Documents
The Documents tab in Zoho Inventory allows you to upload files of any type and attach them to your contacts and transactions. You can also create folders to organize files for future use.
Highlights of the Documents feature:
- Upload files to your Documents Inbox directly by emailing them to a custom email address.
- Attach files to transactions.
- Create folders to organize your files.
- Set access permissions.
IN THIS PAGE…
Inbox
Inbox is the primary folder that holds all the files that are uploaded or emailed to your Documents tab. When a file is attached to a transaction or a contact, it will be cleared from the inbox. You can however retain the file by first moving it from the inbox to a folder and then attaching it to a transaction.
To access the inbox, click on the Documents module in the sidebar.

Uploading or emailing files to the inbox
You can either click the Upload File button to directly upload your files or receive files from your customers and vendors directly into your Documents inbox by having them emailed to a custom email address.
To create a custom email address:
- Go to the Documents module in the sidebar.
Click the link displayed below the Send your document(s) to text.
You can either use the system generated email address or click on Choose your own! to create a custom email address.
Providing role-based access
You can allow trusted individuals such as accountants, business partners, and managers to access the documents by enabling the necessary permissions for their roles.
To enable document permissions:
- Go to Settings, then Users & Roles.
- Create or edit a role.
- Go to Documents and enable the required permissions.
Click Save. The users associated with the particular role will be have access to the selected actions.
Permissions in the Documents module:
- View Documents: Users are allowed to read all the documents.
- Upload Documents: Users can only upload and view the documents.
- Delete Documents: Users can and view and delete the documents.
- Manage Folder: Users can create and manage new and existing folders.
Folders
You can organize your files into different folders within the Documents tab minimize the clutter in your inbox. Here, you will be able to:
- Create, rename, and delete the folders.
- Provide folder-level permissions to the users in your organization.
- Search for a folder
Creating a folder
Only the Admin and users with the Manage Folder permission can create a new folder.
To create a new folder:
- Click the ’+’ button next to FOLDERS on the left sidebar.
- Enter the folder name and click Save.
Next, you will have an option to set folder permissions. Choose from the following options:
- Allow all users with permission to access the documents
- Custom : Add users who can view this folder
Insight: The Admin will be able to access all folders.
Moving a file from the inbox to a folder
When you attach a document to a transaction, the document is removed from the inbox permanently. If you want to save a copy of the file, or attach it to more transactions in the future, you can move it into another folder.
To move files from the inbox to a folder:
- Go to the Inbox.
- Select the files you want to move.
- Click the Move To button dropdown that appears on the top.
Select the folder to which you wish to move the files.
Pro Tip: You can follow the above process to move the files from one folder to another.
Searching for a folder
Searching for a specific folder from a list of folders can be quite the task. To access a folder, simply click the magnifier icon next to FOLDERS, then type in the folder name.

Attaching files
The uploaded files can be attached to various transactions made in your Zoho Inventory account. There are two methods for attaching a file to a transaction:
Attaching from the Documents tab
To attach a file to a transaction from the Documents tab:
- Go to the Documents module in the left sidebar.
- Select the files, either from the inbox or from one of the folders.
- Click the Add to button at the top.
Select the type of transaction that you want to attach the files to.
Insight: You can view the image and the transaction side-by-side while creating a bill.
Attaching files from a transaction
- Click on the transaction to open it.
- Click the paper clip icon at the top of the transaction.
Click Documents.
Select the documents to be attached from a folder or inbox
Click Attach File(s).
Attaching files from a contact
Attaching files to a contact enables your client to have a record of all the files you send them. Only clients with a client portal access can view these attachments.
To attach a file to a contact :
- Go to the Customers or Vendors module.
- Click the contact that you want to attach a file to.
- Click the paper clip icon at the top-right.
Click Documents.
Select the files to be attached.
Click Attach File(s).
Searching for a file
Search
You can use the Document module’s search bar, present at the top of your Zoho Inventory screen to search for a specific document. The search results will be returned based on which tab you’re currently in. For example, if you are in the All files tab, the files from that tab will be searched.

Advanced Search
If you are looking for a specific document, you can narrow down the search results by specifying the key terms using Advanced Search. This will fetch the best matching results from the Documents Inbox.
Note: Currently, the Advanced Search will only contain the File name field for other views.
