You can edit Microsoft Office documents stored in Box either online using the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Online apps, or on your computer desktop using the full version of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Groups can simultaneously edit and collaborate on Microsoft Office files on the desktop or online in real time, with all changes automatically saved to Box.

You must have the current Microsoft 365 version of the Office desktop apps installed to be able to automatically open from or save to Box, or to be able to co-author from your desktop.

If you don’t have the most recent or correct version of the full Office apps, Box Drive provides similar functionality for opening or saving between an Office desktop app and Box. For real-time co-authoring, the Office Online in-browser apps are available to anyone with a Cornell Microsoft account. See Box for Office Integrations to review how to open an Office file that is stored in Box in an Office Online app like Word Online or Excel Online. See also Basic Tasks in Word for the web, Excel for the web, and PowerPoint for the web.

For more information about real-time co-editing, see Box for Microsoft Office coauthoring on the Box website.