> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.docusnap.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Document Control

> Requesting and deciding on approval, the four-eyes principle under strict mode, and when the review cycle falls due.

The *Document Control* tab runs the approval process of a controlled
document: who requests, who decides, with what reason — and when the next
review falls due. An uncontrolled document does not have this tab, nor the
*History* tab.

<Note>
  Controlled documents are included from Business on. In the Pro edition, the
  *Controlled Documents* list and every controlled document show only the
  notice *Not included in this edition*. This also applies to controlled
  documents created before a change to Pro.
</Note>

<Note>
  Whether the process enforces a four-eyes principle is set by *Strict Mode* —
  a tenant-wide setting under
  [Documents Settings](/docs/en/settings/documents-settings). It cannot be set per
  document.
</Note>

## The process

*Draft* → *In Review* → *Approved* → *Archived*

| Status | Content editable | Who acts |
| - | - | - |
| *Draft* | yes | the responsible person submits it for approval |
| *In Review* | no | the approver decides |
| *Approved* | yes, costs the approval | the approver extends the review |
| *Archived* | no | anyone who may write in the *Docs* area can restore it |

A progress bar shows the four steps with dates. After a rejection or a
withdrawal, the document returns to *Draft*, and the two middle steps lose
their dates — the completed attempt stays on record in
[History](/docs/en/documents/history).

## Requesting approval

From *Draft*, you fill in three fields:

| Field | Required |
| - | - |
| *Version* — major or minor | defaults to major version |
| *Change Reason* | yes |
| *Comment* | no |

<Note>
  *Request Approval* stays disabled without a *Change Reason*. *Show Changes*
  lets you see, before submitting, what changed since the last version — the
  same view as in
  [History](/docs/en/documents/history#comparing-versions).
</Note>

A request only goes out from *Draft*; from *Approved*, there is no request
for an unchanged new version. If you need a new version with no content
change, use *Extend Review* below — for a content change, edit the
[content](/docs/en/documents/content), which returns the document to *Draft*
anyway.

### Under strict mode

Strict mode requires all three conditions at once:

1. You are the assigned *Responsible* person.
2. An *Approver* is set.
3. Approver and responsible person are different people.

<Warning>
  If any one condition is missing, the request does not appear at all — no
  disabled button, no hint. Check the roles on the
  *Properties* tab first.
</Warning>

## No approver, no way forward

A controlled document under strict mode with no approver is a dead end:
submitting is disabled, and nobody may decide. If a request is already open
with no approver, the only way out runs through the responsible person:
withdraw the request, set an approver on the *Properties* tab, submit again.

## Who may decide

Without strict mode, anyone may decide, including the requester. Under strict
mode, the four-eyes principle applies: only the assigned approver decides,
and that person cannot also be the responsible person — this second rule is
already checked when you set the roles on the
*Properties* tab.

## Deciding

The approver sees the request read-only and two buttons:

| Action | Requires |
| - | - |
| *Approve* | nothing; a comment is possible |
| *Reject* | a *Reason* |

An approval is justified by the request itself; a rejection needs its own
reason, so no rejection stands in the history without a cause.

## Withdrawing

The requester withdraws their own request with *Withdraw Request* — the
counterpart to a rejection. Under strict mode, only the responsible person
may do this; without it, anyone may. Withdrawing returns the document to
*Draft* and is also the way to reopen an *In Review* document that is stuck,
for the
[content](/docs/en/documents/content#when-you-can-write).

## Permissions by mode

| Action | Under strict mode | Without strict mode |
| - | - | - |
| Request approval | only the responsible person, and only with an approver set who differs from them | anyone |
| Decide (approve or reject) | only the assigned approver | anyone, including the requester |
| Withdraw request | only the responsible person | anyone |
| Extend review | only the assigned approver | anyone |

Every action on this tab also requires that you may write in the *Docs* area.
Without that permission, the buttons are missing entirely, and the *Change
Reason*, *Comment* and *Reason* fields stay locked.

The two roles — *Responsible* and *Approver* — are set on the
*Properties* tab, where these checks apply
as well:

| Check | Applies |
| - | - |
| *Responsible* must be set | always |
| *Approver* must be set | only under strict mode |
| *Approver* cannot be the same as *Responsible* | only under strict mode |

<Note>
  Assign the same person to both roles, and the application reports it
  immediately. Missing fields, by contrast, are only reported on a save
  attempt.
</Note>

If the person in the *Responsible* or *Approver* role can no longer be
assigned, for example because their account was deactivated, the
*Properties* tab shows the field empty in edit mode. The checks then treat it
as not set, and the next save clears the value. Only active users can be
selected.

## The review cycle

The *Review Interval* and the last approval determine the next review date.
A hint above the progress bar escalates as the date gets closer:

| Situation | Display |
| - | - |
| more than a month before the date | none |
| within the last month | amber, with the remaining time |
| on or past the date | red, with the overdue time |

<Note>
  This hint applies only to approved documents — a draft has no valid version
  that could expire.
</Note>

*Extend Review* requires the document to be approved; under strict mode, only
the assigned approver may extend it. How long the extension window is and how
far it pushes out validity is set by your tenant's global settings — without
a configured value, two months of lead time and a twelve-month extension
apply.

## Archiving

*Archive* is available for a controlled document only in *Approved* status.
The button sits on the last step of the progress bar, where *Archived*
otherwise stands; once archived, *Restore from Archive* next to it reverses
the step.

<Note>
  A plain document cannot be archived through the interface. You can only
  retire it via *Delete* in the detail page header; it can be restored from the
  [Trash](/docs/en/getting-started/trash).
</Note>

## When an action comes too late

If the status has changed elsewhere in the meantime — someone archived,
submitted or decided — the application rejects your action, reports it, and
reloads the view silently.

## The side panel

The same three blocks as on the
*Overview* tab: *Document
Information*, *Responsibilities* and *Review Cycle*. The bottom of the tab
also carries the same version list as [History](/docs/en/documents/history), so
you see what has been approved without switching tabs.

## Related

Looking up approved versions and rejected attempts:
[History](/docs/en/documents/history).


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