Access your tools directly from Odoo
Odoo is often the central system used to manage operations, sales, inventory and accounting.
At the same time, many businesses rely on external web applications to handle specific use cases. Instead of switching between multiple browser tabs, you can access an external web app directly from Odoo, as if it were a native Odoo app.
This guide explains how to embed any external web application inside Odoo using standard Odoo features, without installing custom modules or writing code.
See how it works in practice
Before diving into the step-by-step guide, you can watch this short walkthrough showing how an external web application can be added and accessed directly inside Odoo.
Prerequisites before you start
Before following the steps below, make sure that:
- Developer mode is enabled
- You have access to Odoo Studio
- The external website allows being embedded (some sites block this for security reasons).
Steps to follow
Follow the steps below to add any external web application as an app inside Odoo.
1️⃣ Enable developer mode
Log in to your Odoo database.
From the user menu or settings, enable Developer Mode.
This is required to access views and technical options.
2️⃣ Open Odoo Studio
Open any Odoo app. In the example shown in the video above, the CRM app is used, but any app will work.
In the top right corner:
- Click on the tools / wrench icon 🔧
- Select Odoo Studio
3️⃣ Create a new menu entry
In Odoo Studio:
- Click on Edit Menu
- Create a new menu
- Give it a clear name, for example:
- External Website
- Internal Tool
- Reference Platform
- Odoo - Shopify connector
When asked to configure a model:
- Select any model
- The model itself is not important and is only used to create the menu quickly
Confirm to create the menu.
4️⃣ Adjust the views for the new menu
Once the menu is created:
- Go to Views
- Disable the List view
- Make sure the Form view is set as the default
This ensures the external website will be displayed in a clean, full-screen layout.
5️⃣ Save and open the app
Open the Form view linked to your menu.
Then:
- Click on View
- Open the XML view
This is where the embedded website will be defined.
6️⃣ Replace the form view with the embed code
In the XML Editor:
- Select all existing code
- Replace it with the custom embed code below
<form string="Embedded Webpage" version="7.0" edit="false" create="false"> <div style="position:absolute; left:0; top:0; width:100%; height:100%;"> <iframe src="https://www.odoo.com/ar/trial" width="100%" height="100%" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" style="border-width:0px;"> </iframe> </div> </form>
This code defines a view that displays an external website inside Odoo.
7️⃣ Insert the external website URL
Inside the XML code:
- Locate the URL field
- Paste the URL of the website you want to display
Save the view.
8️⃣ Open the embedded website in Odoo
Click on the menu you just created.
You will now see the external website displayed directly inside Odoo, without opening a new tab.
✅ You are all set
- Your external application is now accessible as an app in Odoo.
- You can open it anytime without leaving your Odoo environment.
- This setup can be adjusted, renamed or removed at any time.
Real-world examples
- E-commerce integrations : Access an integration interface directly from Odoo, such as our Odoo - Shopify Connector, to manage synchronization without leaving Odoo.
- Custom dashboards and reporting tools : Display real-time data from external analytics or BI tools inside Odoo.
- Internal business tools : Embed internal web apps used by operations, support or finance teams.
- External platforms connected to Odoo : Keep third-party tools accessible from a single interface while maintaining clean workflows.