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Platform & Productivity

Odoo 20 Documents Release Notes

All 9 Documents changes from the official Odoo 20 release notes, explained in plain words with a screenshot from a live Odoo 20 database, plus where to find each one and what it means for your upgrade.

Planning the move? See our Odoo upgrade services, the Odoo 20 upgrade guide or get a number from the migration cost calculator.

New feature 4Enhancement 5In Community 0Enterprise only 9
Type

Change 1 of 9

Access right management

New featureEnterprise only

Define groups of users to streamline management of access rights for files and folders.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

The Share dialog now has "Add People" and "Add Groups". A group (res.group.functional, managed in Documents > Configuration > Groups) can be given Viewer or Editor access to a file or folder, so access is managed once for all its members.

Documents > Share: Employees - My Company (Chicago)The HR (My Company (Chicago)) group has Editor access to this folder, shown with its member count.

Where to find it

  1. Documents, select a folder, click Share.
  2. Choose Add Groups, pick a group and a role.

For users

Share a folder with a whole team in one step; adding someone to the group gives them access.

For developers

documents.access gets group_id (res.group.functional); an access line is either for a partner or for a group.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Existing per-person access lines are kept.

Change 2 of 9

Auto-sort fleet documents

New featureEnterprise only

Automatically sort fleet documents and link them to the corresponding vehicle based on the license plate.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

New module AI Documents Fleet adds an AI tool "Link Document to Vehicle". When a folder uses AI auto-sort, the AI reads the license plate in a document (for example a traffic fine), moves it to the Fleet folder and links it to the vehicle with that plate.

Documents > Inbox > Auto-sort"AI Tool: Link Document to Vehicle" is one of the actions the AI can take when sorting this folder.

Where to find it

  1. Documents > Inbox, open the folder menu (three dots) > Auto-sort.

For users

Fines and other vehicle papers dropped in the Inbox end up on the right vehicle without manual filing.

For developers

New server action tool ai_tool_link_document_to_vehicle calling documents.document._ai_action_link_to_vehicle(license_plate). The module auto-installs with ai_documents and documents_fleet.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Needs the AI app with a working AI provider key.

  • Running the sort itself calls an external AI provider, so only the setup is shown.

Change 3 of 9

Bank statement attachments

EnhancementEnterprise only

Attachments on bank statements are now available in both the Accounting and Documents apps.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

When a PDF or image is attached to a bank statement, Documents now creates a matching document in the folder set for that bank journal, linked back to the statement. Before, only invoice and bill attachments were synced.

Documents > Finance > BankThe document is linked to the bank statement "Bank - 2026-08-24" it was attached to.

Where to find it

  1. Accounting: attach a PDF to a bank statement.
  2. Documents > Finance > Bank, select the file and open the info panel.

For users

Statement scans are findable in Documents under Finance > Bank.

For developers

ir.attachment create/write in documents_account now also handles res_model account.bank.statement (PDF and images only).

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Only attachments added after the upgrade are synced.

  • The statement PDF was attached by RPC to the demo statement to trigger the sync.

Change 4 of 9

Branch management

EnhancementEnterprise only

Branches are now handled in the bridge between Accounting and Documents.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

For companies with branches, accounting files from a branch are filed using the journal folder settings of its parent company, and branch users can reach the parent company's folders.

For users

Branches share the parent company's Finance folders instead of needing their own setup.

For developers

Folder settings are now looked up with company_id parent_of the record's company.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Check folder settings if branches had their own workaround setup.

  • Text only: the demo database has no branch company, and creating one would be a global change for the shared database.

Change 5 of 9

Document request upload notification

EnhancementEnterprise only

When a requested document or documents are uploaded, the requester is now notified.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

When someone else uploads the file for a document request, OdooBot posts a message on the document to the person who made the request: "... has uploaded the requested document ...".

Documents > My Drive > Team Handbook > NDA page 1.pdfOdooBot tells Mitchell Admin that Marc Demo uploaded the requested document.

Where to find it

  1. Create a document request for a colleague.
  2. Let the colleague upload the file.
  3. Open the document and look at its chatter.

For users

Requesters know right away that the file they asked for has arrived.

For developers

Posted with message_post_with_source('documents.requested_document_uploaded') when the uploader is not the request creator.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

None.

  • The request was created for Marc Demo and fulfilled by logging in as Marc Demo through the upload route.

Change 6 of 9

Employee documents

EnhancementEnterprise only

The Employees folder structure has been improved: payslips are now sent to a dedicated folder, with a shortcut added to each employee's My Drive. The integration between Employees and Documents is now enabled by default.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

The Employees and Documents bridge no longer needs to be switched on: each company has an Employees folder, an HR access group and employee subfolders set in Documents settings. With Payroll, payslips go to a payroll folder inside the employee's folder and a shortcut is added to the employee's My Drive.

Settings > DocumentsThe employee documents setting has no on/off checkbox any more; it only sets the Employees folder, HR access group, subfolders and default tags.

Where to find it

  1. Settings > Documents > Files Centralization.

For users

HR files are organised per employee without extra setup; employees find their payslips in My Drive.

For developers

New field hr_employee_payroll_folder_id on hr.employee (documents_hr_payroll); payslip documents get a shortcut owned by the employee's user.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Existing employees get folders created; check custom folder settings after upgrade.

  • The payslip folder and My Drive shortcut are in documents_hr_payroll, which is not installed here (Payroll is not installed), so they are verified in source only.

Change 7 of 9

Markdown previews and thumbnails

New featureEnterprise only

Previews and thumbnails of markdown files are now supported.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

Markdown (.md) files in Documents now show a rendered thumbnail on their card and a formatted preview, with headings, lists and bold text.

Documents > My Drive > Team HandbookThe Onboarding Guide.md card shows the rendered markdown as its thumbnail.

Where to find it

  1. Upload a .md file in Documents.

For users

Markdown notes can be read without downloading them.

For developers

Rendering uses the markdown2 Python library in /documents/render_text; without it markdown is not rendered.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Install the markdown2 Python package on the server.

Change 8 of 9

Multi-file document request

EnhancementEnterprise only

Request multiple files in a single document request.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

A single document request now accepts several files. Each extra file creates its own document, with the same access and shortcuts as the request.

Documents > My Drive > Team HandbookBoth files came from the single "Signed NDA" request, uploaded together in one go.

Where to find it

  1. Create a document request.
  2. Upload two files to it (from the request link or the request card).

For users

People asked for a document can send all pages or parts at once.

For developers

/documents/upload/<token> accepts several ufile parts on a request; the request is copied for each extra file.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

None.

  • The two files were uploaded as Marc Demo through the request upload route.

Change 9 of 9

Rename files with AI

New featureEnterprise only

Use AI to rename files uploaded in Documents.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

AI auto-sort has a new tool "Rename File". In the folder's Auto-sort prompt you describe a naming rule (the default suggests [ORIGIN]-[SENDER]-[DOC_TYPE]-[DATE]) and the AI renames incoming files, keeping the file extension.

Documents > Inbox > Auto-sort"AI Tool: Rename File" lets the AI rename files using the rule written in the prompt above.

Where to find it

  1. Documents > Inbox, open the folder menu (three dots) > Auto-sort.

For users

Files dropped in a folder get consistent, meaningful names.

For developers

New server action tool ai_tool_rename_file calling documents.document._ai_action_rename_file(name).

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Needs the AI app with a working AI provider key.

  • Running the rename calls an external AI provider, so only the setup is shown.

See all 585 Odoo 20 changes across 52 apps

Odoo 20 Documents: common questions

What is new in Odoo 20 Documents?

The official Odoo 20 release notes list 9 Documents changes (4 new features, 5 enhancements). They include Access right management, Auto-sort fleet documents, Bank statement attachments, Branch management and more.

Are the Odoo 20 Documents changes available in Community edition?

No. The Documents changes are all Enterprise only in Odoo 20.

Do Odoo 20 Documents changes affect my customizations when upgrading from Odoo 19?

7 of the 9 changes have something to check when upgrading from Odoo 19, for example Access right management, Auto-sort fleet documents, Bank statement attachments. Each change on this page has an "Upgrading from Odoo 19" note. Test custom modules on a copy of your database before moving production.

How do I upgrade Documents to Odoo 20?

Restore a copy of your database, run the Odoo 20 upgrade on the copy, fix any custom modules that extend Documents, then test your main Documents flows with real users before switching production. iVentureTeam runs Odoo upgrades end to end, including custom module migration and user testing.

Going further with Odoo 20 Documents

Odoo services for this

AI Document ProcessingRead bills, receipts and forms into Odoo automatically.Learn more AI Workflow AutomationAutomate approvals, data entry and routing.Learn more Odoo ImplementationPlan, configure and roll out Odoo apps around your processes.Learn more Odoo Upgrade ServicesMove to Odoo 20 with your data and custom modules intact.Learn more

More Odoo 20 release notes

Odoo 20 General 41Odoo 20 Technical 5Odoo 20 AI 20Odoo 20 Calendar 11Odoo 20 Contacts 2Odoo 20 Dashboards 7Odoo 20 Discuss 6Odoo 20 Knowledge 1Odoo 20 Phone 10Odoo 20 Sign 15Odoo 20 Spreadsheet 30Odoo 20 Studio 9Odoo 20 Accounting 45Odoo 20 Online Payments 16

Planning your Odoo 20 move

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