Box strives to increase your productivity by leveraging our cloud content platform in the applications you work in every day. With this in mind, we have built Box for Office to help you create, edit, and share your documents more effectively.
Box for Office includes Box functionality for key Office products—Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook—in a single app.
- Introducing Box for Office
- Installing Box for Office for the Desktop
-
Adding Box for Office Custom Tiles to Office.com
- Using Box with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Box and Office for Web
- Box for Outlook
- Upload to Box and Attach to Your Email in One Step
- Send Links to Files on Box
- Convert Outbound Attachments into Shared Links
- Mobile
Introducing Box for Office
We have integrated essential Box functions into the Backstage view of the most popular Office applications. Now, right from within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on desktop and mobile, you can:
- Open files from Box, with easy access to recently accessed files and folders
- Save files to Box, even with documents from your desktop
- Access Box options directly from the ribbon in Office apps
- Generate Box shared links and control their permissions
In addition, from Outlook you can:
- Save attachments to Box from incoming email
- Easily send links to files already stored in Box
- Convert outgoing attachments to Box shared links
Learn how other customers are taking advantage of the Box for Office integration:
Important:
The Microsoft Office for web integration does not display MIP sensitivity labels in files opened from within Box.
Installing the Box for Office Desktop Integration
Integration with Office desktop applications is only available for computers running Windows.
For Individuals
Prerequisites
- Windows 10 or higher
- Microsoft Office 2010 or higher
- .NET 4.x or higher (will be handled by installer)
- Visual Studio Tools for Office (will be handled by installer)
- Administrative rights
The installation package requires admin rights to include an auto-updater service so Box for Office can seamlessly be upgraded in the background in the future.
Installation
- Download the setup package for individuals.
- Run the setup package, providing administrative rights as needed.
- Open Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint and navigate to the full Open menu. (May need to use the Open Other Documents link from the initial screen.)
- Choose Box as a source to open files from, and sign in with your Box account credentials.
- Once logged in, you can log out from any of the Open/Save/Share pages as well.
Uninstallation
You can uninstall Box for Office with Programs & Features in Windows, or by running the installer again and choosing the Uninstall option.
For Admins
We support pushing Box for Office as an unattended installation using an MSI.
- Ensure that prerequisites are installed separately, prior to running the MSI:
- Windows 10 or higher
- Microsoft Office 2010 or higher
- Windows Installer 3.1, 4.5, or greater: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942288
- .NET Framework 4.0: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17851
- Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office v10.0.50701 or greater: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=140384
- Download the Box for Office MSI and deploy it in your environment. There are no configuration options for this installer.
For your Office 365 Tenant ID to be eligible, every Box account holder must have an Office 365 license to at least one of the following:
- Office 365 Enterprise K1
- Office 365 Enterprise E1
- Office 365 Enterprise E3
- Office 365 Enterprise E5
- Office 365 ProPlus
- Office 365 Business
- Office 365 Business Essentials
- Office 365 Business Premium
- OneDrive for Business
- SharePoint Online Plan 1
- SharePoint Online Plan 2
Box also provides two different scripts for system administrators to remove Box for Office installations:
- One script removes any outdated versions of Box for Office, as well as the most recent version (https://app.box.com/s/9053q4mml05f43y7dwmd).
- The other script also removes any outdated versions of Box for Office, but leaves the current version installed (https://app.box.com/s/4nxq3b94rd6beaag769p).
The following procedure can be used to uninstall Box for Office installations:
- Open the Group Policy Management Console.
- Expand Forest, Domains, and the domain. Right-click Group Policy Objects, and then click New.
- In the New GPO dialog, in the Script Name field, type Box for Office Uninstallation. Click OK.
- Right-click Box for Office Uninstallation under Group Policy Objects, and then click Edit.
- In the Group Policy Management Editor window, expand Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings, and click Scripts (Startup/Shutdown).
- In the right pane, right-click Startup, and then click Properties.
- In the Startup Properties window, click Show Files...
- Download the uninstallation script, and save it to the folder that Show Files... opened. The script requires administrator privileges. To remove both new and old versions of Box for Office: https://app.box.com/s/9053q4mml05f43y7dwmd. To remove only old versions of Box for Office: https://app.box.com/s/4nxq3b94rd6beaag769p.
- Close Windows Explorer, and return to the Startup Properties window. Click Add...
- In the Add a Script dialog, in Script Name, click Browse..., and select the script you saved in the previous step. Click OK.
- In the Startup Properties window, click Apply, and then OK. Close the Group Policy Management Editor window.
- In the Group Policy Management Console, link the GPO to the domain or any organizational unit.
Adding Box for Office Custom Tiles to Office.com
If you're the administrator of your enterprise's Office 365 account, Box enables you to create custom tiles so that you and your users can launch Box for Office for Web straight from your Office.com App Launcher.
Administrators must set up custom tiles before users will be able to pin these tiles to their app launchers.
For Admins
Follow this tutorial to add a custom tile to the app launcher.
Fill out the fields as following for each respective application:
Word
| Title name | Box for Word for Web |
| URL for Box Verified Enterprise (BVE) | https://{subdomain}.ent.box.com/officeonlineentry/word/d_0 |
| URL for non-BVE | https://{subdomain}.app.box.com/officeonlineentry/word/d_0 |
| Description | Create and Edit your Word files with Box |
| Image URL | https://cloud.box.com/shared/static/7em756cplzvw8t7zzrmhi11dds41xd5l.png |
Excel
| Title name | Box for Excel for Web |
| URL for BVE | https://{subdomain}.ent.box.com/officeonlineentry/excel/d_0 |
| URL for non-BVE | https://{subdomain}.app.box.com/officeonlineentry/excel/d_0 |
| Description | Create and Edit your Excel files with Box |
| Image URL | https://cloud.box.com/shared/static/gjahvhkbbv7g103g416v646k1s7wwgx9.png |
Powerpoint
| Title name | Box for PowerPoint for Web |
| URL for BVE | https://{subdomain}.ent.box.com/officeonlineentry/powerpoint/d_0 |
| URL for non-BVE | https://{subdomain}.app.box.com/officeonlineentry/powerpoint/d_0 |
| Description | Create and Edit your PowerPoint files with Box |
| Image URL | https://cloud.box.com/shared/static/jnbuxcfb56jxbx7iu6cz4rxlkq04mjrp.png |
Replace the {subdomain} placeholder with your enterprise's subdomain.
Individuals
Follow this tutorial to add custom tiles to your app launcher.
Using Box with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Opening Files From Box
Follow this tutorial - Open files from the File menu and choose Box from the list.
You can open a file from Box in one of two ways:
- Click on a recently accessed file
- Choose a recently opened folder to navigate or open a file browser directly to pick a file.
From the file picker, you have the following options:
- Navigate up and down the folder hierarchy,
- Search for files anywhere in your Box account,
- Open the file from Box (triggering a download).
Microsoft Office files will lock automatically when you open them from Box for Office. They automatically unlock once you close the file.
When you open the file with Box for Office, it's kept in cache for 7 days. The file in cache will be deleted when you close the Office application, logout from Box for Office, or turn off Box for Office Add-in after 7 days.
Saving Files to Box
If you previously opened a file from Box or previously saved a file as a Box file, you can use Control-s, or the normal Save menu to save a new version of that file.
If you opened a file from the local desktop or other non-Box source, you can always save it to Box by using the Save As menu, which provides options to browse to a Box folder and save your file.
When you save a file to Box, future saves go straight to Box as new versions of that file.
Generating Box Shared Links
The Share menu option is only available when there is an open and active file. When on this page, you have the following options:
- Share a Link: Create a shared link for the file and copy it for use elsewhere. If the file was not already stored on Box, you are prompted to upload the file to Box on the spot.
- Change the shared link access level.
-
Advanced:
- Set an expiration date for a link (enterprise accounts only),
- Allow downloading,
- Email link: Send the link using your system default e-mail client.
Ribbon Options
Right from the ribbon of your Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, you can choose additional options to Share your file using Box, Upload your file to Box, or View on Box.
Box and Office for Web
For Individuals
Box is seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Office for web. This integration lets you create Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel files in Box, edit them using the Office for web applications, then save them directly back to Box without downloading additional programs or applications. Moreover, our Office for web integration supports concurrent editing, so you and your coworkers can collaborate on documents in real-time.
This integration only incorporates the Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel web applications. If you are an enterprise Box user, you must have a business Office 365 account to use this integration. If you are a free Box user, you can use the integration without a Microsoft Office for web account.
As Box relies on Excel for web to support the preview of .xlsm files, Box Preview is restricted to features supported by Excel for web. See more information about Excel for web preview on the Office Support site.
Creating Microsoft Files through Box and Office for Web
To create a new Microsoft file in Box using Office for web:
- Navigate to the Box folder you want to contain the new file.
- Click New from the Box menu and select the type of Microsoft file you want to create.
- When prompted, name your file.
- If you do not have Box Edit installed, Box will create your file and automatically open it in Microsoft Office for web. If you do have Box Edit, your file will open in your default desktop application.
Office for web auto-saves any changes you make in your documents, so you don't need to manually save them.
Editing Microsoft Files through Box and Office for Web
There are two ways you can edit Microsoft files in Box using the Office for web editor:
- through a file's context menu,
- through a file's preview page.
Office for web supports editing for .xlsx, .pptx, and .docx files. 97 - 2003 files (.xls, .ppt, .doc) can't be edited with Office for web. As a workaround, you can use Save as to convert the file to one of the supported file types for use with Office for web editing.
The following file size limits apply when editing files with Box and Office for web:
- PowerPoint: 1GB
- Excel: 50MB
- Word: Document must contain less than 100 million characters and load in less than 60 seconds
To edit a Microsoft file through its preview page:
- Navigate to the folder containing the Microsoft file you wish to edit.
- Click on your Microsoft file to open its preview page.
- Click on the Open button and select the option to open the file with Office for web editor.
Any edits you make are automatically saved to Box.
If the Hide Collaborators folder setting is enabled, the option to open with Office for web will be greyed out show a message Unavailable for this file. This is due to real-time co-authoring discussed below.
To edit a Microsoft file through its context menu:
- Navigate to the folder containing the Microsoft file you wish to edit.
- Hover over your Microsoft file and click the More Options drop-down menu in the file's right-hand icon list, or right-click the file.
- Select Open with... followed by PowerPoint for Web, Word for Web, or Excel for Web, depending on the type of file you are editing.
Real-Time Co-Authoring
Box for Office for web supports real-time co-authoring. Multiple people can edit a single document simultaneously, and all changes are automatically saved to Box. When multiple people are editing a document, their names appear in the upper right corner. Your collaborator's text cursor appears in a unique color, and their name will be displayed next to it.
Password protected files are not supported with Box for Office for web.
For Admins
The Microsoft Office for web integration is enabled by default. You can disable it, or add your Office 365 Tenant ID in the Integrations tab of the Admin Console. Entering an eligible Office 365 Tenant ID will allow your users to use the Box for Office for web integration without needing to enter their Office 365 credentials.
To find the integration settings:
- Go to Admin Console > Integrations.
- Click the Box Integrations & Clients tab.
- Navigate to the Individual Integration Controls section.
- Hover on Box for Office to highlight it, and then click Configure.
This integration is considered to be published in Box Integrations. If Disable integrations by default is turned on in the Global Integration Settings section of the Box Integrations & Clients tab, Box for Office for web will not be enabled by default.
Using Box with Microsoft Outlook
Uploading to Box and Attaching to Your Email in One Step
If you're working on a local Microsoft Office file and want to share it with others, you can use Microsoft Outlook to simultaneously upload the file to Box and email it out to collaborators.
Upload a file from Box ribbon menu in Outlook. For more information, see this tutorial - Attach files or insert pictures in Outlook email messages.
When the file is in Box, a shared link displays in your email draft.
Sending Links to Files on Box
When you are composing an email, you can insert shared links to files or folders stored in Box, and you can customize the link access levels.To send a shared link, attach it from Box using the Box ribbon menu in Outlook.
The file you selected displays as a shared link in your email draft.
When you try to attach a file that is not in Box, the system prompts you to choose whether to upload the file to Box and send as a shared link. If you don't want to upload that file to Box, close the prompt and proceed with your local attachment. Admins can disable this prompt by pushing a configuration change in the registry edit.
