Microsoft Co-Editing Sharepoint Embedded (SPE) Integration

Egnyte's SharePoint Embedded (SPE) Co-Editing integration addresses key limitations in the current Cloud Storage Partner Program (CSPP+) solution by providing support for critical Microsoft features like @mentions and Sensitivity Labeling. 

It has been designed to meet growing customer demands and ensure a consistent and secure co-editing experience across Office Online and Office Desktop, while maintaining essential functionality such as Excel sheet linking. 

The feature is accessible through Egnyte's Web UI, Desktop App, and Mobile. 

 

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Key Features

Requirements

Initial Setup on a New Egnyte Domain

Accessing the Integration for the First Time 

User Access and Microsoft Account Requirements

Edit Configuration 

Co-Edit a Document 

Sharing and Permissions from Microsoft Office Apps

Migrating from CSPP+ to SPE Co-Editing

Migrating from Microsoft Office (Legacy) to SPE Co-Editing

Limitations and Best Practices

 

Key Features

1. @mentions: Enables users to directly notify collaborators within the co-edited documents.
2. Sensitivity Labelling: Allows users to apply Microsoft Purview labels to classify and protect data during co-editing.
3. Excel Sheet Linking: Ensures that the critical functionality of linking different sheets in Excel during co-editing remains intact.
4. Cross-Platform Co-Editing: Supports co-editing in both Office Online and Office Desktop, allowing users to collaborate across web and desktop environments without disruption.
5. Admin Wizard: A step-by-step guide for administrators to easily set up SharePoint Embedded Co-Editing in Microsoft environments. This wizard will streamline the process, reducing the technical burden on admins and making the setup user-friendly.

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Requirements

Area	Requirement
Egnyte	Integration enabled on the domain (request via the form above). Setup must be performed by an Egnyte Admin.
Microsoft Tenant	Setup must be performed by a Microsoft Global Admin who can grant app-level consent. The container is created in the customer's own Microsoft 365 tenant.
Microsoft Licensing	Users need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Office applications (for example, Microsoft 365 Business Standard or above, Office 365 E3 or above). Perpetual or one-time Office licences are not supported. No separate SharePoint licence is required, it is included in these plans.
Users	Users who start or join a session from the Egnyte WebUI or Desktop App must sign in with a Microsoft (Entra ID) account on first use for user mapping. See *User Access and Microsoft Account Requirements*.
Data Location (optional)	To create the container in a location other than the tenant default, the Microsoft 365 Multi-Geo add-on must be enabled on the tenant for that location.

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Initial Setup on a New Egnyte Domain

1. Navigate to Apps & Integrations and search for Microsoft Office Desktop and Online integration. This integration is not compatible with previous versions of Microsoft Office.
   

   In order for the Microsoft Office Desktop and Online tile to appear, users must make sure both Microsoft Office Online tile and Microsoft Office Desktop and Mobile tile are set to Not enabled for domain.

2. Hover over on the app tile and click on Enable Integration.
     
3. Click on Start Configuration to begin the configuration.
   
4. Click on Continue to Egnyte Sign in in the setup wizard.
   
5. Continue to login as an Admin User on Egnyte and Allow Access.
   
   
6. Log in as Microsoft Admin to configure Microsoft tenant which will be used by this integration. Click on Continue to Microsoft Sign In. 
   
7. Click on Grant permissions to confirm app level permission required by Microsoft in order to finish tenant configuration.
   
8. Accept Microsoft permissions for Egnyte access to SharePoint container.
   

9. On the Container Creation step, review the Container location. By default, the container is created in the Microsoft tenant's default location, which is shown on screen (for example, United States (NAM)). If the tenant has Microsoft 365 Multi-Geo enabled and a container in a different region if needed, select Use a different location than the tenant's default and choose a location from the dropdown. Only locations enabled on the tenant are listed. Then click Create Sharepoint Container
   
   Container Creation Step with the Default Location
   
   Choosing a Different Location from the Tenant's Enabled Geos
   

   The container location cannot be changed after the container is created. To use a different location the admin must choose Reset Configuration and run the setup again, which creates a new container; files already in the previous container are not moved and links to them stop working. Each Egnyte domain has exactly one container, so organizations that need content in more than one region must configure the integration on a separate Egnyte domain per region. If the Container location section is not visible, the Microsoft tenant does not have Multi-Geo enabled and the container is created in the tenant’s default location. Admins can verify a container’s location in the SharePoint Admin Center under SharePoint Embedded → Active containers → General. 

