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.

Download the latest version

Download the Atlassian Companion app for Mac or Windows.

Single sign-on considerations

If you've configured single sign-on (SSO) in such a way that your reverse proxy redirects the requests to your SSO gateway, and only successfully authenticated requests ever reach Confluence, your users won't be able to edit files using the Atlassian Companion app. This is because the Atlassian Companion app uses JWT tokens to authenticate requests, and only Confluence can authenticate these requests, not your SSO authenticator. 

To make sure requests from the Atlassian Companion app can be authenticated, you should configure your reverse proxy to always allow requests from the following URLs: 

  • <base-url>/rest/token-auth/api/* 
  • <base-url>/download/token-auth/attachments/*
  • <base-url>/plugins/servlet/imgFilter*  
  • <base-url>/rest/analytics/1.0/publish/bulk    (only necessary if you have opted in to data collection)

If an unauthenticated user tries to access these URLs directly, they would be redirected to the Confluence login screen. The wouldn't be able to access any content or download files while unauthenticated.

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 the link above downloads an .exe file instead of the MSI, copy the URL below into your browser to download the file.

https://update-nucleus.atlassian.com/Atlassian-Companion/291cb34fe2296e5fb82b83a04704c9b4/latest/win32/ia32/Atlassian%20Companion.msi

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:

  1. Go to  > General Configuration 
  2. From the drop-down menu, select System.
  3. Click Confluence Previews from the displayed list.
  4. Click the enabled modules link.
  5. 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:

  1. Go to  > General Configuration
  2. From the drop-down menu, select System.
  3. Click Confluence Previews from the displayed list.
  4. Click the enabled modules link.
  5. 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 using Companion.

This table outlines which environments are compatible with the Companion app:

EnvironmentCompatibility with Companion app

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
In this set up, each user gets their own VM (virtual machine), with a centralized service managing deployments.

(tick) Compatible

Session-based virtual desktops
Also referred to as Remote Desktop Service (RDS) or Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH). In this set up, each user shares the same operating system (server).

(error) Not compatible

Virtual app streaming
Also referred to as Remote app publishing. This is where a single app runs on a remote server, but appears on the user's computer as if it were a local app.

(error) Not compatible

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.

Alternatives to the Atlassian Companion app

In some versions of Confluence, you can revert to the previous Edit in Office functionality by enabling it as a dark feature on your site. This is a workaround for customers who are unable to use the Companion app in their environment. See Enable Edit in Office as a dark feature in Confluence

Last modified on Dec 12, 2019

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