# Workspace Basics
Workspaces help you organize animations, projects and files inside Lottie Creator. Each workspace is a dedicated area where your team or personal projects are stored, with their own files, structure and permissions.

This page covers the essentials for navigating and managing your workspace.

## 1. What Is a Workspace?

A **workspace** is the top level container in LottieFiles. It represents:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>A personal account</ListItem>
  <ListItem>A team</ListItem>
  <ListItem>An organization</ListItem>
  <ListItem>A client environment</ListItem>
</List>

Every workspace has its own:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Projects</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Files</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Members and permissions</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Storage and settings</ListItem>
</List>

You can switch between workspaces at any time.

## 2. Workspace Structure

Lottie uses a simple three level file hierarchy:

```
Workspace
└── Project
    └── File (Animation)
```

### Workspace

The top level container. Files saved in Creator are stored inside a workspace.

### Projects

Used to organize animations by product area, campaign, client, feature or any category you prefer.

### Files

Your individual animation documents saved as Lottie JSON, dotLottie or drafts.

## 3. Switching Workspaces

You can switch workspaces directly inside Lottie Creator.

### How to switch

1. Click your **profile icon** in the top right corner
2. Under **Workspaces**, select the workspace you want to switch to
3. Creator reloads with the selected workspace’s files and projects

You will see:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Workspace name</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Workspace plan (Personal, Experience or Enterprise)</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Your role (Editor or Admin)</ListItem>
</List>

## 4. File Locations: Drafts, Projects and Dashboard

When working in Creator, your file lives in one of two places.

### Drafts

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Files saved automatically before you assign them to a project</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Accessible via the **Drafts** breadcrumb in the header</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Useful for quick experiments</ListItem>
</List>

### Projects

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Finalized or organized files</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Located in your workspace’s **LottieFiles Dashboard**</ListItem>
  <ListItem>You can move files into a project using **Move to…** from the file dropdown</ListItem>
</List>

### Opening the Dashboard

Use:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>**Profile icon → Go to Dashboard** or</ListItem>
  <ListItem>**Click the Drafts breadcrumb → View files in LottieFiles**</ListItem>
</List>

This takes you to the LottieFiles Dashboard where you can view all projects and files for that workspace.

## 5. Creating a New File

You can start new animations from several places.

### In Lottie Creator

Click on the LottieFiles logo on the top left → **Create a new file**

Starts a new blank animation in the current workspace.

### From Drafts

Click **New → Create animation**

## 6. Saving Files

### First Save

When saving a file for the first time:

1. Click **Save** or press **Cmd or Ctrl and S**
2. Choose a workspace project
3. Name your file
4. Click **Save**

### Auto Save

Creator auto saves after about two seconds of inactivity.

You will see:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>**Saving…** (uploading)</ListItem>
  <ListItem>**Saved** (cloud synced)</ListItem>
</List>

## 7. Version History

Never lose your work in Lottie Creator. Version History keeps every session auto-saved, so you can browse, preview, and restore your animation at any point.

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Every session saves automatically every minute</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Press **Cmd+S** anytime to manually capture a version</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Open Version History from the creator menu to browse saved states</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Each version shows a live animation preview so you always restore the right moment</ListItem>
  <ListItem>One click to restore or delete any saved version</ListItem>
</List>

## 8. File Actions (Inside Creator)

Click the filename dropdown in the header to access:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>**Save**</ListItem>
  <ListItem>**Rename**</ListItem>
  <ListItem>**Make a copy**</ListItem>
  <ListItem>**Move to…**</ListItem>
</List>

These actions modify the file within the current workspace.

## 9. Workspace Roles (High Level)

Roles depend on your workspace plan, but the basics are:

### Admin

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Full control</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Manage workspace members</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Manage projects</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Access all files</ListItem>
</List>

### Editor

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Create and edit all files</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Use Creator fully</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Cannot change workspace settings</ListItem>
</List>

### Viewer

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>View files</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Cannot edit or create</ListItem>
</List>

## 10. Summary

The workspace is where all your animations live, whether personal, team based or client specific. Use projects to stay organized, switch workspaces as needed and rely on auto save to keep everything synced.