Deploying Box for Google Workspace in your Enterprise

The Box for Google Workspace integration provides access to Google editors' content creation features – creating, collaboratively editing, and auto-saving documents in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides – seamlessly, from directly within Box.

For people who store Google Docs files in Box, the transition to the Box for Google Workspace integration works seamlessly with any existing Google files in Box. For existing documents in Google Drive, people can copy individual files directly into the Box folder of their  choice. Saving G Drive files directly into Box.

You can also engage Box Shuttle services to migrate content in bulk. 

If you are implementing this integration for the first time, please begin with the current Box for Google Workspace integration.

For additional information on unsupported features, see this Google page.

Integration Requirements

With the Box for Google Workspace integration, if you have a paid Box enterprise account, you can connect it only to a paid Google account. However, if you have a paid Google account, you can connect it to a free/personal pro Box account. This is a significant security enhancement, ensuring Box enterprise accounts can only be connected to Google Workspace enterprise accounts and not personal Gmail.

• Box Enterprise to paid Google Workspace: For Box enterprises, you must have a Google Workspace enterprise account to connect to the Box for Google Workspace integration. This includes any paid Google editor SKU, including EDU and ORG licenses. 
  • If you need a paid Google editor SKU, the Box for Google Workspace Essentials is a collection of Google Workspace products curated specifically for Box customers, available to purchase by contacting Google Sales or by accessing the Apps>Individual Application Controls>Box for Google Workspace configuration within the Box Admin Console.

• Individual Box to Personal Gmail Connection: If you have a free/personal pro Box account, you can connect it to either a paid Google account or a free Gmail account. If you’ve been using an enterprise Box account with a free Gmail account up to now, and you upgrade to the current integration, you lose that connection.

Installing and Enabling Box for Google Workspace for your Organization

You can turn on the integration for everyone in your organization via an option in your Admin Console. 

To install and enable the Box for Google Workspace integration

1. From your admin console, in the left sidebar click Apps.
2. In the top of the page, click Box Apps & Integrations.
3. Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section. Search for Box for Google Workspace then next to Box for Google Workspace click the app's status and select Added by default. This adds the Box for Google Workspace integration to every managed user’s account in your organization. That means everyone can access the Box for Google Workspace integration in the Create New and Open With menus.

• If you had been using the earlier version of the Box for Google Docs integration, selecting Added by default also overrides that version.
• If you select Disabled, individuals in your enterprise cannot discover or use the integration.

This integration enables you to open Microsoft Office files in the corresponding Google editors. You may lose some formatting on conversion. If there is potential for format loss, the system displays a banner in the Google editor editing session.

You can also set Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides as the default editing suite for your entire enterprise.

To set Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides as the default editing suite for MS Office files in your organization

1. From your admin console, in the left sidebar click Apps.
2. In the top of the page, click Box Apps & Integrations. Scroll down to the Default Editors section.
3. For each File Type, choose Google Workspace.

This integration enables you to open Office files in the corresponding Google editors. When you do that, you may lose some formatting on conversion. If there is potential for format loss, the system displays a banner in the Google editor editing session.

Any managed user in your Box Enterprise can override this enterprise-wide setting on an individual basis. To do this, a managed user can go to their Account Settings page and then click Integrations.

To enable the Box for Google Workspace integration for your individual enterprise account

If you do not enable Box for Google Workspace, the integration is not installed in your managed users' accounts. Individuals still can access and install the integration from the Box App Gallery unless:

• you have explicitly disabled the Box for Google Workspace integration in your Admin Console
• you have disabled all published third-party apps

Enterprise users can access and install the integration by adding it in the Box App Gallery. To do this:

1. Go to the Box Applications page
2. Locate the listing for Box for Google Workspace and click Add.

The Box for Google Workspace integration is now available. It displays in your Create New and Open With menus. 

To disable the Box for Google Workspace integration for your enterprise

1. From your admin console, in the left sidebar, click Apps.
2. In the top of the page, click Box Apps & Integrations.
3. Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section. Search for Box for Google Workspace and, next to Box for Google Workspace, click the app's status and then select Disabled.

Additional Integration Capabilities

Moving existing files from Google (G Drive) into Box

You can migrate content from G Drive to Box via our Box Shuttle services. Please visit the Box Shuttle Web site for more information.

You can also migrate individual files using the Box for Google Workspace Add-on. 

Box for Google Workspace and mobile devices

You can preview Docs, Sheets, and Slides on mobile devices. As of Q4 2018, you cannot edit or open these files in Google editors. However, this feature is under consideration

Box for Google Workspace and Box Drive

You can access Google editor files from within the Box Drive desktop app.