Microsoft Office 2016 will save your documents to OneDrive by default. But, if you use Google Drive or Dropbox, you can save them to those services, too.

Microsoft Office 2016 provides a comprehensive set of tools built into the suite, this includes Cloud storage specifically targeting its OneDrive service by default. For many people, including myself, Dropbox remains my go-to online storage solution. Many other people use Google Drive or a combination of all three.

Here’s a look at how to add both Dropbox and Google Drive as Save Locations in Office 2016.

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Google Drive with Microsoft

The first thing to do is download the free Google Drive plug-in for Microsoft Office.

Wait while the web installer is started and downloads a small setup file automatically to your hard disk.

Then double-click the driveforoffice.exe and wait while it installs.

When setup is complete, launch any of the Microsoft Office 2016 applications. A Google Drive for Microsoft Office setup wizard will appear. Usb audio interface. Click Get Started and sign into your Google account and complete the wizard.

Google Drive will then be added to your list of Save locations on the Office Backstage.

Make Dropbox a Save Location

Unfortunately, there is no officially supported solution at this time for Dropbox as a storage location on the desktop or 365 versions. Office 2016 is still in Preview, but according to leaked documents, it’s set to launch September 22nd. Third-party scripts only support older versions of Office such as Office 2013. Dropbox has promised to provide support for Office 2016 later this year when the new version of the suite is generally available.

It’s worth noting that Office Online, which includes the web-based versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint does have native support for Dropbox as a Save Location. Launch Office Online, and in the lower right corner, under Open from OneDrive, select Add a place, and Dropbox will show up.

So until the desktop version gets Dropbox support, you will have to save Office files to your Dropbox folder manually by browsing to it or add it as a default Save location. Here is how you do that.

Please note, you need to have the Dropbox client installed, you can download that here.

Launch an Office application like Word, and head to File > Options.

Then go to Save and select the Browse button next to the Default local file location field.

Then browse to your Dropbox, and then click OK.

Also, check out our article on how to save Office documents directly to Dropbox.

How about you? Where do you generally save your Office documents in the Cloud? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Many businesses use Google Docs online to create different types of office documents and store files. Like any office productivity offering, Google Docs provides a download feature so that you can edit documents outside of the site. You can save a file to your computer in a format compatible with other office productivity programs such as those offered in Microsoft Office. To move a file from Google Docs to Microsoft Office, download the document or open the document, and then open the file in the applicable program.

Download From Documents List

Select the check box to the left of each file in your Google Docs Documents List that you want to download.

Click the “More” button above the Documents List to open the More drop-down menu.

Select “Download…” to open the Convert and Download dialog box.

Select the Microsoft Office application format for the type of file or files from the drop-down menu next to the file name. For example, select “Microsoft Word” for text documents or 'Microsoft Excel' for spreadsheets.

Click the “Download” button and wait for the file, or files in a compressed ZIP file, to download. If you’re downloading multiple files, wait for the Zipping Files dialog box to turn into the Zipping Complete box, and then click “Close” to close the dialog box.

Open the standalone file, or the ZIP file and a standalone file, in the applicable Microsoft Office application as directed by your specific browser. For example, in Google Chrome, click the file download button when prompted, or click an arrow on the button and click the “Open” option. In Internet Explorer, click the “Open” arrow, select “Open With” and select the application. In Firefox, select the appropriate Microsoft Office application on the “Open With” menu and then click the “OK” button.

Download From Open Document

Select the name of the file in the Title column of the Documents List to open the file in Google Docs.

Click the “File” menu and select “Download;” or select “Download As” and choose a Microsoft Office application type such as “Word” or “Excel.”

Open a file, or the ZIP file and an individual file, in a Microsoft Office application as directed by your browser’s prompts.

Tips

• To stop the download of a ZIP file, click the “Cancel File Zipping” button in the Zipping Files dialog box and click “Yes” when prompted to confirm your decision. To make changes to the download request, click “Start Over” and select “Yes” instead.
• To download a hidden file, click “All Items” on the left sidebar to reveal all of the files you’ve saved to Google Docs. Scroll down the Documents List to locate the file; or type the file name, or a word from the name, in the search field at the top of the screen and click the “Search” button or press “Enter.”

Warnings

• Google Docs might not give you an option to select a Microsoft file format. This will happen in certain situations, such as when the file format is already compatible with Microsoft Office or has an Office application file extension.
• Downloaded documents might lose some of their original page or text formatting when converted to a Microsoft Office file format.

About the Author

Based in Southern Pennsylvania, Irene A. Blake has been writing on a wide range of topics for over a decade. Her work has appeared in projects by The National Network for Artist Placement, the-phone-book Limited and GateHouse Media. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Shippensburg University.

Photo Credits

• Dynamic Graphics Group/Dynamic Graphics Group/Getty Images

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