Each stage in an approval workflow can allow no edits, full edits, or edits to selected fields only, and Lock mode controls whether editing is allowed at all while a document is awaiting approval.
Per-stage edit permission
When an admin builds a workflow, each stage has an edit permission, so different stages in the same workflow can have different edit rights. For instructions on setting these, see Setting up an approval workflow.
👉 What can an approver edit at a stage?
Each stage uses one of three settings:
All locked - the approver at this stage cannot edit the document.
The whole document - the approver can edit any field on the document.
Selected fields - the approver can edit a defined subset of fields.
👉 What does "Selected fields" include?
Selected fields always includes the document header data, plus the accounting-code fields available for the folder's connected integration:
Offline (no integration) - header fields only
Xero - header fields, ledger account, tax code, tracking categories, customer, Inventory Item
QuickBooks - header fields, ledger account, tax code, class, customer, billable status
FreeAgent - header fields, ledger account, tax code, unit
Lock mode
Lock mode is a Default path setting that controls whether documents can be edited while awaiting approval.
👉 What does Lock mode do?
Lock mode has two states:
Enabled - submitted documents are read-only for all users until the approval concludes. Corrections are made before submitting rather than during approval.
Disabled - documents stay editable during approval (subject to the per-stage edit permission above).
Editing after a document is approved
Approval finalises the document. Edit permissions only apply while a document is still awaiting approval at a stage.
👉 Can I edit a document after it is approved?
No. Once a document reaches Approved, it can no longer be edited - by anyone, on any path, and regardless of Lock mode or the per-stage edit permissions.
👉 I need a review or edit as a final step. How?
Build that step into the workflow. Add a stage at the end for the review or edit you would otherwise do on an approved document, and give that stage the edit permission it needs. Because a document is only fully Approved after its last stage, the editing happens before it locks. See Setting up an approval workflow.
Moving a document to another folder
👉 Can I move a document to another folder during approval?
You can move a document to another folder at any point except while it is awaiting approval. In every other state - Ready, Approved, or Rejected - you can move it as usual. While it is awaiting approval it stays put until the approval concludes.
👉 What happens to the approval if I move an Approved document?
Moving an Approved document to another folder resets its approval. It starts again in the new folder and runs through that folder's workflow from the beginning - expected behaviour, because the new folder can have different paths and approvers, so the earlier sign-off no longer applies. See how documents are routed.
Frequently Asked Questions
👉 I could edit approved documents before. What changed?
If your folder previously had "Lock editing during approval" turned off, you may have been able to change a document even after it was approved. With approval workflows that is no longer possible - an approved document is always locked.