M-Files replaces manual processes with smart, automated processes.

Why email workflows don't work

Most organisations circulate documents for approval via email. Someone forgets to respond. An attachment is outdated. The approver is on leave. Three weeks later, no one wonders where the file has gone.

Het resultaat: vertraging, duplicaten, ontbrekende handtekeningen en processen die afhangen van de geheugens van individuele medewerkers — niet van het systeem.

What exactly is a workflow in M-Files?

A workflow in M-Files is a series of states(phases) connected by transitions (changes). Each document is in exactly one state at any given time. Each state is associated with actions that are executed automatically.

Think of it like a relay race: each runner has their own leg.

Only when you are ready do you pass the baton.M-Files ensures that the baton never drops.

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The transition between states can be manual (user clicks "Approve") or automatic (M-Files detects that a condition has been met). You can also use an electronic signature obligations for a transition — essential for compliance in financial or quality environments.

This is how an approval workflow works in M-Files.

Go through the entire process yourself — from draft to signed contract. Switch roles and discover how M-Files automatically guides each document through the right steps.

What happens automatically at each state.

You link actions to each state that M-Files performs automatically once a document reaches that phase.

Building in deadlines:If no one responds within 10 days? M-Files can automatically reject the document or send an escalation notification to the responsible manager.

Workflows in your sector.

M-Files workflows are fully configurable. These are the most common applications among our clients: