Box: Edit Files with Box Tools

Open Box files in the desktop applications on your computer, and save changes back to Box.

Box Tools is an add-on that lets you open files stored in Box in the desktop applications on your computer. Each file opens in its default application: .docx files in Microsoft Word, .pptx files in PowerPoint, .xlsx files in Excel, and so on.

Before you start, install Box Tools.

Open a file from the folder list

1. Right-click the file, or click the ellipsis (...) next to it, to open the More Options menu.
2. Click Open With... If more than one application can open the file, choose the one you want.
   

Open a file from its preview

1. Click the file to preview it.
2. Click Open. If more than one application can open the file, choose the one you want.

Save your changes back to Box

Save your changes in the desktop application as you normally would. Box Tools saves them back to Box automatically as a new version of the file, and shows the message <Filename> has been successfully saved to Box.

Use Save, not Save As. Save As creates a separate copy on your computer, and your changes won't be saved back to Box.

For more detail, see Box's article Opening and Editing Files with Box Tools.

Confidential data: Don't store Confidential data in Box. If you have a business need to store Confidential data, submit a request and we'll provide an approved storage location. For details, see the Regulated Data Chart.

[authored via Jane by aca34 on 2026-10-01 19:30 UTC]