How to pack files and documents for a move.
Office moves live or die by paperwork. The wrong box leaves you searching for the same client folder for weeks. Use the right file boxes, pack one drawer at a time, and label so the unpacking is two hours instead of two days.
Watch the video
Get your supplies first
Don’t use moving boxes for files — they’re wrong-sized and folders fall over.
The file-packing walkthrough
The two boxes that matter (letter and legal), how to load a file drawer at a time, and why the labels you write today save you days of searching next week.
Three steps, in order.
Use the right box. Pack one drawer per box. Pack solid so nothing crushes.
Use letter or legal file boxes — not moving boxes.
File boxes are sized to the exact width of hanging folders, so the folders stand upright and the labels stay readable. A regular moving box is too wide; folders flop over and you lose your alphabetization in transit.
- Letter (12″): for 8.5×11 folders
- Legal (15″): for 8.5×14 folders
- Both have integrated lids and reinforced bottoms
Pack one drawer per box, alphabetized.
Empty each drawer into its own labeled box and you’ll arrive at the new office with everything still in alphabetical order. Skip this and you spend the first week reconstructing the filing system.
Fill every box solid — no half-empties.
A half-full box collapses the moment another box stacks on top. Top up with packing paper if you don’t have enough folders to fill a box, or consolidate two thin drawers into one.
Label like you’ll forget.
Drawer letters, room name, and box number on every box. Future you will thank present you when 47 identical boxes arrive at the new office and you need the “G”s right now.
The mistakes we see most often
Three habits that turn a clean office move into a paperwork hunt.
Using regular moving boxes
Folders flop sideways and you lose alphabetization. Always use a file-sized box.
Mixing drawers
Once two drawers go in one box, you’ve reset your filing system. Keep drawers segregated.
Skipping the labels
Identical boxes plus no labels = days of unpacking. Label everything you pack.
Want us to handle the office move?
Our crews handle commercial moves, file packing, and on-site reset. No lost folders, no missed weeks.