Edit Microsoft Office documents

with someone else

You can now co-author Office Online documents with others.

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Preview a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file that's saved in a shared folder.
3. Click the arrow next to the Open button.
4. Select Microsoft [Excel/PowerPoint/Word] Online.
5. Ask the colleague(s) you'd like to collaborate with to follow the same steps.
6. The file will open in your web browser in Office Online; you can then edit it.
7. When you're done editing, click Save and return to Dropbox.

Notes:

 At the top of the page you can see your name, and the names of other people
who have the same file open.
 Changes you make will be saved automatically to your Dropbox.
 The co-authoring feature will only work if the person you'd like to collaborate
with is a member of the shared folder in which the Office document is stored.

Can I co-author documents on desktop or mobile?

No, co-authoring does not work on Office documents accessed from your desktop, or
from Office mobile. To co-author an Office Online file, two things must be true:

 The Office file must have been accessed from dropbox.com

 The file must be saved in a shared folder

Additionally, all others must access the Office files from dropbox.com as well. The
co-authoring feature will not work if one user is accessing from dropbox.com, while
the other is accessing from desktop or mobile.

People who access the Office file through a shared folder must visit dropbox.comand
follow the steps outlined earlier in this article.

Who can use the co-authoring feature?

 Dropbox Basic and Pro: You need a Microsoft account to co-author their files
online, but will not need an Office 365 license.
 Dropbox Business: You need an enterprise Microsoft account, and a license
that allows editing in Office Online.
What file types will co-authoring work with?
 .xlsx
 .docx
 .pptx

How do I create new Office Online files from

Dropbox?
1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click My files.
3. Click Create a new file.
4. Select Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
5. Sign in to Office Online and create a new file.

Important notes on creating Office Online files from Dropbox:

 When you click Create a new file and select a file type, you'll be redirected to
Office Online
 When you create a new file through Office Online, a link to this file is
automatically saved to Dropbox for easy access
 You must have an Office Online subscription to use this feature