Box Apps

There are lots of apps that can work with Box. We recommend two that are particularly useful: Box Edit (allows you to edit Office docs and spreadsheets without saving them to your computer) and Box Drive (puts a local drive onto your computer)

Box Edit

We recommend using an app called Box Edit and encourage you to recommend Box Edit to those you are collaborating with - especially when working with sensitive data. That will allow collaborators to edit Microsoft Office docs and spreadsheets and resave them to Box without saving a copy to their local computer/device.

Download Box Edit here or launch Box Edit while viewing a Box document by clicking on the pencil icon in the upper right corner.

Use Box Edit

Open the file in Box you wish to edit.
Click the "Open with Word" button on the top-right corner of the screen.
Click Continue to open the file.
The file will open in its native application in a new window.
Edit the file as you would any other file.
Use Save to save the file. The changes to the file will be reflected in Box.
When done editing, close the file and click Save when prompted. Your edits will be saved to the original Box document.

Note: We have found that Box Edit may be problematic on the Chrome web browser. Use Firefox, IE, or Safari for better performance.

Box Drive

The Drive feature for William & Mary Box allows you to easily sync files between your desktop and other devices. This is especially useful for files you wish to be able to access offline and/or work on frequently.

Install Box Drive

Log into your Box account.
Click the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Box screen in your browser.
Select Get Box Drive from the drop-down list.
Follow the prompts to download and install Box Drive.

Once you've installed Box Drive, you will need to log in to the Box Drive client.

In the email address field, enter your W&M email address (ex. tjefferson@wm.edu).
Then click Use Company credentials (Windows) or Use Single Sign On (Mac), or select the Single Sign-on option for your mobile device. W&M's login screen will appear.
Enter your W&M Username and password, and click Submit.

Box Drive will create a folder on your computer called Box Drive.

Drive folders to your computer

Open Box in your web browser.
Click the down arrow to the right of the folders you want to Drive to your computer.
Select Drive Folder to Computer from the drop-down list.

Upload files to Box with Box Drive
If you drop files into your Box Drive folder on your computer, Box will upload them and they will be Drivehronized into your Box account. The uploaded files will be sent to your "All Files" folder, unless you chose a different folder in Box Drive.

Notes about Box Drive:

Box does not sync files by default. You will need to log into Box on the web and indicate which folders you wish to sync.
Box Drive can only sync top-level folders, or folders that are in the "All files and folders" section of your Box account.
Box Drive is recommended for quick local access to frequently used files. It is strongly recommended that Box Drive not be used as a bulk upload mechanism or the primary means for managing your files in Box.
Box Drive is not the preferred tool for uploading folders; the preferred method is to log in to Box on the web and use the Upload Folders feature.

More Info about Box Drive
For details about Box Drive, including unsupported file types, see the Box Drive 4.0: FAQs from Box Help or view the Box Drive training video.

Questions? Contact the Technology Support Center (TSC)
757-221-4357 (HELP) | [[support]] | Jones 201, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm