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Edit Microsoft Office files Enterprise Grid ​

You can edit Microsoft Office files attached to a page without downloading them, re-uploading them, and losing track of versions. Plane opens the attachment in the Microsoft Office desktop app already installed on your computer, and when you save in Office, the changes are written straight back to the same attachment on the page.

This is real editing of the file in place, not a preview and not a separate copy. The attachment keeps its place on the page, and everyone sees the updated version.

Requirements ​

  • You need the Microsoft Office desktop app (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) installed on your computer. Plane opens the file in that app; it is not an in-browser editor.
  • You need a desktop web browser. This does not work on mobile.
  • Your Plane site must be served over HTTPS. On Plane Cloud this is always the case. Self-hosted instances must be configured with HTTPS.

Supported file types ​

Editing works with the standard Office formats:

  • Word: .doc, .docx
  • Excel: .xls, .xlsx
  • PowerPoint: .ppt, .pptx

Where it works ​

This works for attachments in any page: project pages, wiki pages, and teamspace pages. Office files attached to work items or added to comments can't be edited this way. You can still download and re-upload them as usual.

You also need permission to edit the page.

Edit a file ​

  1. Attach an Office file to a page, or open a page that already has one.
  2. On the attachment, click Edit in its desktop application.
  3. Your browser asks to open the file in the matching Microsoft Office app. Allow it.
  4. The file opens in the desktop app. Make your changes and save in Office as you normally would.
  5. Your saves are written back to the attachment in Plane. When you are done, close the file in Office.

You do not need to re-upload anything. The file on the page updates in place and keeps the same attachment.

While you are editing ​

To stop two people overwriting each other, the file is locked while it's open for editing. The attachment shows the name of the person editing it, and everyone else gets read-only access until they close it. After you save and close, the attachment shows Syncing... while your changes are written back.

The lock is released when you finish. It also expires on its own after a period of inactivity, so an abandoned editing session never leaves a file locked for good.

Notes and limits ​

  • Desktop only. Editing requires the desktop Office app and a desktop browser. There is no in-browser or mobile editing.
  • Your local Office app does the editing. Plane does not convert the file or render it in the browser. It hands the file to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint on your machine over a secure connection, and commits your saves back.
  • The file stays the same file. Edits keep the same attachment rather than creating a new copy, so links to it stay valid and its history stays in one place.
  • Pages only. Work item and comment attachments aren't covered.
  • Size limit. Saved files have to stay within your workspace's file size limit.