Controlled Documents

M-Files sets the standard for managing controlled documents. Easily publish and update SOPs and other important quality documents. Your team always has the latest approved version.

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The latest, approved version. Always.

For organisations striving for quality and consistency, controlled documents are essential. We're talking SOPs, policies, manuals, product documentation. These are crucial if your organisation is striving to obtain or maintain ISO 9001 certification. But how many times have your staff said they can't find the latest version? Are your admins stressed out because of manual publishing processes, struggles with keeping file version numbers up to date, or helping staff find the right document? M-Files is the answer.


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M-Files is the complete solution for controlled document management

M-Files offers a complete package to effectively manage all aspects of producing and distributing controlled documents:


  • A single source of truth: Your staff can easily access published SOPs, policies, manuals and any other controlled document directly from the M-Files desktop application or mobile app.


  • Parallel working copy and published copy: Administrators have an editable working copy of each controlled document whilst staff have access to the published, latest version. This enables admins to edit the document, and when ready, publish an updated version with a single mouse click.


  • Comprehensive version control: M-Files tracks each edit made to a controlled document and offers a timestamped account of who has worked on a document and when. This creates a clear audit trail of a controlled document's evolution.


  • Powerful workflows for review and approval: M-Files offers a flexible, powerful workflow engine for automating document review and approval processes. Even better, M-Files tracks who reviewed and approved a document, providing an enhanced audit trail.


  • Secure access management: M-Files ensures only authorised users can access controlled document working copies and that documents are only editable under approved circumstances. Permissions can also be applied to published copies, ensuring only authorised staff have access.


  • Staff enablement: When a new or updated controlled document is published, M-Files can facilitate learning tasks to ensure affected staff are aware of the new document. If desired, M-Files can require staff to acknowledge that they have familiarised themselves with a new policy or procedure document.



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a single source of truth

Your controlled documents all in one place

A common challenge is ensuring staff have easy access to controlled documents, and even more critical, ensuring they have the latest approved version.


Thanks to M-Files' parallel working copy and published copy feature, you can be sure that the current version available to your team is ALWAYS the latest, approved version.


Your team can access controlled documents from their M-Files desktop application or M-Files mobile app. Controlled documents can be located within M-Files utilising the Google-style search feature, or via common views set up by administrators.


What's more, when a controlled document is published in M-Files, your organisation's access permissions are automatically applied. This ensures that the document is visible to the relevant users. For example, a HR standard operating procedure might be made available only to members of the HR user group.


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Parallel working and published copies

M-Files’ Advanced Workflow & Version Control module streamlines management of controlled documents. An extension of the already powerful M-Files workflow engine, this module enables easy creation of parallel working and published copies of controlled documents.


  • Working copies: Are editable and accessible only by authorised users, typically administrators. Working copies can be edited without affecting the published version available to staff. Once the document has been drafted or amendments made, the working copy can be submitted via an M-Files workflow for internal review and approval. Once approved, M-Files generates a separate 'published' copy whilst retaining the working copy. Even better, M-Files automatically takes care of file naming and updating minor and major version labels.

  • Published copies: A separate document produced from the approved working copy. This is the official, approved version of the document accessible to all relevant stakeholders. Typically the published copy is in PDF format. When an updated version is published, M-Files automatically removes the earlier published copy from service.

This feature ensures that only the most current version is available for your team to access via the M-Files application, eliminating confusion. Be sure to watch our brief YouTube demonstration and see how easy controlled document are to access using M-Files. See

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Iron-clad version control

Controlled documents are the backbone of a robust quality management system, whilst version control and traceable document history are vital for ISO 9001 compliance.


M-Files' version control features provide a robust system for managing document changes and ensuring information accuracy. With mandatory version history and a check-out/check-in mechanism M-Files tracks every modification to controlled document working copies. Better still, M-Files version history tracks a document's workflow state changes, ensuring a clear record is kept of who reviewed a document and approved it for publication.

This rigorous control and traceable document history provides a full time-stamped audit trail of all activities, vital for demonstrating compliance during ISO 9001 audits.


And because the published copy of each controlled document is linked to its respective working copy, M-Files ensures that your staff only ever have access to the latest, approved version.


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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Some commonly asked questions about Controlled Document management in M-Files

  • What is a controlled document in M-Files?

    A controlled document in M-Files is a file managed under strict version control, approval workflows, and access permissions to ensure accuracy, compliance, and traceability. 


    Common in regulated industries, these documents follow a defined lifecycle (e.g., Draft → Approved → Retired) and include audit trails and metadata tagging. Examples include SOPs, policies, and technical manuals. M-Files helps organisations meet standards like ISO 9001 by automating document control processes.

  • How does M-Files ensure version control for controlled documents?

    M-Files automatically manages document versions. Each time a document is modified and checked in, a new version is created. Previous versions are preserved and accessible, ensuring a complete audit trail and preventing accidental overwrites.


    M-Files also automates document version labelling by using metadata and workflows to track changes. Each authorised update creates a new version with a unique label, such as “v1.2” and "v1.3" for minor version updates, or "v2.1" and “v3.1" for major version updates. 


    This ensures consistency, prevents manual errors, and maintains a clear history of revisions for controlled documents, supporting compliance and audit readiness. Innovative Content Management customises version labelling according to your requirements.

  • Can controlled documents go through an approval workflow in M-Files?

    Yes. In fact, we strongly recommend the use of M-Files workflows and the Advanced Workflow & Version Control add-on to support customisable workflows that automate the review and approval process for controlled documents. 


    Controlled documents can be routed to specific users for review, revision, and final approval, with time-stamped records for compliance. We work with you to customise workflows according to your organisation's review and approval process requirements.

  • Who can access and edit controlled documents in M-Files?

    Generally, different access permissions are applied for working copies of controlled documents versus published copies. This is because working copies are usually restricted to a small group of authorised administrators who are responsible for authoring and updating controlled documents.


    Published copies can be made available to all users or to specified user groups. Generally, the contents and metadata are locked for editing on published copies to protect the integrity of the document and prevent unauthorised modification.


    That said, we do work with you to configure a solution that fulfils your organisation's information governance requirements.

  • How does M-Files support audits and quality management reviews under ISO 9001?

    M-Files keeps a complete history of all actions taken on a document, including edits, approvals, and user access logs. This audit trail is readily available and exportable, making it easy to demonstrate compliance during ISO 9001 audits and management reviews.


    Moreover, copies of published documents (including current, superseded and retired copies) are easily exportable from M-Files if required.