Product information

• What is Box Edit?
• What is Device Trust and how is it related to Box Edit?
• How do I download and install Box Edit?
• What browsers does it work on?
• Are there any operating system system requirements?
• Do I have to install Box Edit on every browser I use?
• Does it work on mobile browsers too?
• What file types are compatible?
• Once I save a file, does it automatically appear on Box? Is it saved as a new file within a folder or...
• Can Box Edit be deployed or used in a virtual environment?
• Will files changed via Box Edit appear in the version history?
• How do I use Box Edit?
• If I am editing a document using Box Edit and a collaborator opens the same document to edit it, what...
• How is Box Edit different from Box Sync? Do they overlap at all?
• Can admins block their users from using Box Edit?
• How does lock/unlock work with Box Edit?
• How long are files edited by Box Edit stored?
• Does Box Edit support Limited User accounts?
• Does Box Edit support proxies?
• Where does Box Edit store edited files?
• How do I uninstall Box Edit?
• If I don't uninstall my per-user version of Box Edit, then will both the Admin-installed version and...

What Is Box Edit?

Box Edit is an add-on feature that allows you to edit or create files directly on Box. Designed for all file types, browsers, and platforms, Box Edit uses the default application installed on your computer to edit or create simple and centralized content: Docx files open in Microsoft Word, pptx files open in Microsoft PowerPoint, xlsx files open in Excel, and so forth.

What is Device Trust and how is it related to Box Edit?

We recently updated the installer used for Box Edit to support other components required for Box web app users.  The installer has been renamed "Box Tools" and includes Box Edit and Box Device Trust components.

Box Device Trust is a component that checks the device status of enterprise users. If enabled by your administrator, Device Trust verifies that your device passes all necessary security checks required to log into your enterprise's Box account. It only performs checks that are enabled by the administrator of the enterprise -- no additional information about the device is collected or retained by Box.  If Device Trust is not enabled by a company's enterprise admin, the Box Device Trust module is never run and will not do anything.

Device Trust is a feature currently in Beta.

How do I Download and Install Box Edit?

The Box Tools install package includes Box Edit and can be downloaded from https://www.box.com/box-for-devices/

1. Download the Box Tools installer for your operating system.
2. Run the Box Tools installer and follow instruction prompts to install or update Box Edit on your computer.

Once you download and installed Box Edit, it will be available on any browser on your computer.

What browsers does it work on? 

Box Edit supports all browsers supported by the Box web application. See Box Policy for Browser and OS Support for detailed information

Are there any operating system requirements?

See Box Policy for Browser and OS Support for a list of Operating Systems supported by Box Edit. 

Do I have to install Box Edit on every browser I use?

Box Edit must be installed once on each computer. Once you install Box Edit, it is available on any browser on your computer.

Does it work on mobile browsers too?

Currently, Box Edit only works on web browsers and Box Embed. It is not available for mobile devices.

What file types are compatible?

Any file type that can be opened in a program on your computer can be opened with Box Edit. Examples include: .docx, .xlsx, .pdf, .pptx, .txt, 

Once I save a file, does it automatically appear on Box? Is it saved as a new file within a folder or does it just replace the existing version of the file?

After you’ve opened and revised a document using Box Edit, saving it adds the file back to Box as a new version. It replaces the existing version of the file automatically (it does not save it as a new file), and you can access the older version in the version history.

Can Box Edit be deployed or used in a virtual environment?

Box Edit may work in a virtual environment, but there are certain known limitations. Be sure to use the MSI installer on VM/VDI. For more information, see Using Box in Virtual Environments.

Will files changed via Box Edit appear in the version history?

Yes, changed files appear as the latest version of a document.

How Do I Use Box Edit?

Once you have installed Box Edit, you can edit documents directly from Box. You can use Box Edit is one of two ways: to edit existing files on Box and to create new files on Box.

• Editing Documents using Box Edit:Use Box Edit to edit a file that is already stored on Box. Click the More Actions dropdown next to the applicable file and select the appropriate application (e.g. Microsoft Word).

• Creating a new file using Box Edit:Use Box Edit to create new Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files directly on Box. Click New and select the required application in which to create the file and store it on Box.

After creating or editing a file using Box Edit, simply save the changes from within your native application. All changes will be saved back to Box automatically. You will see a status display stating, File is saved to Box. <Filename> has been successfully saved to Box.

If I’m editing a document using Box Edit and a collaborator opens the same document to edit it, what happens?

If another collaborator edits a file while you're editing it, Box Edit creates two copies of the file on Box, so you can easily track changes separately and ensure all content is accurate. 

How is Box Edit different from Box Sync? Do they overlap at all?

