Custom Metadata Categories

Metadata Categories let you define reusable templates for Custom Metadata and assign them to folders. A Category is a named schema of keys, where each key either accepts free-form text or restricts entries to a fixed list of allowed values. A single Category can mix both kinds of keys.

Assigning a Category to a folder applies the schema to every file and subfolder within that folder. Any user with write permission on the folder can set Custom Metadata on those files, picking from the Category's keys and from each restricted key's allowed values. For example, a Category for invoice folders might define a Department key with allowed values like Sales, Marketing, and Engineering, plus a free-form Notes key for ad-hoc detail.

Site Administrators, and Workspace Administrators within their Workspaces within the folders they administer can create and assign Metadata Categories. Because Categories are reusable, a single schema defined once can be assigned to as many folders as need it, so teams keep metadata consistent everywhere the same kind of file lives.

How Metadata Categories Work

Each folder holds one Metadata Category at a time, and the assignment cascades down to every file and subfolder beneath that folder. Anyone editing Custom Metadata anywhere in that tree picks from the Category's keys, and from each key's allowed values where the key is restricted. Assigning a different Category replaces the previous assignment, and removing the Category leaves existing Custom Metadata in place.

A Category can also designate default columns, which are keys that automatically appear on the Files page of the Web App for any folder using that Category. Default columns make the relevant metadata visible without each user configuring their own column layout, so every folder using the same Category presents the same view.

Custom Metadata vs. Metadata Categories

Using Custom Metadata without Metadata Categories leaves the metadata open-ended and can cause inconsistencies. Anyone with write permission can attach any key and any value to a file or folder, which is flexible but produces inconsistencies. Different casings, typos, and key names drift over time and complicate searching, reporting, and Automations that depend on exact matches.

Metadata Categories add structure on top of Custom Metadata. Use plain Custom Metadata when each folder needs ad-hoc tagging or when the keys vary widely across files. Use a Metadata Category when many folders share the same kind of file, when downstream tooling depends on consistent values, or when users benefit from a controlled list instead of free-form entry.

Who Can Manage and Assign Metadata Categories

Site Administrators, and Workspace Administrators can create, view, edit, delete, and assign Metadata Categories. Workspace Administrators work within the Workspaces they administer, and Folder Admins work within the folders they administer, so individual teams can apply standard schemas to their own areas without involving a Site Administrator.

Users without admin permissions can't create or assign Categories. Anyone with write permission on a folder can set Custom Metadata on files in that folder, picking from the Category's keys and from each restricted key's allowed values. Users with Read permission can view Category-driven Custom Metadata but can't modify it.

Handling Changes to a Metadata Category

Metadata Categories are reusable, so a Category can change after it's been assigned to one or more folders. Three changes can produce a mismatch between a folder's existing Custom Metadata and the Category assigned to it. In every case, when using the web app, the system flags affected entries instead of changing or deleting them, so an authorized user decides what to do with each flagged value.

Deleting the Assigned Category

Deleting an assigned Category does not remove the Custom Metadata in that Category. When an assigned Category is deleted, Site Administrators and Workspace Administrators see a banner on the folder naming the deleted Category so they can assign a replacement.

Removing the Allowed Value

When someone removes a value from a key's allowed list, the Metadata Panel flags any Custom Metadata entry that used the removed value. Custom Metadata using that value is not removed from files or folders where it is used.

Swapping the Assigned Category

When someone replaces the assigned Category with a different one, the Metadata Panel flags any existing entries that don't match the new schema.

How Existing Metadata Is Validated

Assigning Metata Category to a folders and files that contain Custom Metadata does not replace any of the existing keys and values. The Metadata Panel flags any mismatch instead of changing or deleting the entry, so an authorized user resolves each flagged value.

Three outcomes are possible:

• The key matches a Category key and the value is free-form text or one of the allowed values. The entry stays as defined, and nothing to note in the web app.
• The key matches but the value isn't in the allowed list. The Memetadata editor flags the value as no longer allowed, and the original stays in place until someone updates it.
• The key isn't in the Category schema at all. The metadata editor flags it as an unrecognized metadata key, and an authorized user has to remove it.

Use Cases

Metadata Categories fit any scenario where multiple folders share the same kind of file or where consistent metadata values drive downstream behavior. The patterns below illustrate common applications across operational, regulatory, and project-based workflows.

Standardizing Workflow Status

Building on the insurance claims example from Custom Metadata, a Metadata Category named Claim Processing can define a Status key whose allowed values are Under Review, Approved, and Rejected. Assigning that Category to each claim-processing folder gives every team member the same three options when they update a file's status, eliminating typos and casing differences that would otherwise complicate searching, reporting, and downstream Automations.

Compliance Classification

Organizations that classify files for regulatory compliance can create a Metadata Category with a Compliance Category key set to a fixed list of approved classifications like Public, Internal, Confidential, and Restricted. Assigning this Category to the top-level folders that hold regulated content makes the available classifications explicit and enforces consistency across everyone tagging files in those locations.

Consistent Columns Across Project Folders

A Metadata Category built for a recurring project type pairs well with default columns. A Vendor Onboarding Category with keys like Vendor ID, Region, and Onboarding Stage can include those keys as default columns when using the web app for your file flow. When someone assigns the Category to a new vendor's folder, the relevant columns appear in the file listing automatically, so every project folder presents the same view without each user configuring their own columns.