What is Box for Microsoft Office Co-Authoring?
Which file types are supported?
What Microsoft subscriptions are supported?
How does an admin enable co-authoring?
Should we enable it for everyone or only some users?
Do all collaborators and content owners need to be enabled for Co-Authoring?
Can Lite users use desktop Co-Authoring?
How does a user set it up in Office on Windows?
How does a user set it up in Office on Mac?
How can users confirm they are configured correctly?
Can admins auto-provision Box as a Place?
What happens during a co-authoring session?
Does file data go to Microsoft?
Why do Excel workbook links break?
How can we prevent Excel linked workbook issues?
How do users repair broken Excel links?
What are the major limitations?
Where should users start if co-authoring is not working?
What is Box for Microsoft Office Co-Authoring?
Box for Microsoft Office Co-Authoring lets users edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files stored in Box at the same time, with AutoSave saving changes back to Box. It works with Office desktop apps and Office for the web.
Which file types are supported?
Supported file types include .docx, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, and .pptx.
Is Box Drive required?
No. Box Drive is not required for desktop co-authoring, though users can open files from Box Drive if their environment is configured correctly.
What platforms are supported?
Windows 10+, and macOS 11.5+. Mobile support is coming soon!
What Microsoft subscriptions are supported?
Supported subscriptions include Office 365 Enterprise K1/E1/E3/E5, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, Apps for Business, and Apps for Enterprise. Perpetual Office licenses such as Office 2016 or 2019 are not supported.
How does an admin enable co-authoring?
Admins enable and authorize Box for Microsoft Office Co-Authoring in the Box Admin Console. It can be enabled for the whole enterprise or selected users and groups. New Box customers have Microsoft Co-Authoring enabled by default as of July 28, 2025.
Should we enable it for everyone or only some users?
Enabling co-authoring for the entire enterprise is the preferred setting. Mixed configurations can cause problems, especially with Excel linked workbooks.
Do all collaborators and content owners need to be enabled for Co-Authoring?
Yes. For Box for Microsoft Office Co-Authoring to work reliably, all users involved with the file should be enabled and configured for Co-Authoring, including both collaborators and the content owner. Users should also add Box as a Place or Connected Service in Microsoft Office and sign in with their Box account.
If some users are enabled and others are not, files may open in read-only mode, Co-Authoring may not start, or Excel workbook links may break due to mixed Office and Box configurations.
Can Lite users use desktop Co-Authoring?
No. Lite users cannot use Box for Microsoft Office desktop Co-Authoring. They can still co-author Office files online by using Box for Office for the web, assuming the appropriate Box and Microsoft web configuration is enabled.
How does a user set it up in Office on Windows?
In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, go to File > Open > Add a Place > Box, then sign in with Box credentials or SSO.
How does a user set it up in Office on Mac?
In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, go to File > New from Template > Open > Manage Storage Accounts > Box, then sign in with Box credentials or SSO.
How can users confirm they are configured correctly?
In Office, check the Open tab and confirm Box appears under Other locations with the user’s signed-in account. AutoSave should also be enabled when opening co-authorable files.
Can admins auto-provision Box as a Place?
Yes. Box describes an admin-assisted approach for Windows users using the ms-office-storage-host:asp|d|TP_BOX_2|o|0|a|Web URL so users can add Box as a Place in Microsoft Office.
What happens during a co-authoring session?
AutoSave is enabled, collaborators can see each other’s avatars and cursor locations, and Box applies a co-authoring lock so session participants can edit while outside changes are rejected.
How are versions created?
Box creates a new version when five minutes have passed since the last version, when a collaborator downloads the file within five minutes of the last version, or when a collaborator closes the document and completes the co-authoring session.
Does file data go to Microsoft?
Yes. Box states that data for files being edited may be sent to Microsoft’s Office Collaboration Service to enable co-authoring, similar to Box’s Office Online integration.
Why do Excel workbook links break?
Excel links can break when collaborators mix co-authoring workflows with desktop/local sync workflows. Co-authoring uses cloud URL references, while desktop sync may use local file paths such as C:\Users\Username\Box\...; switching between modes can create malformed or unresolved links.
How can we prevent Excel linked workbook issues?
Pick one collaboration mode for linked workbooks. If using co-authoring, require all collaborators to add Box as a Place and sign in. If using desktop sync instead, Box recommends a consistent Box Drive mount path for Windows users.
How do users repair broken Excel links?
Open the destination workbook, go to Data > Workbook Links, choose the broken link, select Change Source, and point it to the correct source file location. Restoring a previous version may also restore links as they existed in that version.
What are the major limitations?
Known limitations include no support for perpetual Office licenses, password-protected files, Microsoft @mentions in comments, changing Microsoft MIP sensitivity labels after enabling co-authoring, download stats for co-authoring opens, and files in folders with Hide Collaborators enabled.
Where should users start if co-authoring is not working?
Check that the enterprise is enabled, the user is enabled, the Office update channel is supported, Box has been added as a Place/Connected Service, and AutoSave appears for supported files.