10. Choose the Security Preferences. Files that are in the SharePoint container are controlled by settings on SharePoint and not by Egnyte permissions. The user can update the settings by clicking Go to SharePoint Button, otherwise users can go with the standard settings that they have already configured in SharePoint.
    
    If the user chooses to Go to SharePoint and update their settings it can be found under Polices->Sharing
    
11. Review the summary and click on Enable Integration to complete the setup. To make changes, click on Reset Configuration and restart the configuration process.
    
    If the user chooses Reset Configuration, they need to confirm by clicking on Reset Configuration in the confirmation pop-up.
     
    If the configuration is reset, the users need to redo the configuration from step 2 onwards.
     
12. Select the group of users for whom the integration needs to be enabled and click on Save. 
    
     

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Accessing the Integration for the First Time 

When the user accesses the integration for the first time, they need to create a user mapping. This process requires manual matching of Egnyte and Microsoft accounts. This provides the ability to keep track of who made changes on the Sharepoint side when the data is saved back to Egnyte. 

1. Select a file and start a co-editing session. 
   
   Users can also hover over the three-dots menu of a file and click on the edit option. 
   
2. Click on Sign in to Microsoft Account and sign in using Microsoft Admin credentials.
   
3. Click on Continue to be re-directed back to the integration or click on Choose different Microsoft Account to log in using another Microsoft account. 
   

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User Access and Microsoft Account Requirements

Entry Point	Egnyte User Type	Office Online	Office Desktop	Microsoft Account Needed?
Egnyte Web UI or Desktop App	Admin, Power User	Supported	Supported	Yes
Egnyte Web UI	Standard User	Supported	Supported	Yes - Standard Users cannot use the Egnyte Desktop App; use the Web UI
Anonymous Share Link (Anyone or Anyone with Password)	No Egnyte Account	Supported	Not Supported - Anonymous link open in Office Online only	No
Org Share Link (Existing Egnyte Users)	Admin, Power User, Standard User	Supported	Supported	Yes
Org Share Link	No Egnyte Account	Not Supported - Org links require an Egnyte account	Not Supported	-
Any Link	Microsoft Guest User, No Egnyte Account	Supported	Supported if signed into Microsoft	Yes

How Edits are Attributed

• Mapped user (Egnyte + Microsoft) — changes are saved to Egnyte under that user's Egnyte account.
• User with a Microsoft account but no Egnyte account joining via Egnyte share link — changes are saved under the user who started the session.
• Anonymous link with no mapping — changes are saved under the administrator account used during setup. 

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Edit Configuration 

1. Navigate to Apps & Integrations and search for Microsoft Office Desktop and Online integration. 
   
2. Hover over the app tile and click on Settings.
    
3. Click on Edit Configuration and repeat the steps as mentioned in the initial setup process.
   

Re-Running the Setup

• Changing the Microsoft admin account that authenticates the integration is safe and keeps the existing container, as long as the new account is also a Global Admin. It can be done during business hours, though off-hours is recommended.
• Use a dedicated service account. The Microsoft account used during setup is the owner of files in the container and receives comment and @mention notifications for every file. Re-running setup with a service account directs those notifications away from a personal mailbox.
• Changing the container location requires Reset Configuration, which creates a new container. See the note under step 9 of Initial Setup.

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Co-Edit a Document 

To co-edit a document, select the document and click on Open with -> Select the appropriate co-editing Microsoft Office Desktop or Co-editing Microsoft Office Online  app from the Context menu. Alternatively, hover over the file and select the co-editing app. 

The document will then open in the corresponding Office Desktop or Online app (in the example above - Word Online or Word Desktop). 

