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Office document widget

Keep a document, spreadsheet or deck open on a dashboard in its own editor, and work on it without leaving Home.

All plansUpdated

The Office document widget puts one file from PlexiiOffice on a dashboard, already open in its editor. You can type, format and calculate right there, without going to Office first.

It is the same file you open in Office, not a copy. What you change in the widget is saved to that file, so the next time you open it in Office your changes are there.

Where you can use it

  • Office Home has an Office document widget from the start, waiting for you to choose a file. Office Home is in the Office menu, under Communicate.
  • You can add it to Home, Office Home, People Home and Brain Home.
  • You can add as many as you like, one file each. A plan you are writing and the spreadsheet that goes with it can sit side by side.

It comes in two sizes:

  • Medium: two cells wide and one cell tall.
  • Large: two cells wide and two cells tall. New widgets start at Large.

Before you start

  • Plans. The widget works on every plan.
  • A file to show. You need at least one document, spreadsheet or deck. If you do not have one yet, see Create a document, sheet, deck, diagram, design or artwork Coming soon.

Add the widget

  1. Open the dashboard you want, for example Home from the side menu.
  2. Click Customize at the top right, then click Add widget.
  3. Find Office document. Type in Search widgets, or choose the Navigation category.
  4. Click Office document. A list headed Which document? opens.
  5. Choose a file. The list shows your most recently edited files first, and Search documents… narrows it by name.
  6. Choose a size. A live preview shows the widget with your file in it. Use the arrows beside the preview, or the dots under it, to switch between Medium and Large.
  7. Click Add widget. The widget is added at the end of the board.
  8. Drag it to where you want it, then click Done.

Choose a file for the widget on Office Home

The widget that comes with Office Home starts empty. It says No document chosen and Pick a doc, sheet or deck to edit here.

  1. Go to Office Home.
  2. In the empty widget, click Choose a document.
  3. Pick a file from Which document?.

The file opens in the widget straight away.

Work in the widget

The widget shows the file in the same editor you use in Office:

  • A document opens in PlexiiDocs, with its menu bar and formatting toolbar.
  • A spreadsheet opens in PlexiiSheets, with its toolbar, formula bar and sheet tabs.
  • A deck opens in PlexiiSlides, with its slides and toolbar.

Click into the file and work as you would in Office. Your changes are saved as you type.

The editor's own AI tools come with it. In a document, for example, Ask AI in the toolbar drafts text for you. See Draft and rewrite with AI in PlexiDocs Coming soon, Describe a calculation, get a formula Coming soon and AI in PlexiSlides Coming soon.

What to do in Office instead

The widget is for writing and editing. For anything that changes the file itself, open it in Office, where the file's own header and menus act on it:

  • rename it, make a copy, or move it to the trash
  • share it, or chat with people about it
  • add and answer comments on a document
  • look back through its version history

You can open the file from Office Home's Continue widget, or from the Office menu. See Continue widget and Find, star and pin your Office files Coming soon.

Change the file, resize or remove the widget

All three happen in Customize mode.

  1. On the dashboard, click Customize. Small buttons appear at the top right corner of each widget.
  2. Then:
    • To show a different file, click the pencil (Edit Office document) and choose another file from Which document?.
    • To change the size, click the size button. It shows the current size, such as LG, and each click moves to the next size the widget supports.
    • To remove the widget, click × (Remove Office document). This removes the widget only. The file stays in Office.
  3. Click Done.

If the file is no longer there

If the file has been deleted for good, the widget shows its name with is unavailable and It may have been deleted.

  • Click Choose another to pick a different file.
  • Or remove the widget in Customize mode.

Before you move a file to the trash, change the widget to another file or remove it, so the dashboard only shows files you are still using.

Good ways to use it

  • A working document on Office Home. Keep this week's notes or the plan you are writing open where you land in Office.
  • A tracker on Home. Put the spreadsheet you update every day on Home, so updating it is the first thing you see.
  • A deck in progress. Keep the presentation you are building one click from everything else on the dashboard.
  • Two files side by side. Add two Office document widgets at Medium size to read one file while you write the other.

Common questions

Is the widget a copy of my file? No. It shows the file itself. Editing in the widget and editing in Office change the same file.

Can I edit a file with other people at the same time from the widget? For that, open it from Office. A document shared with your organisation opens there for live co-editing, so you see each other's changes and cursors as you work. See Work together in real time.

Can I show the same file on two dashboards? Yes. Add an Office document widget to each dashboard and choose the same file.

Will my dashboard look the same on my other computer? No. Each computer keeps its own dashboard layout, including which file each Office document widget shows. The files themselves are the same everywhere.

How is this different from the Desk object widget? The Office document widget shows a file from Office. The Desk object widget shows one widget from one of your desks. See Desk object widget.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].