Bug: Root “By Folder” view in Multi-Tenant Admin does not show documents

[DannyMurphy]

Describe the Bug

When navigating to Multi-Tenant Admin → Documents → By Folder, the root-level view does not display any documents, even though documents exist in the system and appear under other views (e.g., All Documents, By Type, or within folders).

Expected Behaviour
The root “By Folder” view should list all documents that live at the root level (i.e., not assigned to a folder).

Actual Behaviour
The root-level folder appears empty.
Documents only appear once you drill into folders or use alternative views.

Steps to Reproduce
1. Log in as a multi-tenant admin.
2. Go to Documents → By Folder.
3. Ensure documents exist at root (i.e., assigned no folder).
4. Observe that no documents are displayed.

Environment
• Multi-Tenant Admin UI
• "payload": "3.62.1"

Impact
Cannot view or manage root-level documents in the intended folder view, causing confusion and requiring alternate navigation paths.

Additional Notes
• Subfolder navigation appears to work normally.
• Other document views display the records correctly.
• Also cannot create new documents in the root level only new folders

Link to the code that reproduces this issue

https://github.com/payloadcms/payload

Reproduction Steps

Steps to Reproduce
1. Log in as a multi-tenant admin.
2. Go to Documents → By Folder.
3. Ensure documents exist at root (i.e., assigned no folder).
4. Observe that no documents are displayed.

Environment
• Multi-Tenant Admin UI
• "payload": "3.62.1"

Which area(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

plugin: multi-tenant

Environment Info

> [email protected] payload /Users/dannymurphy/Dev/epd-digital-guide
> cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--no-deprecation payload info

npm warn Unknown env config "verify-deps-before-run". This will stop working in the next major version of npm.
npm warn Unknown env config "_jsr-registry". This will stop working in the next major version of npm.
npm warn Unknown env config "_react-admin-registry". This will stop working in the next major version of npm.

Binaries:
  Node: 24.3.0
  npm: 11.6.0
  Yarn: 1.22.19
  pnpm: 10.19.0
Relevant Packages:
  payload: 3.62.1
  next: 15.5.6
  @payloadcms/email-resend: 3.62.1
  @payloadcms/graphql: 3.62.1
  @payloadcms/next/utilities: 3.62.1
  @payloadcms/plugin-multi-tenant: 3.62.1
  @payloadcms/richtext-lexical: 3.62.1
  @payloadcms/translations: 3.62.1
  @payloadcms/ui/shared: 3.62.1
  react: 19.0.0
  react-dom: 19.0.0
Operating System:
  Platform: darwin
  Arch: arm64
  Version: Darwin Kernel Version 25.0.0: Wed Sep 17 21:35:32 PDT 2025; root:xnu-12377.1.9~141/RELEASE_ARM64_T6020
  Available memory (MB): 16384
  Available CPU cores: 12

[DanRibbens]

This is good feedback @DannyMurphy. I converted it to an issue to reflect that this is not exactly a bug.

3. Ensure documents exist at root (i.e., assigned no folder).
   We did have some debate around how to handle documents that don't belong to a folder. Based on feedback I'd want to decide on how important this is to address.

I'll link the main thread in case anyone has more thoughts: #4190

[DannyMurphy]

Thanks @DanRibbens – totally understand the desire to be able to show or hide documents that don’t belong to any folder.

In my use case, I’m organising physical objects and their associated stories within a Museum context, placing them into their corresponding gallery using the drag-and-drop UI. The expectation is that Museum staff would first add the objects (possibly via an import process) and then use the UI to organise them into the correct gallery folders.

The reason I’d like unsorted documents to still appear in the base-level (root) folder view is that otherwise staff may think their object or story has disappeared. This is especially likely if they drag an item from one folder and use the breadcrumb drag-and-drop to move it to the root before then trying to place it into the correct gallery. If nothing shows at root, it creates a moment of panic.

Could it be possible to add a flag in the config to show and hide at the root level?