Edit in Desktop

The Edit in Desktop feature enables you to download a file and edit it in its native application.  Then it automatically updates the file in FileCloud so that the change is immediately visible. 

In order to use Edit in Desktop, you must have the Desktop Edit application (or FileCloud Sync) installed and running. 


When you edit files by clicking Edit Online/Open in [app] they open in Office Online or another editor associated with them in FileCloud; when you edit them by clicking Open in Desktop they open in your desktop application that is associated with them.

Desktop Edit and FileCloud Sync cannot be open at the same time.

Edit in the Desktop with Desktop Edit vs. Sync


FileCloud Sync
also supports the Edit in Desktop feature. However, there are differences in what each application offers.

Desktop EditSync
  • Provides an interactive dashboard for Edit in Desktop files.
  • All support is provided in the background. No interactive dashboard for Edit in Desktop files.
  • A simple application whose main function is to support the Edit in Desktop feature.
  • A more complex application which provides much more functionality than the Edit in Desktop feature. See FileCloud Sync

Note that both Sync and Desktop Edit cannot be run at the same time.

Working with Desktop Edit


  1. Click one of the following links to download the Desktop Edit installation file:
    FileCloudDesktopEditSetup.exe
    FileCloudDesktopEditInstaller.pkg
  2. Install Desktop Edit.
  3. When the installation is complete, open Desktop Edit.
    If you don't open Desktop Edit from the installation wizard, you can open it by going to the Start menu and clicking the Desktop Edit icon:


    The first time you open Desktop Edit, a wizard helps you configure it.
  4. In the initial wizard screen, you may change your language and enable or disable the following options:
    • Run at Windows startup - Automatically run Desktop Edit when you log in to your computer. Enabled by default. 
    • Lock files when opened - Block other users from opening FileCloud files when you have opened them. Enabled by default.
    • Mute all notifications – Do not receive messages about file changes and other actions that occur in Desktop Edit. Disabled by default.
  5. Click Get Started to go to the Log In screen.
  6. Choose a Login Method and enter your credentials. 
    See Help with login methods, below, for help using each login method.


  7. Click Log in to go to the Finish screen.


  8. Leave Open website to start editing checked to open the FileCloud user portal and the Desktop Edit dashboard now, and click Ok.
    At this point, the Desktop Edit dashboard does not display any files:

The Edit in Desktop option in the user portal appears as Open in [application name], from the edit icon or in the context menu for the file. If there is no associated application in your desktop, it appears as Edit in Desktop.

To edit a file in the desktop:

  1. Open the Desktop Edit dashboard and the FileCloud user portal.
  2. Hover over the file in the user portal and click the Edit icon. Choose Open in Desktop.

    The file opens in the application you have associated it with in your desktop, or prompts you to choose an application to open it with.
  3. Make edits to the file and save it.
    Desktop edit automatically updates the file in the user portal with the edits you have made.
    Auto-unlock is not supported in Desktop Edit; the file must be unlocked from the Desktop Edit dashboard. See Using the Desktop Edit Dashboard, below.

You can monitor and view the history of your Desktop Edit actions as well as change Desktop Edit settings, get help, and open files directly from the Desktop Edit dashboard.

To view and open recently opened files:

You can see which files you have recently opened by clicking the Files icon at the bottom of the Desktop Edit dashboard.

Click the name of a file to open it in its editor again. The user portal does not have to be open.

Auto-unlock is not supported for files in Desktop Edit. (Desktop Edit unlocks files when you exit the application.) Use the Unlock link in the Desktop Edit dashboard to unlock a file after it's been opened.

To see Desktop Edit activities:

You can see a record of your activities in Desktop Edit by clicking the Activity icon at the bottom of the Desktop Edit dashboard.

To open the user portal:

If the user portal is closed, you can open it from  Desktop Edit by clicking the Open Website icon at the bottom of the Desktop Edit dashboard.




To change settings:

You can change your Desktop Edit settings by clicking the Settings icon at the bottom of the Desktop Edit dashboard. For help with the settings, see Installing and configuring Desktop Edit, above.

Getting help and updating Desktop Edit:

To access help documentation or contact support, review log files, or check for Desktop Edit updates, click the Help icon at the bottom of the Desktop Edit dashboard.

To change credentials or exit Desktop Edit:

To modify your login credentials, reset Desktop Edit, or exit the application, choose the option in the user drop-down menu.

If you reset, you must configure your login and settings in the Setup Wizard again.

Use the following instructions to help you choose your login method and enter your credentials when you are setting up Desktop Edit for the first time in the following screen, as explained above in Installing and configuring Desktop Edit.

For Login Method, leave the default of Password, or choose SSO or Device Authentication Code.

  • If you use Password: 
    1. In Server URL, type the address of your FileCloud server.
    2. In Account and Password, type in the credentials that were sent to you when your FileCloud account was created.
    3. Click Log in.

  • If you choose SSO (single sign-on), type the address of your FileCloud server.
    You are redirected to the SSO Login page, where you can enter your username and SSO password to log in. 

  • If you choose Device Authentication code
    1. In Server URL, type the address of your FileCloud server.
    2. In Account, type in the username that was sent to you when your FileCloud account was created.
    3. Click Log in.
      An Enter Device Code dialog box opens.

    4. Click Open Website.
      The login screen of the user portal opens.
    5. Log in to the user portal.
    6. In the upper-right corner of the screen, click your username and choose Settings.
    7. In the Settings screen, click Devices.
    8. Next to the listing for the client application, click the check.

      A dialog box with the device authentication code opens.
    9. Enter the authentication code into the Enter Device Code dialog box, and click Submit.

  • Or enter Proxy settings.