Issue:
Microsoft Office 365 customers who commonly have multiple users simultaneously view and edit (co-author) a document, spreadsheet or presentation are unclear about whether the same capability exists when Word, Excel or other Office files are stored on Autodesk Docs.
Cause:
In short, it depends on how users attempt to open the files.
When users open a Microsoft Office file from their local Autodesk Docs connected drive (managed by Desktop Connector (hereinafter DC), DC attempts to provide automatic file locking and unlocking to prevent simultaneous editing conflicts. Other users attempting to open the file will be notified that the file is read-only. The file becomes unlocked and available for another user to edit only after the initial users saves and/or closes the file. Therefore, this method does not allow for co-authoring.
However, when opened and edited from the Autodesk Docs web interface, multiple users can simultaneously edit or co-author the document. In this scenario, traditional file locking (reserving a file for one user) is not used because the Microsoft 365 services handle simultaneous editing and real-time collaboration, much like they do in SharePoint or OneDrive.
Solution:
Users who wish to maintain the ability for co-authoring Microsoft Office files on Autodesk Docs should view and open files from a web browser as shown below, rather than from the desktop version of the software through Desktop Connector.
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