M-Files: one search for all your business information.

M-Files is an intelligent document management platform that organises business information by metadata rather than folder structures. Instead of storing each document in one fixed location, M-Files describes what each document is (client, project, type, status) and lets users find it from any angle. M-Files connects natively to Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, network drives and business systems like SAP and Salesforce, so documents remain where they are while becoming findable from a single search bar.

Pricing depends on the edition (Foundation, Essentials or Enterprise), the number of users, cloud or on-premise deployment and the modules you need. Use the price calculator for an estimate, or ask SoftAdvice for a tailored, no-obligation proposal.

M-Files Aino is the built-in AI assistant of M-Files. Aino automatically classifies documents, suggests metadata, answers questions in natural language, and recognises business-critical information across your entire M-Files vault. Unlike ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, Aino works exclusively on the customer's own documents, fully respects existing access rights, and always cites the source document for each answer. It includes multimodal processing of images and scans.

Yes. M-Files runs natively within Microsoft 365, with dedicated integrations for Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint. Users continue working in the tools they already know while M-Files provides the metadata, version control and access rights layer underneath. The Enterprise edition adds the Connector for Microsoft Copilot, which exposes M-Files content securely to Copilot for AI-driven insights that respect user permissions.

M-Files provides the technical foundation for GDPR, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance through AES-256 encryption, metadata-driven granular access rights, complete and immutable audit trails, and configurable retention rules. M-Files Cloud hosts European customer data in Amsterdam data centres. The Enterprise edition adds Azure Key Vault integration, federated identity, and extended audit logging for organisations with high compliance requirements.

No. M-Files includes the Intelligent Metadata Layer, which connects to existing SharePoint sites, network drives, Salesforce, SAP and other business systems and makes their content findable through M-Files without physically moving anything. For cases where migration is desirable, Smart Migration automatically classifies and imports documents with metadata intact. SoftAdvice designs a migration strategy that matches the specific situation, typically avoiding big-bang migrations entirely.

SoftAdvice commits to a first process live within 30 days for a standard first-phase M-Files implementation. This covers process analysis, metadata architecture, vault configuration, Microsoft 365 integration and user training. More complex implementations with multiple integrations and departments typically extend to 8 to 12 weeks including advanced adoption coaching. No upfront data migration is required.

SharePoint is a collaboration and intranet platform that organises documents in sites, libraries and folders. M-Files is a document management platform that organises information by metadata and relationships. The two are complementary: M-Files connects to SharePoint natively and adds document control, version management and governance. SoftAdvice implements both and advises which one fits where.

SoftAdvice has been an M-Files Solution Partner since 2010, with over 100 implementations across Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. SoftAdvice leads with process consulting and information architecture before configuration, works in Dutch, French and English, and commits to a first solution live within 30 days.

M-Files 2026 introduces Workspaces (role-based personalised views of vault content), Sharing Center (controlled external sharing with full audit trail), Aino Metadata Agent at Scale (automated large-volume classification) and the Connector for Microsoft Copilot (Copilot queries grounded in M-Files content with respect for access rights). More than 240 innovations have been delivered across the 2025 and 2026 release cycles, with a strong focus on AI and Microsoft ecosystem integration.

The return depends on how much time your teams lose searching, re-doing work and preparing audits today. Typical value drivers are shorter search time, no duplicate versions or rework, faster audit preparation and less failed folder governance. The SoftAdvice ROI calculator gives an estimate for your situation.