Share documents with child sites
Open child sites can show eligible Documents from ancestor sites alongside their own library. Sharing is controlled by the site default, each category, and the child site’s Cascade Mode.
How document sharing works
A document appears as inherited on a child site only when all of these are true:
The child site’s Cascade Mode is Open.
The ancestor document is eligible under the parent’s Documents share-down default and category content-share setting.
The viewer can access the document under normal Documents permissions and category access rules.
Sealed child sites show only their own documents. Ownership always stays with the site that owns the document. For Open and Sealed site behaviour, see Cascade Mode for sites.
Set the site share-down default
Parent sites with child sites set the Documents default under Document Library Settings.
Go to Settings > Documents.
Open the Options tab.
Turn Share Documents with Child Sites on or off.
Click Save Changes.
When on, documents in categories that follow the site default may appear in open child sites. Categories can override this setting. The control appears when cascade is available and the site has child sites. Changing these options requires Site Manager or Site Admin access.
The Documents share-down default is on unless you turn it off.
Control sharing per category
Category sharing has two separate controls. Sharing the category for children to file under is separate from sharing the documents already filed in it.
Go to Settings > Documents > Categories.
Create or edit a category.
Use Share This Category if child sites should be able to file their own documents under this category.
If the category is shared, set Share the Content in This Category to one of:
Use the Site Default (on) or Use the Site Default (off) — follow the site Options default. The label shows whether that default is currently on or off.
Share — documents in this category may appear in open child sites.
Don't Share — documents in this category do not cascade, even if the site default is on.
Save the category.
Only Documents Admins manage categories and Documents settings. New categories start on Use the Site Default for content sharing.
What child-site users can do with inherited documents
Inherited documents are read-only in the child site. Ownership and edits stay on the owning ancestor site.
Action | On inherited documents |
|---|---|
View | Yes, when access rules allow |
Download | Yes, where download is already allowed |
Follow or unfollow | Yes, for eligible inherited documents |
Acknowledge distributions | Yes; acknowledgements are recorded against the owning ancestor site |
Edit details or content | No |
Change category | No |
Delete | No |
Inherited rows are labelled Inherited from followed by the ancestor site name.
Filter own and inherited documents
On an open child site, the document library can show an Ownership filter when cascade is available and the site has a parent.
All — own documents plus eligible inherited documents (default).
This Site Only — documents owned by the active site.
Inherited Only — eligible inherited documents only.
The filter does not appear on sealed sites or sites without a parent.
When inherited documents stop appearing
A document is available on a child site only while it remains eligible. If the child is sealed, the parent turns off sharing, or the document is no longer eligible under category or site defaults, it does not appear as inherited content for that child.
Related guides
Cascade Mode for sites — Open vs Sealed and where to change the site setting.
Share risks content with child sites — assessments, templates, sets, hazardous materials, and equipment under cascade.
Share companies and personnel records with child sites — Personnel settings defaults, per-record share controls, and read-only inherited records.
Organizing Documents — categories, tags, and finding documents in the library.
Managing Your Document Library — edit and delete owned documents.
Documents roles and access — Member, Manager, and Admin roles for Documents.