How to create a data room on Papermark?
A data room is a secure online repository where you can store, organize, and share confidential documents with stakeholders through a single link. Papermark takes data rooms further with built-in page-by-page analytics, dynamic watermarking, granular permissions, Q&A conversations, and full white-label branding — all while giving you the option to self-host on your own infrastructure.
Whether you're raising a round, running M&A due diligence, managing LP reporting, or sharing sensitive documents with clients, here's how to create your data room in Papermark.
Full list of Papermark Data Room features
Step 1: Select way how to create data room
Sign up and select the data room option during onboarding. Papermark offers a free 7-day data room trial so you can explore all features before committing to a plan.
Once you're in, Papermark gives you three ways to create a data room:
1. Create an empty data room
Start from scratch. Click Create Data Room, give it a name, and begin uploading documents and building your folder structure manually. This is ideal when you want full control from the start.
2. Use a template
Choose from pre-built templates tailored for common use cases like fundraising, M&A due diligence, or LP reporting. Templates come with a suggested folder structure so you can get started faster.
3. Generate with AI
Describe what your data room is for and Papermark's AI will generate a complete folder structure with suggested document categories. This is the fastest way to set up a professional data room — just review, adjust, and start uploading.
Step 2: Upload and organize documents in folders
Once your data room is created, upload the documents you need to share. Papermark supports PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations, images, and more. Organize your files into a clear folder structure so viewers can navigate your content easily.
You can use Bulk Upload to drag and drop multiple files at once — just drop them into the data room and Papermark handles the rest. You can also create nested subfolders, move files between folders, and add new documents at any time without breaking existing shared links.
A well-organized hierarchy — such as "Financials," "Legal," "Team," and "Product" — makes a strong impression and helps viewers find what they need quickly.
Learn more about uploading documents and managing folders
Step 3: Customize your data room branding
Create a professional, white-label experience by customizing the appearance of your data room. In the Customization tab you can configure:
- Logo — displayed in the data room header
- Banner image — adds a branded visual at the top
- Brand color — applied to buttons, links, and accents
- Custom domain — share documents from your own URL (e.g.,
docs.yourcompany.com) - Favicon — the browser tab icon for your data room
- Meta tags and social cards — control how your link appears when shared on social media
You can also add an introduction page — a welcome screen visitors see when they first access your data room. It helps set context, explain what's inside, and can include embedded videos for walkthroughs.
Learn more about data room branding and adding a custom domain
Step 4: Secure your data room
Protecting sensitive documents is crucial when sharing business information. Papermark offers enterprise-grade security features to ensure your data room remains accessible only to intended viewers.
Core security settings
- Require email to view — viewers must provide their email before accessing documents
- Email verification — adds an extra layer by requiring viewers to verify their email address
- Password protection — set a password that must be entered before viewing
- Expiration date — automatically disable access after a set date
- Allow/block lists — specify exactly who can and cannot access your documents by email or domain
- NDA requirements — require viewers to sign a non-disclosure agreement before accessing content
- Dynamic watermarking — apply viewer-specific watermarks that include the viewer's email, IP, or custom text
- Screenshot protection — prevent viewers from capturing screenshots of sensitive pages
Learn more about link security settings
Granular permissions for advanced security
For enterprise-level control, Papermark offers granular permissions that let you define exactly what files or foldrs each user or group can access within your data room.
With granular permissions you can create user groups with specific access rights, control view and download permissions at both folder and file levels, share group-specific links with tailored permissions, and override folder-level permissions for individual files. You can also set a default permission strategy for new documents — inherit from parent folder, ask every time, or hidden by default.
Learn more about granular permissions and groups
Step 5: Enable advanced features
Papermark data rooms include advanced capabilities that set them apart from traditional file-sharing tools:
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Q&A conversations — Viewers can ask questions directly inside the data room and owners respond in real time, keeping all communication in one place.
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File requests — Allow external parties to upload documents directly to your data room with optional NDA requirements before upload.
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Index generation — Automatically generate a downloadable index file (PDF or Excel) that updates when you add or remove files.
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New document notifications — Notify verified visitors automatically when new documents are added to the data room.
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SSO (Single Sign-On) — Enable enterprise SSO so viewers authenticate through your organization's identity provider.
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Full white-labelling — Remove all Papermark branding, use your own custom domain, logo, colors, and favicon for a fully branded experience.
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Multiple teams — Manage separate data rooms across different teams within a single Papermark account, each with their own members and permissions.
Step 6: Share access to your data room
Once your data room is configured, generate a shareable link and distribute it to your audience. Papermark supports multiple sharing methods:
Share with groups — create group links with granular permissions so different stakeholders see only what's relevant to them. For example, investors see financials, legal advisors see contracts, and technical reviewers see product documentation.
Share with collaborators — invite team members who can upload and manage documents alongside you.
Share with individual viewers — send a single link to a specific person with tailored access settings.
Each link can have its own security settings, expiration date, and permission configuration, giving you full control over every access point.
You can also invite visitors to your data room via email directly from Papermark — recipients get a branded invitation with a direct link and optional personal message. For a full walkthrough of all sharing options, see How to share your data room.
Step 7: Track activity and access audit log
With your data room live, Papermark's built-in analytics show you exactly how viewers engage with your documents. No third-party tools needed.
Track comprehensive engagement data including the number of visits to your data room, total time spent by each viewer, per-user analytics to see individual engagement patterns, per-document analytics to understand which files matter most, page-by-page insights for detailed document engagement, geographic data showing where your viewers are located, and session data including download activity and device information.
Real-time notifications alert you the moment someone opens your data room, so you can follow up at the right time.
Learn more about document analytics and page-by-page analytics
Add an introduction page (optional)
Once your data room is live, you can add a welcome page that visitors see when they first access it. The introduction page helps set context, explain what's inside, and can include embedded YouTube videos for walkthroughs.
Open your data room, navigate to Settings → Introduction, and toggle "Show introduction on first visit." The rich text editor supports headings, lists, images, and video embeds. Papermark can auto-generate a template based on your folder structure to get you started.
Learn more about introduction pages
Why use Papermark for your data room?
Open source and transparent — Papermark's source code is publicly available, so you know exactly how your documents are handled. No black boxes.
Built for deals — from fundraising and M&A to LP reporting and client portals, Papermark is purpose-built for high-stakes document sharing where security and analytics matter.
Enterprise-grade security — dynamic watermarking, NDA gates, email verification, screenshot protection, granular permissions, and full audit trails keep your documents safe.
Real-time analytics — page-by-page engagement data, viewer identification, and instant notifications give you actionable insights to move deals forward.
Full white-label — custom domains, branding, and removed "Powered by" badges create a seamless experience under your own brand.
Flexible hosting — use the managed SaaS, bring your own storage, or self-host entirely on your infrastructure.
Conclusion
With Papermark you can create a secure, branded data room and share documents through a single link — with full control over who sees what and real-time analytics on engagement. Whether you use the hosted platform or self-host on your own infrastructure, you get an enterprise-grade data room solution built on open-source transparency.