Dropbox: Open Documents in Desktop Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Environment

U-M Dropbox

Issue

How to open Microsoft files stored in Dropbox in the desktop Office 365 productivity apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc).

Resolution

There are two options for opening a Microsoft file stored in Dropbox in an Office 365 productivity app:

1. Open files locally using the Dropbox app folder located in your Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows) directory (RECOMMENDED)
2. Open a Microsoft file from your U-M Dropbox account on the web by hovering over the file, clicking Open, and selecting "Open in [APP NAME]" from the drop-down menu
   1. This method is not recommended as it is known to not work on a consistent basis

For both options, you must have the following requirements in place before attempting to open the file:

• The Dropbox desktop app must be installed, open, and running in the background
• The Dropbox desktop app must be up-to-date
• The Microsoft file is currently synced to the Dropbox desktop app

Additional Information

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.