BuckeyeBox and Office Online: Better Together

If you are a student or an employee of Ohio State, you already have free access to Office Online and BuckeyeBox, with unlimited storage thanks to the university. Put the two together and you have a winning combination.

Beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 6, you will be able create and edit Office Online files directly from the Box web client. Box for Office Online also supports collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit documents simultaneously. Keep in mind that there are functionality differences between the Office Online applications (read Knowledge Base article KB05522 for more information).

Box for Office Online can be used across operating systems, which is an improvement over the Box for Office application (that runs as an extension of the Microsoft Office suite for Windows). In addition, Microsoft Mobile Office Applications can be used to create and edit files in Box using phones and tablets. Other important features to note are as follows:

• Auto-Save: Box for Office Online automatically saves your file as you are working on it. Each auto-save creates a new version of your file and stores it in Box as part of the file's version history. Because BuckeyeBox retains only the 100 most recent versions of a file, working on a file in Box for Office Online for an extended period of time may cause you to unintentionally lose earlier versions of the file due to an excess accumulation of auto-save versions.
• Types of Documents: Available programs are Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Only .docx, .pptx, and .xlsx files can be created and edited with Office Online and/or Microsoft Mobile Office Applications.
• Editing Indicators and Permissions: Only Owners, Co-owners, Editors, and Viewer Uploaders in a folder can edit files in that folder using Office Online. From the file list view, hovering over the Box file will show a message that says, "Currently being edited.” From the edit view, if a collaborator in a Box folder is currently editing a file in Office Online, you'll see a gray circle with two heads and a pencil next to the filename in the folder view (similar to Box Notes). For more about collaborator permission levels, see What Are the Different Access Levels for Collaborators?

Those are just a few basics. You can read Knowledge Base article KB05522 to learn more about using Box and Office Online. Click this link if you do not yet have a BuckeyeBox account and want to start using BuckeyeBox.

If you have any questions, contact the IT Service Desk online or by phone at 614-688-HELP (4357). TDD devices should call 614-688-8743.