Numbering helps keep a data room organised and easy to reference, particularly in large or complex matters where a structured index is essential.
Enabling or disabling numbering
Matter admins can choose which numbering mode is enabled and can enable or disable numbering using the toggle in the Configure panel accessed via the sub-navigation bar.
Numbering is switched on by default for every data room, and new rooms default to Hierarchical. Anyone with access can switch numbering on or off using the toggle in the sub-navigation, without opening any settings.
To choose the numbering mode or customize its format, a Matter admin can open Configure:
Open the data room
Click Configure in the subnav
Select the General tab
Find the Numbering row in the Display section and click the 'configure' button to open Configure numbering
Numbering is configured at the data room level. If enabled, it is visible to all users who have access to that data room.
Note: Numbering cannot be configured at folder or file level. It applies to the entire data room.
Choosing a numbering mode
Once numbering is switched on, choose how it's applied:
Mode | How it works |
Simple | Files are numbered in one continuous sequence across the whole room (1, 2, 3...). Folders aren't numbered. |
Hierarchical (default) | Every folder and file is numbered according to its position, using nested decimals that reflect depth (eg 1, 1.1, 1.1.1). |
Custom | Full control over the format at each level, including prefix, style and suffix. |
Customizing number format
If you choose Custom, you can set the following for each level of the data room, up to four levels deep. The format set for the fourth level also applies to any level beyond it:
Prefix: optional text shown before the number
Format: 1, 2, 3 / A, B, C / a, b, c / I, II, III / i, ii, iii
Suffix: optional text shown after the number
Two further toggles are available:
Number folders and files separately: gives folders and files their own independent sequence at each level
Include parent numbering: carries the number of a parent folder through to its contents
A live preview updates as you change these settings, and your changes are saved automatically.
How numbering appears
Index: the number column widens to fit the longest number, and disappears entirely when numbering is switched off
Tertiary navigation panel: shows the same numbers as the index
In very deep folder structures, full numbers display up to 10 levels. Beyond that, the on screen number is shortened with an ellipsis between the first and last segments (eg 1.2… 4.1).
Note: Exports, audit records and notifications always show the full number, regardless of any on screen shortening.
When numbering updates
Numbering adjusts automatically when:
Documents or folders are moved
Folders are reordered
New folders or files are added
This ensures that numbering always reflects the current structure of the data room and remains consistent as the transaction evolves.
Numbering in exports
Numbers always appear in exports, regardless of whether numbering is switched on or off on screen. If numbering is switched off on screen, exports still use the room's stored Hierarchical numbering.
Note: If a room is set to Simple mode, exports (both the Excel index and the full data room ZIP) fall back to Hierarchical numbering. This is because Simple numbers alone can't produce unique file paths, since folders aren't numbered and numbering restarts inside each folder. On screen, Simple numbers are unaffected, and single file downloads aren't affected either.
In a full data room ZIP export, folder and file names are prefixed with their hierarchical number, separated by a dash (eg "1.1.1 - Transaction Service Agreement"). Numbers are padded to two digits per level, expanding to three digits once a level holds more than 99 items.
The Excel index (see Exporting a data room index) lists every folder and document with its number in the Index column, whether or not numbering is switched on for viewing.