Box Sync is designed to keep all your important content updated on your computer’s desktop, even when a colleague uploads a new version. You can access files and make edits directly from your desktop, and the updated versions are added to Box where the rest of your team can access them.

Box Edit provides the same benefits, but is designed for quick edits when you’re working from the Box web app. You can open, edit, and save a file without ever needing to leave Box – this add-on feature is ideal for content that’s not already synced to your desktop. It closes the gap between Box and your desktop for even tighter collaboration.

Can admins block their users from using Box Edit?

Yes, admins can disable this add-on feature for their users in the Box Admin console.

How does lock/unlock work with Box Edit?

When you click Edit on a file, a pop-up window prompts you with a file lock option. The pop-up appears in the web application browser window (not a system- or application-level pop-up) and disappears after a few seconds. Whether you choose to lock the file or not, you can begin editing the file immediately.

When you’ve finished editing, unlock the file (if locked) by clicking the Unlock button. After you edit the file, the Unlock button replaces the Edit button. Once you unlock the file, it opens the file to other collaborators.

Note: Box Edit currently does not have the ability to automatically unlock a file after the program has been closed. That said we’re looking at a few approaches of doing this and hope to have it in the future.

How long are files edited by Box Edit stored?

Files older than 3 weeks are deleted when Box Edit is launched (typically when a user restarts their computer). If you open a file through Box Edit, do not leave it open for more than 3 weeks. Changes made to this file may be lost after this time frame. Close the file once you have completed editing a given session, then reopen the file from the web application to begin a new set of edits.

Does Box Edit support Limited User accounts?

Yes, Box Edit can be installed with a limited user account (Mac & Windows).

Does Box Edit support proxies?

Yes, for both Windows and Mac. You may need to whitelist edit.boxlocalhost.com if your proxy is blocking Box Edit. Please review the DNS and Proxy configuration article.

Box Edit will use the proxy to access Box data and download documents. Please note that Box Edit also communicates with the local browser using the domain: edit.boxlocalhost.com. This domain points to the local system and in order for Box Edit to work, communications to this domain must go direct and not through a proxy.

Where does Box Edit store edited files?

Windows

%LocalAppData%\Box\Box Edit\Documents or C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Box\Box Edit\Documents

Mac

~/Library/Application Support/Box/Box Edit/Documents/

How do I uninstall Box Edit?

Windows

1. Open Control Panel> Programs and Features
2. Select Box Edit and click Uninstall.

Per-User Uninstallation Script (Windows System Administrator)

System administrators must remove per-user installations to move forward with machine-based deployments. Box provides a script to remove per-user Box Edit installations. The script verifies that the user has installed the per-user version of Box Edit and if so, proceeds with the uninstallation.

The script can be run on any Windows server (manually or automatically). This script was created for the Windows Server 2008 R2 environment as that server is typically used for wide-scale deployments. However, this script also works for older environments.

Use the following procedure to uninstall per-user Box Edit installations.

1. Open the Group Policy Management Console.
2. Expand Forest, Domains, and the domain. Right-click Group Policy Objects, and then click New.
3. In the New GPO dialog, in the Script Name field, type Box Edit per-user removal script. Click OK.
4. Right-click Box Edit per-user removal script under Group Policy Objects, and then click Edit.
5. In the Group Policy Management Editor window, expand User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings, and click Scripts (Logon/Logoff).
6. In the right pane, right-click Logon, and then click Properties.
7. In the Logon Properties window, click Show Files...
8. Download the removal script from https://app.box.com/s/wibflm4qm8sgahy09fek, and save it to the folder that Show Files... opened. The script requires user credentials. If administrators want to uninstall the per-user Box Edit installation through Group Policy, they must assign it under User Configuration -- if they do it under Computer Configuration the script runs as a system.
9. Close Windows Explorer, and return to the Logon Properties window. Click Add ..
10. In the Add a Script dialog, in Script Name, click Browse .., and select the script you saved in the previous step. Click OK.
11. In the Logon Properties window, click Apply, and then OK. Close the Group Policy Management Editor window.
12. In the Group Policy Management Console, link the GPO to the domain or any organizational unit.

Mac

1. Download the Box Edit installer.
2. Open the installer and click Uninstall.

If I don’t uninstall my per-user version of Box Edit, then will both the Admin-installed version and my per-user version coexist? If so, which version will be used?

Both versions coexist. The per-user installation takes precedence at logon (for users who have both versions). If Box Edit closes (for any reason), and if you click Edit in the Box website, the plug-in automatically launches the Admin-installed version of Box Edit.

There are some cases where per-user installations of Box Edit could stop working if Box Edit is deployed by the Admin-installed version.

Admins should make every effort to remove the per-user installation of Box Edit before installing the Admin version.