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

Why email workflows don't work

Most organizations 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 An attachment is outdated.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.

The result: delays, duplicates, missing signatures, and processes that depend on the memories of individual employees, not on the system.

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 at any moment in exactly one state. Each state has actions linked to it that are executed automatically.

Compare it to a relay race: each runner has their own section. 

Only when you are finished, you pass the baton. M-Files ensures the baton never hits the ground..

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

This is how an approval workflow works in M-Files

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

What happens automatically with each state

In each state, you link actions that M-Files performs automatically once a document reaches that phase.

Implementing deadlines: Does no one respond 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 customers: