---
title: Reading and searching company documents
description: Browsing the library, filtering by category, searching the text of the documents and opening a document at the right page.
url: "http://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/company-documents-reading-and-searching/"
updated: "2026-11-11"
category: "Core HR services / Storage & e-signature"
---

# Reading and searching company documents

The **Company documents** screen brings together the rules, policies, guides and FAQs that HR has published for you. This article explains how to browse it, filter by category, search for a word in the text of the documents and open a document at the right page. It is aimed at all employees; HR staff will also find what their colleagues see.

## Before you start

- The **Company documents** menu entry appears if the document management module is enabled for you and your role carries the **View the company documents intended for me** permission (**Access** level). The **All employees** role carries it.
- You only see the documents published for you: for all employees, for one of your roles or groups, possibly limited to your sub-company. The rule is explained in detail in [Getting started with company documents](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/company-documents-getting-started/).

## Browsing the library

1. In the main menu, click **Company documents**.
2. Documents are shown by category, in this order: **Rules**, **Policies**, **Guides**, **FAQ**, **Other**. The number in brackets shows how many documents the category holds for you; an empty category is not shown.
3. Under each title, a grey line gives the effective date (“Effective…”), the number of the current version and the file size.

![The Company documents screen: at the top, the title and the sentence “Rules, policies, guides and FAQs published by HR, for you.”, a Search the documents field and an All categories list; below, the sections Rules (1), Policies (1), Guides (1) and FAQ (1), each document with “Effective 01.01.2026 · Version 1”, its size and an Open button.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/documents-entreprise-01.en_-scaled.png?resize=800%2C423&quality=80&ssl=1)
An employee’s library: four documents published for everyone, grouped by category.

What you see depends on who you are: a manager may also find a guide published for the manager role; an employee of another sub-company may have different documents. If no document is intended for you, the screen shows “No document is intended for you yet.”

## Filtering by category

1. Open the **All categories** list, to the right of the search field.
2. Choose a category, for example **Policies**. Only that category remains on screen.
3. To return to the whole library, choose **All categories** again.

The filter works together with the search: you can, for example, search for a word in the FAQ only.

## Searching the text of the documents

The search is not limited to titles: it also reads the text of the documents. It is the quickest way to find a specific rule without opening every file.

1. Type one or more words in **Search the documents**, for example *déménagement* (“moving house”, in a French document). The list updates as soon as you stop typing.
2. The documents that match remain on screen, still grouped by category. A document found by its title appears as usual; a document found in its text shows, under its grey line, an **excerpt** around the first word found.
3. For a PDF, the excerpt starts with its page (“Page 2 — …”).

![The search “déménagement” in Company documents: only the FAQ (1) section remains, with the document Congés et absences — questions fréquentes and, under its effective date, the excerpt “Page 2 — … Déménagement : 1 jour de congé exceptionnel par année civile, sur justificatif (contrat de bail ou attestation de déménagement).”](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/documents-entreprise-02.en_-scaled.png?resize=800%2C311&quality=80&ssl=1)
A word found in the text: the document, the page and the passage.

### How the search matches words

- Words of three letters or more count. Accents and capitals are ignored: *demenagement* also finds “Déménagement”.
- Search in the language of the documents: a French document is found with French words.
- You can type a whole question: the most relevant passages come first.
- Only the current version of a document is searched. A previous version or an unpublished document never appears.
- A scanned document without readable text can only be found by its title.

If nothing matches, the screen shows “No document matches this search.” Try another word, closer to the one the document would use, or remove the category filter.

## Opening a document

1. Click **Open**, to the right of the document.
2. The document opens in a new browser tab. A PDF is shown in the browser’s viewer; a Word or text file opens or downloads depending on your browser.
3. If you opened the document from a search result, a PDF opens directly at the page of the excerpt.

You always read the current version. When HR publishes a new one, the version number goes up and the old one is no longer offered.

If the file cannot be opened, the message “Unable to open the document” appears: the document may have been unpublished or its audience changed in the meantime. Reload the page.

## Arriving from a notification or the assistant

- When HR publishes a document and notifies its audience, you receive a notification in the bell and an email. The link opens the library with that document **at the top of its category and highlighted**.
- When the Illizeo assistant quotes a document in an answer, the source opens the library on that document; when you click **Open**, a PDF is shown at the page of the quoted passage.

To stop receiving the email or the notification, set the **New company document** event in your preferences: see [Choosing your notifications](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/notifications-my-preferences/).

## Good to know

- The search and the filter are kept in the page address: you can bookmark a search or share it with a colleague, who will see their own documents.
- The effective date is the one HR entered; it does not prevent you from reading a document whose date is still to come.
- The library does not show who published a document or for which audience: that information stays on HR’s management screen.

## Frequently asked questions

### A colleague can see a document that I cannot. Is that normal?

Yes, if the document was published for a role, group or sub-company that they belong to and you do not. If in doubt, ask your HR team.

### I am searching for a word that appears in a document, but it does not come up. Why?

The document may be a scan without readable text, in which case it can only be found by its title. Words shorter than three letters are also ignored.

### Can I view a previous version of a policy?

No, the library only offers the current version. HR keeps previous versions and can send them to you.

### *Similaire*
