On Box for iOS / EMM, tapping Open in Microsoft 365 (Office) / Open in Microsoft Excel / Open in Microsoft PowerPoint / Open in Microsoft Word (including beta variants) from preview can show:
- Title:
Feature disabled - Message:
This has been disabled by you or your administrator
Symptoms
- User opens an Office file (
.docx,.xlsx,.pptx, etc.) in Box for iOS / EMM on iOS. - From preview, user taps Open in Microsoft Excel / Open in Microsoft PowerPoint / Open in Microsoft Word (or the beta-labeled equivalent). The Microsoft-branded action can still appear in the menu even when the feature is disabled; tapping it shows the message above.
- User can often still use iOS native Open In… to launch the Microsoft Office app (behavior may differ under MDM).
- Impact is commonly enterprise-wide for managed iOS users when the integration is disabled at the tenant level.
Root cause
Open with Microsoft can fail when either of these Admin settings is disabled:
| Admin Console setting | Effect when disabled |
|---|---|
Integrations > Office for iOS | Open in Microsoft Excel/PowerPoint/Word fails with the disabled-feature message Open In… can still work |
Enterprise Settings > Mobile > Content can be opened in external applications | Both Open in Microsoft and Open In… can fail with the same disabled-feature message |
Resolution steps
- Confirm the failure is on Open in Microsoft Excel/PowerPoint/Word, not only Open In….
- In Admin Console → Integrations, set Office for iOS to Enabled if it is disabled.
- Have the user sign out of Box for EMM, sign back in, and retry.
- If the error persists, check Content can be opened in external applications.