Organise workbooks and Data Apps in collections

A collection is a named group of workbooks and Data Apps. In Analytics, the Collections list beside the Library narrows the list to one collection, and a workbook or Data App can be in several collections at once. A collection that is shared also gives people access to the workbooks in it; see Collections and access.

Browse by collection

The Collections list shows every collection you can open, with how many of the Library’s current results each one holds. Whole library clears the choice.

• A / in a collection’s name draws a folder, so Finance/2026/Q3 appears as Q3 inside 2026 inside Finance. A folder only groups collections; it holds nothing itself, and has no count. Select a folder to open or close it.
• Star a collection to keep it at the top of its folder. A folder with a starred collection inside rises with it.
• Search collections filters the list by name.
• In a narrow window the list becomes a menu above the Library, showing the collection you chose.

Selecting a collection narrows the list to the workbooks and Data Apps in it. Pinned business questions are left out while a collection is chosen, since a pin belongs to a board rather than to a collection. The collection names on each row are links too: select one to narrow the list to that collection.

Create a collection

Before you start: you need the Designer, Creator, Admin or Owner role.

1. In Analytics, select + (New collection) beside the Collections heading.
2. Choose a folder with the folder button above the name, or leave it at Top level.
3. Enter a name. The last part of the name must be at least three characters long. You can type / in the name to create folders, as in 2026/Q4.
4. Optionally add a description, and use Add in each section to pick workbooks and Data Apps to put in it straight away.
5. Select Create.

You are the collection’s owner. Share it once it exists; see Collections and access.

Change a collection

Select a collection in the list. If you can edit it, its properties panel opens beside the Library.

• Rename: change the name or description at the top of the panel, then select Update.
• Move: select Move, pick a folder under Where should “…” live? or Top level, optionally name a new folder inside it, then select Move here. Moving changes only the folder part of the name.
• Duplicate: makes a copy named with copy at the end, holding the same workbooks and Data Apps. Pinboards are not copied.
• Star: the same star as in the list.
• Share: shown to the collection’s owner, and to Owners and Admins.

The panel also lists what the collection holds, one section per kind, each with a count and how many items are published. Select an item to open it in a new tab. Its menu (…) offers Remove from collection, which takes it out of the collection and leaves the item itself alone. Add in a section lets you search for more items and add several at once.

Delete a collection

1. Select the collection and select Delete at the foot of its properties panel.
2. Confirm with Delete in Delete this collection?

The workbooks and Data Apps in it are not deleted; they are no longer in that collection.

Put a workbook or Data App in a collection

You can also start from the item rather than the collection.

Workbook

Before you start: you need to be able to edit the workbook. Without that, its properties list its collections instead.

1. Open the workbook’s Properties from its row menu in the Library.
2. Select the Collections & Access tab, then Manage collections.
3. Select a collection to add the workbook, or select it again to remove it. Changes are saved immediately.
4. To make a new collection here, select New collection, choose a Folder and a Name, then select Create and add.

Data App

Before you start: you need to be able to manage the Data App and edit the collection.

1. Open the Data App’s Properties from its row menu in the Library.
2. On the Properties tab, under Collections, select Manage collections and select the collections to add it to.

A new collection cannot be made from a Data App’s properties: create it in the Collections list first.

Collections and access

Collections are shared with Share on the properties panel, with View or Edit. What that grant reaches depends on the item:

• Workbooks: access granted on a collection reaches every workbook in it, including workbooks added later. Putting a workbook in a shared collection therefore gives the collection’s people access to it. Removing it revokes only the access that came from this collection; a grant made on the workbook itself, or through a group or role, still applies. Edit access to the collection also lets people edit its workbooks.
• Data Apps: putting a Data App in a collection changes nothing about who can open it. A Data App’s audience is set on the app itself, on its Manage Access tab.
• Pinboards: where pinboards are enabled, a collection can own shared pinboards. Anyone who can open the collection can view them, and anyone with edit access to the collection can change them.

For how collection grants combine with roles and groups, see How access works and Share a collection with the group.

What next

• Home and navigation — the rest of the Library: tabs, filters and bulk actions.
• Access Overview — see who reaches each workbook through its collections.