Save Incoming Attachments to Box
When you receive an email (or multiple emails) with attachments, you can save the attachments directly to Box. Save attachments from the Box ribbon in Outlook.
To save attachments from multiple emails, multi-select the emails you wish to download attachments from.
You can't save individual attachments to different locations. You can only save all attachments to the same location.
Convert Outbound Attachments Into Shared Links
You can automatically turn outgoing attachments into shared links when you compose a message and select files to attach from your computer. The files are uploaded to Box and the attachment is replaced with a shared link.
Mobile
Box for Office - iOS Integration
You can use Microsoft's Office mobile applications (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) to create and edit documents stored in Box. All paying Box users must have an Office 365 subscription with access to Microsoft Office iOS apps to make use of this integration.
Personal Box users can use the integration for free by signing in with a free Microsoft account. With a Personal Box account and free Microsoft account, users will have Read only access. With a Personal Box account and a Paid Microsoft account, users will be able to make edits to content. The integration is available for iPhone and iPad.
Both download and upload permissions are required to make use of this integration. You must be an owner, co-owner, editor, or viewer in a folder in order to open and edit files with an Office mobile app. You will not be able to use the Office iOS integration in folders in which you are an uploader, previewer, or previewer uploader. For more information on access levels, see What Are The Different Permission Levels For Collaborators?
If the system displays an error message Disabled by Administrator when you're trying to use this integration, your admin has disabled the Box for Office iOS integration for your organization.
- Your device must be running iOS 8 or above.
- The latest version of the Box for iOS application must be installed on your device.
- The latest versions of the Microsoft Office mobile apps must be installed on your device.
- You must be logged in to an Office 365 account that has access to Microsoft Office mobile apps.
Opening Office Files from Box
To launch an Office mobile application from Box for iOS:
- Preview an Office file in Box by tapping on it.
- Tap Open in....
- Tap the appropriate Microsoft app.
Files that are opened from Box are saved to Box by default. Office applications have the AutoSave option enabled by default, meaning that your documents will be saved automatically as you edit them. You can disable AutoSave in the menu of your Office apps. If AutoSave is disabled, your changes will be saved to Box whenever you manually tap Save.
Opening Files in Box from Office Applications
To open files located in Box from an Office app, you need to login to your Box account and grant Office access to Box.
Box displays as a location when opening or saving files. You can open a file from any folder in your Box account. Only files that can be opened by the app you are using will be visible.
Saving Files to Box from Office Applications
To create a new file in an Office app and save it to Box, you need to choose Box as the place where you want to save your file. You will be prompted to log in to your Box account and to grant Office access to Box.
Box displays as a location when opening or saving files. You can choose to save your file anywhere in your Box account.
This integration is not compatible with the Mark for Offline feature of the Box for iOS application. Due to the design of the Office iOS apps, the applications will attempt to download and re-upload the files from Box, which requires a network connection. You can open, edit, and save your work from other applications that do not need to download and re-upload the files.
Box for Office - Android Integration
You can use Microsoft's Office mobile applications (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) to create and edit documents stored in Box. The integration is enabled automatically. All paying Box users must have an Office 365 subscription to make use of this integration. Personal Box users can use the integration for free by signing in with a free Microsoft account.
Both download and upload permissions are required to make use of this integration. You must be an owner, co-owner, editor, or viewer in a folder in order to open and edit files with an Office mobile app. You will not be able to use the Office Android integration in folders in which you are an uploader, previewer, or previewer uploader. For more information on access levels, see What Are The Different Permission Levels For Collaborators?
- Your Android device must be running KitKat (v4.4) or above.
- The latest versions of the Microsoft Office applications must be installed on your device.
- The lastest version of Box for Android must be installed on your Android device.
Opening Office Files from Box
To launch an Office mobile application from Box for Android, you need to preview the file in Box and open the file with the appropriate Microsoft app.
To open Box files from Office Apps, choose Box as the cloud storage you want to use. After choosing Box, you can open any files in your account. When you've accessed Box from your Office app, you can open, edit, and save Office files currently stored in Box.Saving Files Back to Box
To save changes back to Box, you must be a paid Office 365 subscriber. Non-subscribers will only be able to save files locally or to OneDrive.
Auto-save is not supported in Office for Android apps. A new version will be created in Box when you manually save your file.