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Forum Discussion
Why do I need a license to edit Word and Excel files now?
So this just happened today. I can't create new Word or Excel files, nor can I edit existing ones. There is now a paywall that says I need a commercial Office 365 version.
Um what?
Working for an...
Jay
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHi EllKay, we're sorry to hear about this.
It sounds like you've recently joined a paid Dropbox Business team, which does require a paid subscription to Office 365. On a free or paid personal plan, there's no need for a license, which is why it's worked up until now.
In this instance, you'll need to contact your team admin to purchase the necessary license in order for you to be able to edit docs on your account which you're connected to the Business team.
As a workaround, if you do have a separate personal Dropbox account, you could copy the document there, edit it, and then download and re-upload to the Business account.
I hope this helps to clarify matters!
Thank you Jay, but my organization has had a Dropbox for Business subscription for about 6 months now, and that is the account that I'm having the issue with. Two of my colleagues encountered the same paywall.
I don't think this is the solution.
- Jay
In that case, it's possible that the Office 365 subscription expired, leading to this message.
Have you managed to get in contact with your admin to look into this matter further?
Let us know what you find out!
- Our admin is on vacation this week, so I can't check in with her.
AFAIK we don't have an Office 365 subscription, but I might be wrong.- Rich
Super User II
It is Microsoft's terms, not Dropbox's, that people on a Dropbox for Business subscription must also have an Enterprise Microsoft account along with a license that includes Office Online.
- https://help.dropbox.com/files-folders/share/edit-microsoft-office-documents
- Under the heading: Who can use the co-authoring feature?
- https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/third-party/microsoft-office-faq#web
- Under the heading: Do I need a special license to edit my Dropbox files in an Office Online application?
- https://help.dropbox.com/files-folders/share/edit-microsoft-office-documents
