---
source_url: "https://help.dropbox.com/view-edit/admin-guide-co-authoring"
title: How to turn on co-authoring as an admin within Dropbox - Dropbox Help
mirrored_at: 2026-08-17T15:03:03.810Z
host: help.dropbox.com
cited_in_42a: true
mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/help.dropbox.com/view-edit/admin-guide-co-authoring"
---
> **Original source:** https://help.dropbox.com/view-edit/admin-guide-co-authoring
person icon
This article describes a feature available to [certain types of admins](https://help.dropbox.com/security/change-admin-rights#levels) on Dropbox Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise.
Microsoft co-authoring for Dropbox lets team collaborate in real time on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files using Microsoft Office desktop apps. It streamlines teamwork and reduces version conflicts by keeping everyone on the same page.
Admins on Dropbox Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, or Enterprise teams with a Microsoft 365 Business license can enable co-authoring for their team.
## Turning on co-authoring from the admin console
Co-authoring is enabled by default for most teams. However, if you have connected apps blocked by default for your team you’ll need to enable co-authoring by allowing your team to connect Microsoft Office 365 to Dropbox.
To do so:
1. [Log in](http://dropbox.com/login) to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
2. Click **Admin console** in the left sidebar.
3. Under **Products**, click the dropdown to the left of **Dropbox**.
4. Click **Settings.**
5. Click the **Integrations** tab.
6. Scroll down to the list of apps at the bottom.
7. Next to Microsoft Office 365, click ☑ (more options).
8. Select **Allow**.
## Protected view on Windows
Windows will automatically begin co-authoring sessions with documents from untrusted sources in view-only mode. Dropbox is an untrusted source by default on Windows computers.
There’ll be a banner across the top of your screen warning you that files from the internet can contain viruses. To begin editing the document, click **Enable editing.**To skip this step, you can set Dropbox as a trusted source. To do so:
1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click **Internet options**.
3. Select the **Security** tab.
4. Select **Trusted sites**.
5. Click **Sites**.
6. Under **Add this website to the zone** enter the following web address: https://wopi.dropbox.com.
This process will need to be completed by each person using co-authoring on your team. The team IT administrator can use Group Policy Objects to make Dropbox a trusted source for your entire organization.
[
Learn more about global authorization from Microsoft’s documentation.](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/cloud-storage-partner-program/plus/protected-view#global-authorization-gpo)
## How to auto-provision Dropbox as a Place for your team
highlighter icon
**Note:** The following instructions are aimed at the IT administrator of your team. We highly recommend you read both this guide and the Microsoft [Add-a-Place Provisioning for Desktop documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/cloud-storage-partner-program/plus/add-a-place#auto-provisioning-by-the-it-administrator) before beginning the auto-provisioning process.
Auto-provisioning will allow you to add Dropbox as a Place on Office 365 for every member of your team, without having to manually do so for each account. Each of the setup methods below will require every user on your team to sign in to their Dropbox account in order to authenticate Dropbox as a storage location.
### **Group Policy Objects**
To create and implement a new Group Policy Object:
1. Create a file containing the following PowerShell script:
```
$DropboxForTeamsServiceId = 'TP_DROPBOX_PLUS';
function Get-DropboxForTeamsExists {
param ($OfficeVersion)
$serviceExists = 0;
$localServices = Get-ChildItem -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\$OfficeVersion\Common\ServicesManagerCache\Local"
foreach ($value in $localServices) {
$service = Get-ItemProperty "HKCU:\$value"
if ($service.ServiceId -eq $DropboxForTeamsServiceId) {
$serviceExists = 1;
break
}
}
$serviceExists;
}
# Get current office version
function Get-OfficeVersion {
$officeVersionX32 = (Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -WarningAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty VersionToReport
$officeVersionX64 = (Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -WarningAction SilentlyContinue)
if ($officeVersionX32 -ne $null -and $officeVersionX64 -ne $null) {
$officeVersion = $officeVersionX64 #Use x64 as default.
} elseif($officeVersionX32 -eq $null -or $officeVersionX64 -eq $null) {
$officeVersion = $officeVersionX32 + $officeVersionX64
}
$officeVersionMain = $officeVersion.Split(".")[0] + '.0'
$officeVersionMain
}
Write-Host "Dropbox for Teams provisioning script initialized."
Write-Host "Detecting Office version."
$officeVersion = Get-OfficeVersion
Write-Host "Office version detected: $officeVersion"
$dropboxForTeamsExists = Get-DropboxForTeamsExists -OfficeVersion $officeVersion
if($dropboxForTeamsExists -eq 0) {
Write-Host "Dropbox for Teams not found, running provisioning script."
<#
Paremeters used within script
- `asp` = Add storage provider command
- `d` = Read service identifier field
- `o` = This is lower-case letter ‘o’ not zero. Read operation identifier to indicate is silent or not
- `1` = Invoke in silent mode (intended to be invoked on user login)
- `a` = Lower-case letter ‘a’. Read the invoking application identifier
- `script` = The application invoking the protocol handler for debugging and logging use. In this case it is script.
#>
start "ms-office-storage-host:asp|d|$DropboxForTeamsServiceId|o|1|a|script"
Write-Host "Provision script finished."
} else {
Write-Host "Dropbox for Teams found exiting..."
}
```
2. Create a new Group Policy Object (GPO):
1. Read the [Microsoft documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012/jj717274\(v=ws.11\)).
2. Open the Group Policy Management console as a user who is part of [Group Policy Creator Owners](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/understand-security-groups#group-policy-creator-owners).
3. Find Group Policy Objects for the given domain and click **New.**
4. Name your new Group Policy Object.
3. Set up the logon script:
1. Read the [Microsoft documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012/dn789196\(v=ws.11\)).
2. Open the **Group Policy Management Console**.
3. Under **User Configuration**, expand **Windows settings** and select **Scripts**.
4. Double-click on **Logon** in the Scripts Logon/Logoff window.
5. Click the **PowerShell Scripts** tab in the Logon Properties window.
6. Click **Add**.
7. Click **Browse** next to **Script Name**.
8. Copy the PowerShell script from the first step into that window and select it once the copy is completed.
9. Click **Open.**
- This defaults to the Users-Scripts-Logon folder within the GPO object in the “Sysvol – Policies” folder.
4. Accept all changes and close Group Policy Management Editor.
5. Link that policy to any Organizational Unit (OU):
1. Read the [Microsoft documentation.](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/group-policy/group-policy-management-console#link-a-gpo)
2. Navigate to the desired OU in the Group Policy Management Console.
3. Right-click on this OU and select **Link an Existing GPO**.
4. Select the GPO you want to link and click **OK**.
6. The script will be executed when the team member logs in.
- Recommend or force the restart of the team member’s machine if required.
### **Applying the script using** **Intune**
- Target only Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices
- Execute script in user context
- Run the script using the logged-on credentials
- Disable script signature check
- Run script in 64-bit mode
Each of these options configure `OfficePrePopulatedThirdPartyCloudStorageProviders` entry under the `com.microsoft.office` domain.
### **Shell script**
The below script has to be executed within user context. If any Microsoft apps are open when the script is executed, they’ll need to be restarted.
```
#!/bin/zsh
office_settings=$(defaults read com.microsoft.office)
if [[ ${office_settings} != *"domain com.microsoft.office does not exists"* ]] ;
then
echo "Office detected"
if [[ ${office_settings} == *"TP_DROPBOX_PLUS"* ]] ;
then
echo "Dropbox entry is present. No action taken."
else
echo "Adding Dropbox storage account entry..."
defaults write com.microsoft.office OfficePrePopulatedThirdPartyCloudStorageProviders -array '{CSPServiceID=TP_DROPBOX_PLUS; }'
echo "Entry added."
fi
exit 0
else
echo "Office not installed."
exit 1
fi
```
To revert the changes made, execute this shell script:
```
#!/bin/zsh
defaults write com.microsoft.office OfficePrePopulatedThirdPartyCloudStorageProviders -array '{}'
```
### **Apple Device Management install**
1. Create a file with the extension .mobileconfig using any text editor.
2. Copy the below script and replace the #UUID1# and #UUID2# values with randomly generated values:
```
PayloadContent
OfficePrePopulatedThirdPartyCloudStorageProviders
CSPServiceID
TP_DROPBOX_PLUS
PayloadDisplayName
Microsoft Office
PayloadIdentifier
com.microsoft.office.#UUID1#
PayloadType
com.microsoft.office
PayloadUUID
#UUID1#
PayloadVersion
1
PayloadDisplayName
Add Dropbox Storage Account to O365
PayloadIdentifier
com.dropbox.o365connectedservices
PayloadOrganization
Dropbox, Inc.
PayloadRemovalDisallowed
PayloadScope
System
PayloadType
Configuration
PayloadUUID
#UUID2#
PayloadVersion
1
```
3. Upload the file to an Apple Device Management software (like JAMF or MobiControl).
4. Settings will be visible after restart of Office app.
### **Generating a .mobileconfig file using mcxToProfile**
[mcxToProfile](https://github.com/timsutton/mcxToProfile) is a simple command-line utility to create "Custom Settings" Configuration Profiles without the need for the Profile Manager Device Management service in OS X Server 10.7 and 10.8.
It can take input from property list files on disk or directly from a Directory Services node (Local MCX or Open Directory).
To use this method:
1. Create a new file with `.plist` extension using text editor.
2. Copy the below XML file.
```
OfficePrePopulatedThirdPartyCloudStorageProviders
CSPServiceID
TP_DROPBOX_PLUS
```
3. Convert `.plist` into `.mobileconfig` using the [mcxToProfile](https://github.com/timsutton/mcxToProfile) tool.
4. Upload the file to MDM software (like JAMF or MobiControl).
5. Settings will be visible after restarting the Office app.
You can auto-provision Dropbox as a place for members of your team with Windows devices by sending them a link. To do so:
1. Send the following URL to the members of your team you’d like to auto-provision Dropbox as a place for: **ms-office-storage-host:asp|d|TP\_DROPBOX\_PLUS|o|0|a|Web**
2. Tell your team members to copy and paste the URL into their browser.
The URL will bring them to the location within the Office 365 desktop app to add Dropbox as a place. Once there, your team members should follow these instructions:
1. Click **Dropbox for Teams**.
2. Log in with your Dropbox credentials.
3. Click **Log in**.
4. Restart all open Microsoft Office applications.
Dropbox will now be provisioned as a place for the users on your team.
### **Storage account authentication**
Once the above steps have been implemented, each user on your team will need to manually authenticate Dropbox as a place in the Office 365 desktop app. To do so:
1. Open any Microsoft Office 365 desktop app.
2. Click **Open** in the left sidebar.
3. Under **Other locations**, click **Dropbox for Teams.**
4. Click **Sign in**.
5. Log in to your Dropbox account.
6. Select the Dropbox account you’d like to link to Office 365.
Users may have to restart the Microsoft 365 app before Dropbox appears as a place.
## Turning on Dropbox apps for Microsoft Teams
### **How to add the Dropbox app in Microsoft Teams**
If you have all connected apps turned off by default, you‘ll need to add the Dropbox app for your team members using Teams’ app setup policy. To do so:
1. [Sign in](https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/) to Teams admin center and access **Teams apps** > **Setup policies**.
2. Select **Add.**
3. Provide a name and description for the policy.
4. Under **Installed apps**, select **Add apps.**
5. In the **Add installed apps** pane, search “Dropbox”.
6. Click **Select** next to **Dropbox**.
7. Select **Add.**
### **How to pin the Dropbox app in Microsoft Teams**
To pin the Dropbox app in Microsoft Teams:
1. [Sign in](https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/) to Teams admin center and access **Teams apps** > **Setup policies**.
2. Select **Add.**
3. Provide a name and description for the policy.
- Optionally, turn on **User pinning** to allow users to pin apps and change the order of the pinned apps.
4. Under **Pinned apps**, select **Add apps**.
5. In the **Add pinned apps** pane, search for “Dropbox” and then select **Add.**
### **How to add Dropbox to all Microsoft Teams channels**
To add the Dropbox app to every Microsoft Teams channel:
1. [Log in](http://dropbox.com/login) to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
2. Click **Admin console**.
3. Under **Products**, click the dropdown to the left of **Dropbox**.
4. Click **Settings**.
5. Click the **Integrations** tab.
6. Scroll down to the list of apps and choose the filter **Not in App Center** to see the Microsoft Teams integration.
7. Click ☑ (more options) to the right of the Microsoft Teams app.
8. Click **Edit preferences** to the right of the Dropbox for Microsoft Teams app.
9. Click **Add**.