A File is ready for editing confirmation page is shown while the file is prepared in the SharePoint container; the document then opens in the corresponding Office Desktop or Online app.  Opening a file for the first time can take longer than subsequent opens.

When other user(s) open the same document, they will be able to co-edit in real-time. Even if a file is locked via co-editing, other users opening the file in Office Online or Desktop will be able to join the ongoing co-authoring session. There is no option to remove a participant from an active co-authoring session from Egnyte.

 

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Sharing and Permissions from Microsoft Office Apps

When a file is opened for co-editing, it is copied into the SharePoint Embedded container in the Microsoft tenant, and it remains in the container after the session ends, so that @mention links and comments continue to work. While a file is in the container, it follows SharePoint's rules:

1. Sharing from within Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) uses the tenant's SharePoint sharing settings and does not apply Egnyte permissions. Permissions granted this way are not reflected in Egnyte. The Share button in Office cannot be hidden for container files only.
   
2. Permission changes made in Egnyte are synchronized to the container, but a user already in an active session keeps access until the session ends.

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Migrating from CSPP+ to SPE Co-Editing

• CSPP+ and SPE Co-Editing cannot interact with each other. A file must not be in a CSPP+ co-editing session before it is launched with SPE Co-editing. 
• It is recommended that all users remove Egnyte Add-a-Place from all their Microsoft Office Applications before starting with SPE co-editing.

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Migrating from Microsoft Office (Legacy) to SPE Co-editing

• Schedule the switch during non-business hours to avoid any disruption to active users. 
• Data & Comments: All files, document versions, and existing comments remain stored securely in Egnyte and will persist through the transition.
• Legacy Links & Notifications: Once the switch is made, any SharePoint links shared via the old legacy integration (including links in old email notifications) will no longer be valid. Users will need to generate new links via the SPE integration.
• Disable Legacy Tile: Navigate to the Apps & Integrations page in your admin settings and turn off the Microsoft Office (Legacy) tile.
• Enable New Tile: On the same page, turn on the Microsoft Office Online and Desktop tile and file through the steps.

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Limitations and Best Practices

File Size

• Max file size for Word or Excel Online is 100 MB

• Max file size for Word or Excel on Desktop is 300 MB

• Max file size for PowerPoint Online and Desktop is 2 GB

File Names (Office Desktop on Windows)

• Office Desktop on Windows is subject to the Windows 260-character path limit. The container path consumes a fixed portion, leaving approximately 105–116 characters for the file name including extension (exact value = 260 − 125 − length of the `tenant.sharepoint.com` host name). Files with longer names will not open in Office Desktop but can be co-edited in Office Online. The Egnyte folder path does not count towards this limit, files are stored flat in the container. Enabling long paths in Windows does not remove this limit.

Synchronization and Sessions

• Files are synced with Egnyte every 3 minutes; during this time, the preview may be outdated and downloading a file will download the older version.
• A user cannot be removed from an active co-authoring session from Egnyte; an Egnyte lock does not end the SharePoint session.
• Files remain in the SharePoint Embedded container after co-editing and are not automatically removed.

Data Location

• The container location is fixed when the container is created; choosing a non-default location requires Microsoft 365 Multi-Geo on the tenant.
• Only one container is created per Egnyte domain. Content cannot be moved between containers.

Notifications and Sharing

• The Microsoft account used for setup receives comment or @mention notifications for files in the container. Use a service account to avoid this on a personal mailbox.
• Sharing from Office applications follows SharePoint settings, not Egnyte permissions.

Renaming

• Rename files from Egnyte, not from within Office Desktop. Renaming a file from Office Desktop (for example, File → Rename in Excel) while it is open for co-editing breaks the link between the file in Egnyte and its copy in the container which can cause lost updates. If this happens:

  • Open the file with Co-editing Microsoft Office Online, choose Editing → Open in Desktop
  • Rename it back to its previous name
  • Rename from Egnyte if a new name is needed

  Microsoft is updating Office Desktop to block rename during co-editing.

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