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Technical Requirements to Enable Co-Authoring in Box for Microsoft Office

End User , Overview , Article , New , Instruction , Integration , Microsoft - Office , P2

Box for Microsoft Office Co-Authoring enables real-time co-authoring on Office desktop, web, and mobile. You can simultaneously edit and collaborate on Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files on desktop in real-time, with all changes automatically saved to your Box account. 

This complements our existing integration with Office Online, enabling you and your team to co-author Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents in Box whether they are working in Office on desktop or web — with all edits automatically saved back to Box.

Co-authoring availability

Box Drive is not required for desktop co-authoring.

Co-authoring is available for the following platforms, operating systems, and Office subscriptions.

Platforms:

  • Desktop app (Box Drive and Office desktop apps)
  • Web app (Box.com and Office for the web)
  • Mobile apps (Box iOS and Android apps and Office mobile apps for iOS and Android) - coming soon

Operating systems:

  • macOS (v11.5 and above)
  • Windows operating system (10 and above)
  • iOS & Android (coming soon)

Note:
Box’s general support policy for operating systems and browsers apply for this feature.

Office subscriptions:

  • Office 365 Enterprise K1
  • Office 365 Enterprise E1
  • Office 365 Enterprise E3
  • Office 365 Enterprise E5
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for Business
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise

Not all Office subscriptions are compatible with the Microsoft desktop app. For details, refer to your Microsoft license.

Perpetual licenses (e.g., Office 2016, 2019 etc.) not supported.

Applications:

  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
Note:
If you plan to use Intune, check also Box as a Managed Place in Microsoft Intune, MDM, and MAM.

Technical prerequisites:

  • Supported Office update channel(s)
    • Microsoft’s Current Channel, Monthly Enterprise Channel, and Semi-Annual for Office 365 updates (latest releases)
  • If using Box Drive (not required), v2.26 or above
  • If using Mac devices and Box Drive, Mac OS 11.5 or above

 

Support

For additional help or support related questions, visit the following support page: Support for Box for Microsoft Office Coauthoring – Box Support

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