How to build a client portal

A client relationship produces a steady stream of material: the brief, the contract, research, drafts, rounds of feedback, final files, invoices. When those travel by email and assorted shared links, the client ends up asking for things you’ve already sent, and you spend time digging through threads to resend them.

This page is a practical build: how to set up a portal in Fabric for one client, step by step, and repeat it for the next. For the wider thinking on what a portal should contain and how to run one, see How to set up a client portal.

How freelancers and agencies usually share files with clients

Most start with a shared Google Drive or Dropbox folder per client. It’s familiar and costs little. Over a long engagement the folder fills with drafts, duplicates and files named final_v2, and permissions get messy when internal working files sit next to things the client should see. Feedback still happens in email, separate from the files.

Some teams use a project tool such as Notion for each client, with pages that hold links and updates. It looks tidier, though many clients don’t use the tool themselves, so access and editing can be awkward on their side, and the files usually sit somewhere else.

Dedicated client portal software bundles file sharing with invoicing, forms and messaging. It suits agencies that want all of that in one product. For smaller studios and freelancers it’s another subscription and another login to explain to every client, and the portal is separate from where the work is made.

Step 1: Create a space for the client

In Fabric, create a new space just for this client and name it after them. The space keeps this client’s material apart from your other clients and your internal work, and it’s what you’ll share with them in the next step.

Inside the space, add a simple set of folders. A common layout is Brief and contracts, Work in progress, For review, and Final deliverables. Keep it shallow; clients find a few clear folders easier than a deep tree.

Move in what you already have: drag files in, use Upload a file, or copy them into the space through the Fabric desktop drive. If you’d like to track progress visually, switch the work folder to kanban view and use columns for each stage, with the files themselves as the cards.

Step 2: Share the space with the client

Share the space with your client contacts. They see only that space, not the rest of your Fabric, which is the core of the portal. How to give a client access to only their files covers this step in more detail.

Choose each person’s role: viewer, commenter, editor or admin. Roles can be set at the space level and on individual files, so a client can comment on the review folder but only view contracts. External people can use shared links without signing up. Roles and permissions explains what each role allows.

If some material is for your team only, keep it in a separate internal space. That way nothing private sits inside the client’s space by accident.

Step 3: Collect feedback inside the portal

When a draft is ready, put it in the review folder. A client with commenter access can leave comments directly on the work: timestamped comments on video and audio, with drawings on video frames; drawings with comments on images; and highlights with comments on text files.

Each comment can be marked completed, so the feedback for a round works as a checklist. You and the client can both see what’s been addressed and what’s still open, which cuts down the follow-up emails. Other collaboration features, such as threaded comments and activity history, help when several people on the client side are involved.

Step 4: Deliver final files with a published link

For handover, publish the Final deliverables folder. Click Share, open the Publish tab and click Create link. Name the link, choose whether to allow downloads (available on every plan), and decide whether search engines may index it. A folder publishes as a web page, and editing the files in Fabric updates the published version.

On Pro and Team plans you can add password protection to the folder. Anyone opening it enters the password, access lasts six hours, and there’s no password reset, so keep it in a password manager. Turn on link analytics when creating the link to see visits over time, with the dates, location and device of each visit. Pro also lets you publish on your own domain.

Step 5: Keep the client’s history searchable for your team

Because the brief, drafts, feedback and finals sit in one space, the AI assistant can answer questions about the account. Open a folder in the space and ask, for example, what the client said about the color palette in round two. It limits itself to that folder and cites its sources. Meeting recordings with the client can go in the same space. Fabric for client work shows how teams build on this.

When the next client signs, create a new space with the same folder layout and share it with them. Each portal stays separate.

Frequently asked questions

What is a client portal?

A private area where a client can see the files, updates and deliverables for their project, and usually give feedback, without seeing anyone else’s work.

Can clients use the portal without a Fabric account?

Yes. External people can use shared links without signing up.

How do I make sure a client only sees their own files?

Create a space for that client and share only that space with them. They see that space and nothing else in your workspace.

Can clients comment on files in the portal?

Yes, if you give them commenter or editor permission. They can comment on video, audio, images and text, and comments can be marked completed.

Can I password protect client deliverables?

Yes, on the Pro and Team plans. Right-click the folder or open the three-dot menu and choose Add password protection.

Can I see when a client opens the final files?

With link analytics on a published link (Pro and Team), you see visits with dates, location and device. Analytics don’t name the visitor, so give each contact their own named link if you need to tell people apart.

Can the portal use my own domain?

Published links can use a custom domain on the Pro plan, set up from the domain selector in the publishing screen.

How much does a client portal cost to run in Fabric?

Publishing, with the download option, is included on the free plan; password protection, analytics and custom domains need a paid plan. Team pricing is not per seat. See team pricing.