There are a few ways to start building a smart file in HoneyBook! Check out the video below, or skip down to the written instructions.

If you choose to start in your Templates section—whether you're working off one of our beautiful examples from the smart files gallery, starting from an existing template we updated for you, or just starting from scratch—you're creating a building block for your account. Templates make your future life easier by allowing you to save a baseline version of a smart file that you can then quickly send (and customize to suit an individual client, if necessary) to project participants.

If you're starting a smart file in a project workspace rather than creating a template, that means you have a specific client in mind for this smart file and you're ready to get that ball rolling! Once you're in the project you need, you can select a smart template to work off of, and any updates you make to that template will only impact the smart file as it appears to that individual client.

If your account has any existing invoice, questionnaire, contract, brochure, or proposal legacy file templates, we’ll automatically update those legacy file templates to smart files for you—that way, you can stick with your existing process, but in an even more powerful way!

You’ll recognize all of your existing template names in your templates section.

PLEASE NOTE: Your legacy file templates are still in your account; nothing has been deleted! You can find those templates in the Legacy Files tab of your templates section, and can still send them to clients.

If you have not used HoneyBook with legacy files, you'll see some example templates waiting for you in your templates section, instead! Feel free to work off of those, including renaming them to better suit your business (click the title at the top, once you've opened)!

Feeling extra ambitious? From your templates section, click the Create New button and select the type of smart file you'd like to create. Then, build it out with any content or additional actions you'd like to include! You can even recreate your favorite legacy file formats.

Our template gallery is a key resource as you’re getting started with smart files. The gallery offers a wide array of template types designed for a variety of industries—and that achieve a whole host of different goals! It’s the perfect place to find inspiration, guidance, or just a quick place to start.

To find the template gallery, click the Tools menu from your top navigation bar, select Templates, then click the template gallery tab.

You can quickly explore the offerings by selecting a category of template from the left side menu, and/or filtering by industry using the Filters tab.

Click an interesting template to preview the full smart file—and remember to click the buttons in the preview to see all the included pages!

Click Edit This Template to save the template to your own library and pop it open for your edits, or simply click Quick Save to save to your own templates and move on.

When sending a smart file through a project workspace, click the Create New button > select the smart file type you’d like to send.

From there, if you'd been using HoneyBook with our legacy files, you’ll recognize your existing template names to choose from! Templates of the corresponding legacy file type will be available here (and you can use the filters, folders, or click All Smart File Templates to see more), so you can quickly pick from the templates you already know. They’ll simply open in the new builder.

If you have not used HoneyBook with legacy files, you'll still see some example templates waiting for you here. Feel free to work off any of those, building them out as necessary and renaming them to better suit your business by clicking the title at the top of the open smart file.

However you start, you can now make any changes you’d like; or, if a template works as-is for this client, simply click Share, review or adjust the smart file's settings, then share your smart file via email or direct link!

Remember that by creating templates, you're really doing your future self a favor—you’re creating building blocks for your business process, so you don’t need to start completely from scratch every time you send a smart file in the future!

And, of course, remember that you can customize any smart file from beginning to end. Once you've started working on your smart file, you can:

🚀 Want to up-level your smart files? A HoneyBook Pro can help elevate your smart files' design or content, so you can stand out and convert more clients.

Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!