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Box Tools/Edit Frequently Asked Questions

End User , Overview , Box Tools , Troubleshooting , Article , Product Utilization , Established

Product basics

Installation and compatibility

Opening files

Saving, collaboration, and recovery

Device Trust

Product basics

What are Box Tools and Box Edit?

Box Tools is the installation package that provides:

  • Box Edit, which opens files from the Box web app in desktop applications and uploads saved changes to Box.
  • Box Local Com Server, a background component that enables the browser to communicate with Box Edit and Device Trust on the local computer. Box Tools v4 sends local HTTP requests to 127.0.0.1:17223, or 127.0.0.1:17224 if the first port is occupied.
  • Box Tools Safari Extension on macOS, which enables Safari to communicate with the local Box Tools components. The extension must be enabled in Safari and allowed to run for Box.com or app.box.com.
  • Device Trust components, which are used only when an administrator has enabled Device Trust for the Box account.

Box Edit uses the desktop application associated with the file type. For example, a .docx file normally opens in Microsoft Word and an .xlsx file normally opens in Microsoft Excel.

 

How do I open a file with Box Edit?

From the Box web app:

  1. Right-click the file or select its ellipsis (...) menu.
  2. Select Open With.
  3. Select an available desktop application if Box presents more than one.

You can also open the file in Preview and select Open.

 

How are my changes saved to Box?

Use Save in the desktop application. Box Edit uploads the changed file to Box as a new version and displays a successful-save status.

Do not use Save As if you expect Box Edit to update the original Box file. Save As creates a separate local copy that is not automatically uploaded to the original item.

 

Is Box Edit the same as Box Drive?

No. Box Edit is intended for opening and making quick edits to content from the Box web app. Box Drive exposes Box content through the desktop file system so users can open and work with files from Finder or File Explorer.

The poducts can overlap in the basic outcome of editing desktop files and saving changes to Box, but they start from different workflows.

 

Does Box Edit work on mobile devices or mobile browsers?

No. Box Edit is available only on desktop computers.

 

 

Installation and compatibility

How do I install or update Box Tools?

Download the installer for the operating system from the official Box downloads page, run it, and follow the installation prompts.

On Windows, Box Tools v4 requires .NET Framework 4.8 or later. Box recommends keeping Box applications on the latest available version.

 

What operating systems does Box Tools v4 support?

The Box Tools v4 requirements article lists:

  • Windows 10 or Windows 11 with .NET Framework 4.8 or later.
  • The two most recent macOS releases.

Box's general browser and operating-system policy can change as vendors end support. Check the current Box Tools v4 system requirements before troubleshooting an older configuration.

 

What additional setup does Safari require?

After installing Box Tools on macOS:

  1. Open Safari > Settings > Extensions.
  2. Enable Box Tools. If it is not listed, relaunch Safari and check again.
  3. Open the Box Tools website permissions.
  4. Set Box.com or app.box.com to Allow.

 

Which installer should I use?

Box provides two installer types with the same user-facing functionality:

  • Per-user EXE/DMG: Installs under the user's profile, does not require administrator rights, and is intended for a single-user computer.
  • Machine-wide MSI/PKG: Requires administrator rights and is intended for managed deployment or computers used by multiple users.

Do not leave both editions installed on the same computer. Duplicate installations can cause missing Open options or prevent files from opening.

On macOS, the administrator PKG installer is for single-user computers. Multi-user macOS computers are not a supported Box Tools configuration.

 

Can Box Tools be deployed at scale?

Yes. Box recommends the machine-wide MSI installer for Windows mass deployments. The MSI supports multiple users on one Windows machine.

On macOS, the administrator PKG installer is for single-user computers. Multi-user macOS computers are not a supported Box Tools configuration.

 

Can Box Edit be used in a virtual environment?

Box Edit may work in supported virtual environments with limitations. Box supports only the Box Tools admin installation through the MSI in a virtual Windows environment. Box Tools and the browser must run in the same RDS or terminal-server environment. See Using Box In Virtual Environments for more details.

 

Can administrators disable Box Edit?

Yes, admins can disable this add-on feature for their account holders in the Box Admin console.

 

 

Opening files

Why is the Open or Open With option missing or greyed out?

Check the following:

  1. Box Edit is enabled for the user in Box Integrations.
  2. The user has permission to edit the file.
  3. Box Tools is installed and its processes are running.
  4. The computer has a desktop application associated with the file type.
  5. On Windows, only one Box Tools edition, EXE or MSI, is installed.

Refresh the Box page after correcting the configuration.

 

Why is Box Edit available for one file type but not another?

The affected file type may not have a default desktop application. Box Edit hides the option when the operating system does not return an application for that file type.

Set or repair the file-type association in the operating system, refresh Box, and try again.

 

Why does a file open in the wrong desktop application?

Box Edit relies on operating-system file associations. Change the default application for that file extension in Windows or macOS, then retry with multiple files of that type.

Windows can also use an edit action that differs from the default open action. If changing the normal default does not help, an administrator may need to inspect the Windows file association and edit verb.

 

Why am I repeatedly prompted to install Box Tools when it is already installed?

The browser may be unable to communicate with the local Box Tools service. Verify:

  • Windows: Box Edit and Box Local Com Service are running. For a per-user installation, confirm they are enabled in Startup Apps. With an MSI installation, Box Local Com Service runs as a Windows service and should be checked in services.msc.
  • macOS: Box Edit and Box Local Com Server are present and running in Activity Monitor.
    • Safari: The Box Tools extension is enabled and allowed for app.box.com.
  • Security software, browser extensions, proxies, or firewalls are not modifying or blocking the local HTTP request.

Update or cleanly reinstall Box Tools if the processes or services are missing.

 

Which local ports does Box Tools use?

Box Tools v4 communicates with Box Local Com Server over HTTP at:

  • 127.0.0.1:17223
  • 127.0.0.1:17224 when port 17223 is occupied

This traffic stays on the local computer. Firewalls, proxies, antivirus products, endpoint security, or browser extensions must not block or rewrite it.

 

Does Box Edit support proxies?

Yes, for both Windows and Mac. You may need to allowlist 127.0.0.1 if your proxy is blocking Box Edit. Please review the DNS and Proxy configuration article.

Box Edit uses the proxy to access Box data and download documents. Please note that Box Edit also communicates with the local browser using the domain: 127.0.0.1.

This domain points to the local system, and in order for Box Edit to work, communications to this domain must go directly and not through a proxy.

 

Does Box Tools work on an IPv6-only network?

No. The Box Tools known-issues article states that IPv6-only networks are not supported.

 

Can browser privacy or HTTPS-enforcement extensions interfere?

Yes. Box Tools v4 requires the browser to make an HTTP request to the local Box Tools service. Extensions or security products that block unencrypted or local-network HTTP requests can prevent Box Tools from functioning.

 

What does “There was a problem completing your request. Please try again” mean?

This can occur when the tool reaches its rate limit during heavy usage. Retry opening the file. If the error persists, collect the time of failure and Box Tools logs for further investigation.

 

Does Box Edit support linked files?

No. Box Edit does not support linked files. Applications such as Microsoft Excel may report that a linked source cannot be found or that workbook links cannot be updated.

 

 

Saving, collaboration, and recovery

What happens if two collaborators edit the same unlocked file?

If another collaborator edits the file while you are also editing it and the file is not locked, Box Edit creates two copies in Box. This preserves both sets of changes rather than silently overwriting one collaborator's work.

 

Why did my changes not save back to Box?

Possible causes include:

  • An outdated Box Edit client.
  • The file being open elsewhere.
  • Permissions problems in the desktop application's temporary-file location.
  • A network interruption.
  • Antivirus or operating-system controls blocking the upload.
  • Using Save As instead of Save.

Before clearing the cache or reinstalling, recover any edited local copy.

 

How can I recover a file that did not upload?

On Windows:

  1. Open %LocalAppData%\Box\Box Edit\Documents.
  2. Search the numbered subfolders for the file.
  3. Check the related TEMP folder for an edited copy.
  4. Manually upload the recovered file through the Box web app or Box Drive, either as a new version or a separate file as appropriate.

On macOS, search the Box Edit Documents cache for the file and sort by date modified if needed:

~/Library/Application Support/Box/Box Edit/Documents

After uploading, verify the content and version history in Box.

 

How long does Box Edit keep cached files?

  • Windows: 7 days, based on the last-accessed date.
  • macOS: 21 days.

When this time period expires, Box Edit deletes the file. Box Edit also deletes all of its cached files the next time you launch Box Edit—typically when you restart your computer.

For example, if you open a file through Box Edit and leave it open for longer than the storage periods listed above, you lose the changes you made to the file. To avoid running into this issue, save and close files after each editing session, and begin new edits by re-opening the file from the web application.

 

Where does Box Edit cache opened files?

  • Windows: %LocalAppData%\Box\Box Edit\Documents
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Box/Box Edit/Documents

 

When should I clear the Box Edit cache?

Clearing the cache can help when files do not open correctly, open in the wrong application, or fail to save back to Box.

First confirm that the version in Box is current and recover any unsaved local work. Then quit the Box Edit and local communication processes, delete the contents of the Box Edit Documents folder, and restart the computer.

Deleting the cache before checking for recoverable work can cause data loss.

 

 

Device Trust

Why does Box Tools install Device Trust components?

Box Tools packages Box Edit and Device Trust functionality together. If the Box administrator has not enabled Device Trust, Box does not use that component. If Device Trust is enabled, Box uses it during the next login.

 

Do I have to install Box Tools if my organization uses Device Trust?

Yes. For computers you must have Box Tools installed for the Web App and Desktop applications to perform the necessary Device Trust security checks.

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