Use the Tidyflow desktop app

The Tidyflow desktop app puts your clients’ folders on your computer. Drop documents into the right folder, open a file in Excel, Word or Acrobat, and every save goes back to Tidyflow as a new version. It is included on every plan and uses the same account as the firm app.

Install the desktop app

Download the app from tidyflow.com/desktop-app.

• Windows: run the installer. The app runs on Windows 11 (64-bit).
• Mac: open the downloaded disk image and drag Tidyflow into Applications. The app runs on macOS 12 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

The app updates itself. See Keep the desktop app up to date.

Sign in to the desktop app

1. Open Tidyflow and click Sign in with your browser.
2. Your browser opens Tidyflow. Sign in there if you are not already.
3. Click Connect desktop, then go back to the app.

There is no separate password for the desktop app. If your firm uses a workspace address other than https://app.tidyflow.com, click Use a different workspace and enter it under Workspace URL before you sign in.

To sign out, open Settings by clicking your name at the bottom of the window, then click Sign out.

Find a client in the desktop app

The Clients column lists your Recent clients first, then every client you can access. Type in the search box to find a client by name. You see the same clients as in the firm app, so a client with restricted access only shows for team members who can open it.

Click a client to see their folders and files. Click a folder to open it, or right-click it and choose Open in Tidyflow to open it in the firm app.

Upload files to a client folder from the desktop app

1. Open the client, and the folder you want if it is not the top level.
2. Drag files from File Explorer or Finder onto the window, or onto a folder row, or click Add files.

The app names the destination while you drag. New files show in that folder with their progress until they are uploaded, and uploads keep going while the window is closed. Files dropped at a client’s top level sit at the top of their Files tab, outside any folder.

You can upload PDFs, images and Office files, one file at a time or many together. Drop individual files rather than a folder. The files on your computer are copied, never moved or deleted.

To upload scans, save them with your scanner’s own software, then drop them on the client.

To add or rename a folder, click New folder, or right-click a folder and choose Rename. The Client Uploads folder cannot be renamed.

Edit a client file in Excel, Word or Acrobat

Click a file in the desktop app to open it on your computer in the program that normally opens that type, such as Excel, Word or Acrobat. Edit it and save as usual. A few seconds after each save, Tidyflow adds your changes as a new version of the same file, so shares, links and the client’s Files tab always show the latest copy, and every earlier version stays available in the firm app.

While the file is open, its tag in the list shows its state:

• Open: you are editing it and everything you saved is in Tidyflow.
• Saving: your latest save is uploading.
• Not saved: someone saved a newer version in Tidyflow. See When the desktop app does not save your changes.
• Save failed: the upload did not finish. Click the tag and choose Retry saving.

Clicking a file that is already open brings back your copy, including unsaved work. Right-click a file for Open on this computer or Open in Tidyflow, and while it is open, Show in File Explorer (Show in Finder on a Mac).

Excel and Word open these files in Protected View, as they do with any downloaded file. Click Enable Editing in Office to make changes.

Stop editing a client file

When you finish with a file, click its tag and choose Stop editing. The app uploads any changes it has not saved yet, then removes the copy from your computer. On Windows, close the file in Excel or Word first, because Office keeps open files locked.

Only the files you open are kept on your computer, in the app’s own folder, and only until you stop editing them.

When the desktop app does not save your changes

Each save is based on the version you opened. If someone saved a newer version in Tidyflow while you had the file open, your save does not replace theirs. The tag shows Not saved and your changes stay on your computer. Click the tag and choose:

• Save my changes as a copy to add your version as a separate file next to the original.
• Discard my changes to delete your copy. Tidyflow keeps its current version.

Files that open in Tidyflow instead

Documents in a signature request show a Signature tag, and documents in an approval show an Approval tag. They open in the firm app instead, so their content cannot change while a client is signing or approving them. File types the desktop app cannot edit also open in the firm app.

Keep the desktop app running

Closing the window keeps Tidyflow running in the system tray on Windows, or the menu bar on a Mac, so uploads and saves carry on. Use the Tidyflow icon’s menu there to open the window, open Settings, or quit.

To start Tidyflow when you sign in to your computer, turn on Start at login in Settings.

Keep the desktop app up to date

The app checks for updates in the background and downloads them. A new version installs when you quit the app, or straight away when you click Restart to update in Settings. To check now, open Settings and click Check for updates under App updates.

Print PDFs from tax software to Tidyflow

The desktop app can also watch a folder, such as the one your tax software saves PDFs into, and offer each new PDF for filing. See Print or save PDFs to Tidyflow from any program.

If something is not working, see Troubleshoot the Tidyflow desktop app.