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View and edit MS Office documents in Aconex

Open and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files from the Document Register in Aconex, without having to download them.

Required permissions
Use office online
Unavailable on these instances
USDoD
USGOV

You can view and edit Microsoft Office files in your Document Register with the following extensions: doc/docx, xls/xlsx, ppt/pptx.

You can open doc, xls and ppt files in their original format for reading, however, if you edit a file, they are saved as docx, xlsx and pptx files.

Things to note:

  • Drafts are visible to all users within your organization.
  • Drafts have the same access permissions as the original document.
  • Editing is allowed only on the latest version of a document.
  • If a draft already exists, editing is only allowed on the draft version. 
  • You can update the document from the draft if no one else is currently editing it. 
  • MS Office files cannot be viewed in Workflows, but is supported in Document Processes.

Important

Real-time collaboration (co-authoring) is currently not working as expected. Our vendor is investigating a fix, but no estimated delivery date is available. In the meantime, we recommend that only one person edits a document at a time to help ensure all changes are saved. As a workaround you can lock the document before you make changes and unlock it when you're done.

  1. From the Document Register, click more options (three dots menu) on a document and select Open in Microsoft 365.

Tip!

If you're using Google Chrome, note that pop-ups are blocked by default and have to be enabled in your browser to use MS Office Online.
  1. The first time you open a document you’ll be asked for permission to view in Office Online. You’ll also need to agree to Microsoft’s terms of use and privacy statement.
  1. You’ll see your document within Aconex.
  2. To start editing, click Edit.

Tip!

If you receive a redirect or popup warning and are unable to proceed, see Resolving File Not Loading errors in the Office Online Viewer

  1. You can now view and edit your document. Remember that other users in your organization with access to the document can edit it at the same time. 
  2. Once you’re finished editing, save the file and return to Aconex. You can update the document with your edits or continue editing the draft.

What's next?

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