Can you work offline with Office 365?

Office 365 is the latest edition of the popular Microsoft Office software, and it’s merged with online functionality to the point where you need an Internet connection for most tasks.

But is it possible to work offline?

How autosave works

If you’re working on an online file in SharePoint or OneDrive, your changes will be saved to your local system if you suddenly go offline for any reason. This means you can work even if you’re not sure whether your connection is secure.

Autosave is invaluable for situations where you might be having to move from Wi-Fi connection to Wi-Fi connection, like when you’re flying or going to a lot of meetings. It’s also helpful if you’re conducting interviews or something like that and aren’t sure whether you’ll have connection everywhere you go.

If you want to start offline, though, it can be a little more involved.

Working offline

Microsoft explains a few different ways you can work offline on its Office Support page.

You can start a new document offline through its app. You cannot create one from a template, though, because the templates are stored online. You also have a much more limited selection of fonts because they are also stored online.

You can open files that are stored on your device, too. You can’t work on them through SharePoint or OneDrive unless you’ve opened them through the online application while connected to the Internet at least once, though.

And you can save files offline. Downloading a file from an online location like SharePoint, OneDrive or even Dropbox will still allow you to synchronize changes with the online location. Even if you work on it offline, the latest changes will be saved back to the parent file online once you’ve reached an Internet connection again. You may have to make sure further changes are saved by clicking File>Save, though.

Office 365 is built around online functionality but if you use it right you can get just as much out of it by working offline, too. Want to understand more about how your computer systems work? Follow the TeamLogic IT blog and we’ll give you the tips you need to maximize your productivity. Talk to us today and let us take care of your IT needs.