Microsoft has introduced one of the best features for Excel users on Windows Desktop, co-authoring for Office 365 subscribers in the Fast Ring of the Office Insider program. This means you can work at the same time with others in any shared cloud document without missing a beat. No more locks on Excel files!
Starting with Excel Build 8017.1000 for Excel on Windows desktop, you can co-author with others and no longer worry about getting locked out of a shared file that’s stored in SharePoint Online, OneDrive or OneDrive for Business. With Excel co-authoring you’ll find it’s easy to know who else is working with you in a spreadsheet, and you view their changes automatically in seconds.
In case you are not aware, co-authoring is already available in Excel Online, Excel on Android (7830.1012 or later), Windows Mobile (7830.1013 or later) and iOS (for Office Insiders) and soon, Microsoft will enable co-authoring in Excel on the Mac.
Moving forward, Microsoft will also introduce features like AutoSave to Word, Excel and PowerPoint on Windows desktops, for files stored in SharePoint Online, OneDrive or OneDrive for Business.
With AutoSave, you can stop worrying about hitting the save button, whether you’re working alone or together with others. So, you can rest assured that your changes are saved automatically.
Getting Started with co-authoring
Start by uploading a workbook to a supported, shared cloud location such as SharePoint Online, OneDrive or OneDrive for Business.
Share your workbook with others– If you clicked the Share button, people will receive an email message inviting them to open the file. They can click the link to open the workbook, a web browser will open, and the workbook will open in Excel Online. To use co-authoring in Excel on Windows desktop, click Edit Workbook > Edit in Excel. However, these users will need a version of Excel that supports co-authoring.
Co-authoring is currently supported for all customers in Excel Online, Excel on Android and Excel Mobile on Windows. Co-authoring is currently available in Excel on Windows desktops for Office 365 subscribers in the Fast level of the Office Insider program. Co-authoring is currently available in Excel on iOS for Office Insiders. If the people you are collaborating with you do not have a supported version of one of these apps, they can co-author using Excel Online by clicking Edit Workbook > Edit in Browser.
Now you’re ready to start co-authoring. Once you’ve shared your workbook with others as described above, you can begin to edit in the workbook at the same time, and when you’re co-authoring using Excel on Windows desktop, you’ll know you’re co-authoring if you see pictures of people in the ribbon.
When you are co-authoring, you can see each other’s changes in a matter of seconds and when co-authoring in Excel on Windows desktop or Excel Online you’ll see other people’s selections in a colored box around the cell they’re working in, represented with different colors. This allows you to quickly determine where others are working to avoid working in the same cell at the same time.
For more information on AutoSave and Co-authoring, visit this page
