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Question

Downloads to my computer

  • July 30, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 14 views
C

I can no longer open up a document in Box and edit it. It downloads to my computer. Is this a new change? Can we opt out of this change?

    1 reply

    J
    • Jill
    • Community Manager
    • July 30, 2026

    Hi ​@clewisidoc,

     

    Welcome to Box Community!

     

    Depending on how you prefer to work, you can adjust your settings using one of the following options:

     

    Option 1: Open and edit directly in Microsoft Office Online (Web) without downloading

    If you prefer to edit files directly in your web browser (Word/Excel Online) and avoid local downloads, you can disable Box Edit and Microsoft Co-Authoring in your Admin Console or account settings. Disabling these desktop clients forces newly created or opened files to open directly in Office Online.

    Option 2: Use Box Tools (Desktop Edit) instead of direct downloads

    If you want to edit files in your native desktop applications without manual downloads, please ensure that Box Tools (Box Edit) is installed and running on your machine.

    • If Box Tools is already installed, ensure it is not being blocked by browser local network access (LNA) restrictions or DNS/proxy configurations.

    Option 3: Adjust Shared Link Permissions

    If this issue is occurring specifically on files accessed via shared links, please ask the file or folder owner to update the shared link settings to allow "Preview, download, and edit."

     

    Thanks for posting!

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