Setting Up Web and Mobile Access to M-Files

This section tells you how to set up both versions of M-Files Web, Microsoft Office for the web services for M-Files Web, M-Files Mobile, and the M-Files REST API.

In M-Files Cloud, all the clients and services are normally enabled out of the box. However, you can use Advanced Vault Settings (AVS) to change the default client and set classic M-Files Web links to always be redirected to M-Files Web. The settings in AVS are in the section Configuration > Client > Web.

These are the available configurations:

M-Files Web MS Office for M-Files Web Classic M-Files Web REST API M-Files Mobile
Both web clients and M-Files Mobile *
M-Files Web * **
Classic M-Files Web and M-Files Mobile

*) If you do not use M-Files Cloud, you must set up Microsoft Office for the web separately. See Setting up Microsoft Office for the web.

**) If you do not want to set up the classic M-Files Web for the mobile apps, you can set M-Files Mobile to use gRPC. Refer to Setting Up M-Files to Use gRPC.

Important information

  • If M-Files Web was previously set up on the server with the instructions in Setting Up the Backend for M-Files Web and Web-Based Add-Ins (September '22 Update and Earlier): We recommend that you remove the old configuration before you set up M-Files Web with the instructions given here.
    • Alternatively, you can continue to use the old setup. It enables the core functionality but it can be that features added to the product after the release of the setup wizard are not available.
  • Components in the section Enabling Internet Information Services (IIS) Components must be enabled on the M-Files Web server.
  • If you get an error during the setup, exit the wizard, fix the issue in IIS Manager, and start the wizard again. The error can be, for example, that a newly created website cannot start because the port number is already in use.
  • You must set up the IIS binding for the website that users access. This is mandatory for HTTPS connections.
    • The use of self-signed certificates with IIS site bindings can break the classic M-Files Web and the REST API, especially in proxy setups.
  • When both web clients are set up, there is outgoing HTTP(S) traffic from the M-Files application server to the site binding address given during the setup. Make sure that custom HTTP headers are not stripped or removed between the servers and that traffic is allowed between them.
  • When M-Files Web is set up, there is HTTP traffic between the IIS site and the M-Files server. The M-Files Web traffic uses the port 7767 and the Office for the web services use the port 7768.
  • When the settings are saved in M-Files Admin, they are moved, not copied, to the Internet Information Services settings of the server.
  • After the setup, make sure that you do not have old vnext or wopi websites or applications in IIS from older installations and setups.
  • You can use Advanced Vault Settings to disable the classic M-Files Web and set classic M-Files Web links to be automatically redirected to M-Files Web. The setting is Configuration > Client > Web > Disable Classic M-Files Web and Redirect Links to M-Files Web.
    • The setting does not apply to reset password links and URLs created with the Share Public Link feature.
  • M-Files Mobile users can use a QR code for easy access to the vault.
    • Alternatively, admins can create login links for M-Files Mobile users. After the user logs in, the vault connection information is saved to the device. For details and examples, refer to M-Files URL Properties.
  • To enable push notifications for M-Files Mobile, see Setting Up Push Notifications for the M-Files Mobile Apps.

Troubleshooting

If you have set up the classic M-Files Web and M-Files Web, and the classic M-Files Web reports 404 errors, refer to this article.