Work with Microsoft Office files

There are two different ways to work with Office files in Google Drive:

You can upload and work on Office files with Google Drive, Docs, Sheets or Slides on the web.
You can work on Office files with real-time presence when you use Drive for desktop. For Windows users with a work or school account, you can also send and save files with Microsoft Outlook.

Work with Microsoft Office files in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides on the web

With Office you can:

Open, edit and save as Office files in Google Drive

Convert Office files to Google Docs, Sheets or Slides

Comment on Office files in Google Drive preview

Use Office files with a Chrome extension

Use Microsoft Office files with Drive for desktop

When you use Drive for desktop with Office, you can:

Work in Office and sync files to Google Drive

Work in Office files with others in real time

When you use Drive for desktop with Microsoft Office 2010 or later, real-time presence for Office files lets multiple people edit the same files without version issues.

When you store an Office file in Drive for desktop and share it with people who turn on real-time presence, you get an alert when someone makes a change.

On your computer, open Drive for desktop.
Open a shared file in Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
The real-time status displays at the bottom right.
- Tip: When you use these hotkeys, you can access the status:
  - Windows: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + G
  - macOS: ⌘ + Shift + ⌥ + G
- Based on the status, you get one of the following options:
  - Safe to edit: You can edit the file.
  - Wait to edit: You can't edit the file yet.
    - To get notified when you can edit, select Notify me when it's safe to edit.
    - To learn more about who edits or views the file, click a person in the list.
  - New version created: Someone created a new version. To get the new version, click Get latest.
    - To compare your version and the latest version side by side, click Preview.
    - New versions are created when multiple people edit the Office file at the same time. You must reconcile those changes.

Enable real-time presence with macOS

If you use Drive for desktop on macOS, you must change your system permissions to collaborate with other editors in real time:

On your Mac, click System preferences Security and privacy Privacy Accessibility.
At the bottom left, click the lock.
Next to 'Drive for desktop', tick the box.

Turn off real-time presence

Real-time presence is automatically on and alerts you when someone makes an edit in a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file in Drive for desktop. Learn how to work in Office files with others in real time. To turn off real-time presence: