# Attachment Preview: Office & PDF Viewer

> Preview Microsoft Office and LibreOffice files, images and PDFs inline on any record, without downloading the attachment first.

- **What it is:** Preview Microsoft Office and LibreOffice files, images and PDFs inline on any record, without downloading the attachment first.
- **For:** Document Management
- **Odoo versions:** 16.0, 17.0, 18.0, 19.0, 20.0 - Community and Enterprise
- **Runs on:** Odoo.sh or Odoo you host yourself - not Odoo Online, which accepts no third-party apps
- **Price:** 69 EUR, one-time, on the Odoo Apps Store
- **Technical name:** bambooforge_office_preview
- **Not for:** Be precise about where each file goes — it differs by format:; Microsoft Office documents and OpenDocument documents (Word/Excel/PowerPoint, .rtf, .txt, .odt, .ods, .odp) are rendered by Microsoft's Office Online viewer, a third-party service. To render them, Microsoft's service fetches the file content from your Odoo server over the internet (the same as opening the file on Office.com). For these formats the file content leaves your server and is processed by Microsoft.; OpenDocument templates (.ott, .otp, .ots) are rendered by the bundled ViewerJS / WebODF entirely in your browser. The file content does not go to any external service.; PDFs use Odoo's built-in PDF viewer — local, unchanged by this app.; How the Microsoft link is protected:; A preview is only generated after an access check — the requesting user must have read access to the attachment under Odoo's record rules.; Microsoft is handed a short-lived, HMAC-signed token (valid 6 hours) pointing at a file route that verifies the signature and expiry. There is no permanent public file URL; a leaked link stops working when it expires.; The signing secret is generated randomly on first use and stored in the system parameter bambooforge_office_preview.token_secret.
- **Manual:** https://docs.bambooforge.dev/bambooforge_office_preview/
- **Live demo:** https://demo20.bambooforge.dev/odoo/action-base.action_attachment
- **Store page:** https://apps.odoo.com/apps/modules/20.0/bambooforge_office_preview
- **Manual last updated:** 2026-10-15

---
# Attachment Preview: Office & PDF Viewer

Open Microsoft Office, OpenDocument and PDF attachments **inline** inside Odoo — in
the chatter attachment view and in Odoo's web file-viewer modal — instead of
downloading every file just to read it. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OpenDocument
documents render through Microsoft's official Office Online viewer; OpenDocument
templates render locally in your browser, and PDFs use Odoo's built-in viewer.

This page is the complete manual. If you follow it top to bottom you can install the
app, understand exactly how each file type is rendered (and where its content goes),
use it, and fix the common issues **without contacting support**.

## Overview

The app extends Odoo's attachment handling so that office documents preview in place,
the same way Odoo already previews images and PDFs. There is nothing to configure and
no new menu — once installed, eligible attachments simply become viewable.

It recognises an attachment by its MIME type, and falls back to the file extension when
the MIME type is generic or missing. Three rendering paths are used, chosen
automatically per file:

| File type | Examples | Rendered by |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Office documents | .doc, .docx, .docm, .dotx, .dotm, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm, .ppt, .pptx, .pptm; plus .rtf and .txt | Microsoft Office Online viewer (external service) |
| OpenDocument documents | .odt, .ods, .odp | Microsoft Office Online viewer (external service) |
| OpenDocument templates | .ott, .otp, .ots | Bundled ViewerJS / WebODF, locally in your browser |
| PDF | .pdf | Odoo's built-in PDF viewer (unchanged) |

The app touches two places in the Odoo web client:

- the **chatter attachment view** (the document panel that opens beside a record's
  messages), and
- Odoo's **web file-viewer modal** (the full-screen overlay you get when you click an
  attachment).

Wherever Odoo would already show an image or PDF preview, this app adds the office and
OpenDocument formats alongside it. SVG files are deliberately left non-previewable for
safety.

## Requirements

- **Odoo**: 20.0, Community or Enterprise. The app depends only on the **Mail** module
  (`mail`), which is present on every Odoo install.
- **Python**: no extra libraries. Nothing is added or compiled on the server.
- **Browser**: any current desktop browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari). Previews
  render in an `<iframe>`, so a browser that blocks third-party iframes will affect
  the Microsoft-viewer formats.
- **Network — important**: to preview Microsoft Office and OpenDocument **documents**
  (the formats handled by Microsoft's Office Online viewer), your Odoo server must be
  **reachable from the public internet**, because Microsoft's service fetches the file
  from your server to render it. OpenDocument **templates** and **PDFs** render
  without any internet connection. See *Data, privacy & limits*.
- **Access rights**: any internal user can preview a file they are allowed to read.
  Previews are access-checked against Odoo's normal record rules — no special group is
  added.

## Installation

1. Copy `bambooforge_office_preview` into your Odoo addons path.
2. Restart the Odoo service.
3. Open **Apps**, click **Update Apps List**, search for *Office & PDF Preview*, and
   press **Activate / Install**. The **Mail** dependency is already installed, so the
   app activates immediately.

There is no companion software to install, no external account to create, and no
server package to add.

## Configuration

This app is **zero-config**. There are no settings screens, no menus and no fields to
fill in. Once it is installed it works on every eligible attachment for every user who
can read that attachment.

The only stored configuration is created automatically: the first time a Microsoft-
viewer preview is requested, the app generates a random signing secret and saves it in
the system parameter `bambooforge_office_preview.token_secret`
(**Settings ▸ Technical ▸ System Parameters**). You never need to set or touch this —
it is used internally to sign the short-lived preview links described in *Data,
privacy & limits*. Leave it alone unless you are deliberately rotating the secret, in
which case deleting the parameter lets the app regenerate a new one.

For the Microsoft-viewer formats, the app builds the file link from Odoo's
**web.base.url** parameter (falling back to the request host). If your public URL is
wrong there, the preview link will be wrong too — see *Troubleshooting*.

## Usage

There is no button to "turn on" preview. You simply open a file the way you already do.

**From the chatter:**

1. Open any record that has messages and attachments (for example a sale order,
   project task, or any document with a chatter).
2. Click the paperclip / attachment to open the attachment panel beside the chatter.
3. Click an Office, OpenDocument or PDF attachment. It renders inline in the panel —
   no download.

**From the file-viewer modal:**

1. Anywhere Odoo shows an attachment chip (chatter, a Many2many attachments field, a
   message), click the attachment.
2. Odoo opens its full-screen file-viewer overlay. The document renders inside it.
3. Use the viewer controls to scroll/zoom; close the overlay to return to your record.

![A Word document rendered inline inside Odoo's file viewer](bambooforge_office_preview_1.png)

![An Excel spreadsheet previewed inline inside Odoo](bambooforge_office_preview_2.png)

![An OpenDocument file previewed inline inside Odoo](bambooforge_office_preview_3.png)

The preview is **read-only**: the viewer renders the file for reading and never
modifies the stored attachment.

## Customization

The app is small and the source is included (OPL-1), so it is straightforward to
adjust:

- **Which formats are previewable** is defined in
  `static/src/core/preview_utils.js` — three MIME-type sets (Office, OpenDocument
  documents, OpenDocument templates) plus an extension-based fallback map
  (`EXT_KIND`). Add or remove an entry there to change the supported list.
- **The rendering route per format** is also in `preview_utils.js`: the
  `officePreviewSource` function returns the Microsoft embed URL
  (`/bambooforge_office_preview/ms_embed/<id>`) for documents, or the local ViewerJS
  URL for OpenDocument templates.
- **Link lifetime**: the signed Microsoft preview link is valid for 6 hours
  (`_TTL` in `controllers/main.py`). Shorten or lengthen it there.
- **Where the iframe appears** is set by the QWeb template inheritances in
  `static/src/core/common/attachment_view.xml` (chatter) and
  `static/src/core/file_viewer/file_viewer.xml` (modal).

After editing any asset, upgrade the module (or run Odoo with `--dev=assets`) so the
web bundle is rebuilt.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| A specific file type does not preview | Its MIME type/extension is not in the supported list. Confirm the format is one of those in *What this app does*. Files saved with an unusual or wrong MIME type and an unrecognised extension fall through to Odoo's default handling (download). |
| An Office or OpenDocument document shows a blank/grey iframe or "can't display" | These formats are rendered by Microsoft's Office Online viewer, which fetches the file from your server. If your Odoo server is **not reachable from the public internet**, Microsoft cannot load it. Verify the server is publicly reachable and that **web.base.url** (System Parameters) is the correct public URL. |
| Preview works for PDF/templates but not for Word/Excel/PowerPoint | Same cause as above: only the Microsoft-viewer formats need outbound internet and a publicly reachable server. PDFs and OpenDocument templates render locally, so they keep working offline. |
| A large file is slow to appear or times out | The whole file is fetched before it renders (by Microsoft for documents, by your browser for templates/PDF). Very large files take longer; allow more time, or split/compress the document. |
| The preview link works at first, then later fails with "Not Found" | The Microsoft preview link is a short-lived signed token (6-hour validity). Re- open the attachment to mint a fresh link. |
| Browser shows nothing / iframe is blocked | A browser extension or corporate policy is blocking iframes or the `view.officeapps.live.com` domain. Allow that domain, or test in a clean browser profile. |
| "Unsupported file type" alert from the local viewer | The bundled ViewerJS could not match a plugin for that OpenDocument template. Confirm the file really is a valid .ott / .otp / .ots template. |
| A user can open the record but not preview the file | Previews are access-checked: the user must have read access to the attachment under Odoo's record rules. Grant the needed access, or the user will only be able to see files they are permitted to read. |
| SVG files won't preview | Intentional. SVG is deliberately excluded from inline preview for safety. |

## Frequently asked questions

**Does it need any configuration?**
No. It is zero-config: install it and eligible attachments become previewable for
everyone who can read them.

**Does my server need internet access?**
For Microsoft Office and OpenDocument *documents* (Word/Excel/PowerPoint, .odt/.ods/
.odp), yes — Microsoft's Office Online viewer fetches the file from your server, so it
must be reachable from the internet. OpenDocument *templates* and *PDFs* render locally
and need no internet.

**Are my files sent to Microsoft?**
To render Office and OpenDocument documents, Microsoft's Office Online viewer accesses
the file via a short-lived, signed link — the same as opening the file on Office.com.
OpenDocument templates and PDFs render locally in your browser and are never sent out.
See *Data, privacy & limits*.

**Are the preview links secure?**
Yes. Generating a preview is access-checked (the user must be allowed to read the
file), and the link Microsoft uses is a short-lived, HMAC-signed token that expires
after 6 hours. There is no permanent public file URL.

**Which file types are supported?**
Word, Excel and PowerPoint (including macro and template variants), OpenDocument text/
spreadsheet/presentation and their templates, PDF, RTF and plain text — over 20 formats
in all. The full list is in *What this app does*.

**Where do previews appear?**
In the mail/chatter attachment view and in Odoo's web file-viewer modal.

**Can I edit a document in the preview?**
No. It is preview-only; the viewer renders the file for reading and never modifies it.

**Does it work in Odoo Enterprise?**
Yes. It depends only on the **Mail** module and works on Community and Enterprise.

**What support and refund policy do I get?**
Every request is answered within 24 hours, setup help included. If you report a bug
within 2 months of purchase and it is not resolved within 15 days, you are entitled to
a full money-back refund.

## Data, privacy & limits

Be precise about where each file goes — it differs by format:

- **Microsoft Office documents and OpenDocument documents** (Word/Excel/PowerPoint,
  .rtf, .txt, .odt, .ods, .odp) are rendered by **Microsoft's Office Online viewer**, a
  third-party service. To render them, Microsoft's service fetches the file content
  from your Odoo server over the internet (the same as opening the file on Office.com).
  **For these formats the file content leaves your server** and is processed by
  Microsoft.
- **OpenDocument templates** (.ott, .otp, .ots) are rendered by the **bundled ViewerJS
  / WebODF** entirely **in your browser**. The file content does not go to any external
  service.
- **PDFs** use **Odoo's built-in PDF viewer** — local, unchanged by this app.

How the Microsoft link is protected:

- A preview is only generated after an **access check** — the requesting user must have
  read access to the attachment under Odoo's record rules.
- Microsoft is handed a **short-lived, HMAC-signed token** (valid 6 hours) pointing at a
  file route that verifies the signature and expiry. There is **no permanent public file
  URL**; a leaked link stops working when it expires.
- The signing secret is generated randomly on first use and stored in the system
  parameter `bambooforge_office_preview.token_secret`.

Limits / out of scope:

- **Preview-only** — no editing, no annotation, no in-document text search.
- **Fully on-prem / offline rendering for all formats** is not included today (only
  templates and PDF render offline). It is on the roadmap.
- The Microsoft viewer's rendering fidelity and availability are governed by Microsoft.

## Support & updates

- Support: [support@bambooforge.dev](mailto:support@bambooforge.dev) — answered within 24 hours, setup help included.
- Refund: report a bug within 2 months of purchase; if it is not resolved within 15
  days, you receive a full refund.
- Full source is included (OPL-1). Updates track the supported Odoo 20 line.

## Upgrading & version compatibility

This build targets **Odoo 20.0**. Each Odoo major series (16.0, 17.0, 18.0, 19.0, 20.0) has its
own dedicated build of this module — always install the build that matches your Odoo
version. Mixing a build with a different Odoo series is not supported.

### Patch upgrades (same series, e.g. 20.0.1.0.0 → later)

1. **Back up** your database and filestore first.
2. Replace the module folder with the newer build.
3. Restart Odoo with the module updated:
   
   ```
   ./odoo-bin -c your.conf -u bambooforge_office_preview -d your_db
   ```
4. Odoo applies any schema/data changes automatically. Your existing records and
   configuration are preserved.

### Cross-version migration (moving to a newer Odoo)

Upgrading Odoo itself is a database migration handled by Odoo's standard upgrade
tooling. When you migrate the database to the next Odoo series, install the matching
build of this module for that series. Data created by this module carries over with
the database migration.

## Uninstallation

You can remove this module at any time from **Apps → (this module) → Uninstall**,
or from the command line. Uninstalling is clean and reversible by reinstalling —
but note what is and is not deleted.

### What is removed

- The fields, views and analysis definitions this module added.
- The menus, actions, views and reports this module installed.

### What is preserved

- Your standard Odoo data (partners, products, sales, invoices, inventory moves) is
  **not** deleted — this module only reads and annotates it; the underlying records stay.
- Attachments and chatter messages on standard records are kept.

As always, take a database backup before uninstalling in production.

## Changelog

### 20.0.2.2.2

- An app that previews something other than a plain attachment - the Documents
  app previews a document - can now tell the viewer which attachment holds the
  file, so the Office viewer is given a real one.

### 20.0.2.2.1

- Built for Odoo 20: record rules and access rights rewritten onto Odoo 20's single ir.access model, the screens rebuilt on Owl 3, and every icon moved to the icon set Odoo 20 ships.

### 20.0.2.0.2

Current release for Odoo 20.0. This build includes:

- Allows users to preview Microsoft Office files, LibreOffice files, images, and PDFs.

Feature additions and fixes ship as new builds on the Odoo Apps store; this page and
the module's `version` reflect the current published release. Always keep the build
matched to your Odoo series (see *Upgrading & version compatibility*).

## How we make sure it works

Before every release, **10 automated checks** run against this app on Odoo 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.
Among them:

- The module adds no model of its own.
- Unticked switch keeps the viewer.
- Local only switch wins.
- Settings round trip through the settings screen.
- The behaviour is configurable from settings.

The complete list is in the source you receive.