Using M-Files Desktop

For instructions on installing M-Files Desktop, refer to Installing the Software.

Once M-Files Desktop has been installed and your vault connections are set up via M-Files Desktop Settings, you should be able to see all the vault connections on your M-Files drive (for instance via the Windows File Explorer).

Logging in

You can log in by double-clicking the vault. If you want to log in to the document vault as a different user than the default one, select the Log In As function from the document vault context menu. Unless you have already logged in during Windows login, the system prompts for your credentials upon opening the vault.

Note: M-Files can be configured to use single sign-on (SSO) with SAML 2.0 and ADFS. Using SSO promotes productivity by reducing password fatigue and time spent on re-entering login credentials. For more information, refer to Deploying SAML v2.0 for M-Files Authentication.

Explore M-Files user interface

The Explore M-Files user interface is composed of four main components: the task area, listing area, right pane and search bar.

The M-Files home view.

Task area

The task area is located on the left side of the window. By default, it contains options for creating new objects (New) as well as a Go To section for quickly navigating to useful views, such as the Favorites and Recently Accessed by Me.

Listing area

The listing area in the center normally contains views and objects. The area functions very similarly to the one in Windows File Explorer. In Explore M-Files, however, users can expand/collapse objects to view and hide, for instance, the content of an M-Files multi-file document.

Tip: You can quickly browse objects in the listing with your keyboard. Just select your preferred tab for the right pane (for instance the Preview tab), and start browsing with the up and down arrow keys.

Note: Some of the item names in the listing view may be displayed in gray text. This means that the full item path is too long for Windows (more than 259 characters) and that parts of it should be renamed to make the content function properly.

Right pane

When no object has been selected in the home view, the right side of the window displays quick access to creating new objects along with the Learning Resources section. When an object is selected, the right side of the window displays the metadata and preview panes (see Metadata Card) by default, but can also contain customized content and be modified according to individual needs.

Search

The search functions are located on top of the user interface. For more information on the functionality of the search bar, refer to Search Functions.

Right above the search word field, there is a breadcrumb indicator displaying the vault and the view that you are currently in. The breadcrumb can be, for instance, Sample Vault > Document > By Customer > A&A Consulting.

The top right corner of the interface displays the name of the user logged into the vault. Clicking this area opens a menu for logging out of the vault, using M-Files in offline mode, as well as for opening settings for notifications, languages, your M-Files password and substitute users.

An overall view of the M-Files user interface with the metadata positioned at the bottom and the preview on the right side.

The M-Files Desktop user interface can be customized according to various user requirements. For example, users can change the position of the metadata card on the user interface.