Administering the Atlassian Companion App
The Atlassian Companion app enables users to edit Confluence files in their preferred desktop application, then save the file back to Confluence automatically.
The download and re-upload of files is managed by the Atlassian Companion app, which needs to be installed on each user's machine (not in the Confluence installation directory) to enable file editing.
On this page:
Download and install the Atlassian Companion app
To edit files, users need to install the Atlassian Companion app and have it running in the background. The first time a user selects 'Edit with' in file preview, we prompt them to download and install the app. See Edit Files for details.
If your users aren't able to install applications themselves, you may want to distribute the app to them or deploy using the Microsoft Installer.
Install the Companion app via Microsoft Installer (MSI)
We also provide a Microsoft Installer package (.msi file) to deploy the Atlassian Companion app for Windows across multiple users or machines. By default, the Companion app installs to the Program Files directory, but you can customize this.
Download the Atlassian Companion MSI (69 MB)
If you deploy using the Microsoft Installer, the Companion app won’t automatically get the latest updates, including security and bug fixes, so some maintenance is required.
We may update the Companion app before or after we release a new version of Confluence. Check the Atlassian Companion app release notes to make sure you're on the latest version.
Disable file editing
System Administrators can remove the edit files option from their Confluence site.
To disable the edit files option when previewing a file:
- Go to
> Manage apps - From the drop-down menu, select System.
- Click Confluence Previews from the displayed list.
- Click the enabled modules link.
- Hover on the Edit With plugin for the Media Viewer (companion-plugin) module, and click Disable.
To disable the edit option from the Attachments page, Attachments macro and View File macros:
- Go to > Manage apps
- From the drop-down menu, select System.
- Click Confluence Previews from the displayed list.
- Click the enabled modules link.
- Hover on the Embedded 'Edit With' button (embedded-edit) module and click Disable.
Compatibility with virtual desktop environments
The Atlassian Companion app only works in some virtual desktop environments. If a user's environment isn't compatible with the Companion app, they won't be able to edit files in Confluence.
This table outlines which environments are compatible with the Companion app:
| Environment | Compatibility with Companion app |
|---|---|
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) |  Compatible |
Session-based virtual desktops |  Not compatible |
Virtual app streaming | Not compatible |
Enable the legacy Edit in Office feature
In 6.11, we removed the Edit in Office feature and replaced it with the Atlassian Companion app to improve the file editing experience in Confluence. Since then, we've heard about several requirements that prevent many of you from using the Companion app. Read more in our community post.
If you're unable to use the Companion app, you can revert to the old Edit in Office functionality by enabling it as a dark feature.
This is currently only available in 6.15.6, and backported to the 6.13.6 Enterprise Release. We recommend you only use this as a short-term workaround, as support for both Edit in Office and WebDAV will be removed from Confluence 7.0 onwards.
Edit in Office uses the Office Connector, and will only only work in some browsers, operating systems, and applications. Check the Office Connector Prerequisites before you start to find a combination that will work for you.
To revert to Edit in Office functionality:
- Go to
<confluence-url>/admin/darkfeatures.action - Add the
enable.legacy.edit.in.officedark feature flag and select Submit.
You need to be logged in as an administrator to do this.
Once the dark feature is enabled, the options provided by the Companion app will no longer be available.
Recover edited files
When a user edits a file, that file is also downloaded and saved to the Atlassian Companion folder on their computer. Files are cleared every time the Companion app restarts.
Follow our guide to accessing Confluence files edited with the Atlassian Companion app.