrive, SharePoint or Teams, you usually do not need “v2,” “v3” or “final” in the name. Version history keeps every saved version automatically, and you can restore an earlier one at any time.

If you need to mark a version, such as the one sent to a client, use a clear label: “2026-10-24 Proposal - sent to client.”

Folders

• Organize by how people look for things, such as by client or by year.
• Keep the structure shallow. Three or four levels is usually plenty.
• Do not save the same file in several places. Share a link to one copy instead.