on file

on file — idiom

1. held in a set of records — either paper documents or computer data — so that the

1.idiomB2
Definition

held in a set of records — either paper documents or computer data — so that the information can be looked at again later

Example

The clinic kept Camila's test results on file for five years.

keep [sth] on file

Reema asked if her rental application was still on file.

still on file

Common collocations
  • keep on file
  • have on file
  • remain on file
  • hold on file
  • still on file
Synonyms
  • on record

    more formal; often implies an official or public statement rather than internal storage

  • documented

    emphasizes the act of recording something, not the state of being stored

  • registered

    suggests enrollment in an official list or database, often with a formal process

Grammar Patterns

keep/have/be/remain/hold + on file

Usage Note

Typically follows verbs like keep, have, be, remain, or hold. The subject is usually an institution, company, or system that maintains records, not a person acting alone.

Common Mistakes

Your details are in file.
Your details are on file.
The fixed phrase always uses 'on,' never 'in.'
We kept it on the file.
We kept it on file.
No article 'the' between 'on' and 'file.'

Synonym discussion

Sense: idiom/1

On file, on record, documented, and registered all describe information that has been formally stored, but they differ in register and scope. On file is the most everyday term — a clinic has your results on file, a gym keeps your number on file. On record is more formal and public-facing: a politician's statement goes on record, implying it is officially noted and may be quoted. Documented focuses on the act of creating a record (a documented complaint), while on file describes the resulting state of storage. Registered implies entry into an official system with a formal step — you register a car or a trademark. On file requires no such ceremony; a simple note in a folder or database is enough.

on recorddocumented ↗registered ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word file comes from the Latin filum, meaning 'thread.' In medieval offices, papers were threaded onto a string or wire to keep them in order — the same idea as a modern ring binder. By the 19th century, file referred to any organized collection of documents, and the phrase on file emerged in bureaucratic and legal settings to mean 'placed among these stored records for future use.'