Edit a Canopy file in the app on your computer, like Excel or Word, and the Desktop Assistant saves your changes back to Canopy.
Required: The Canopy Desktop Assistant installed and signed in on your computer. See Install the Desktop Assistant. Unlocking a file someone else opened needs the Unlock Files permission.
Why it Matters: Update a client's workbook or engagement letter in place, with no downloading and re-uploading, while the file stays locked so no one overwrites your work.
Table of Contents
Edit a File
To edit a file:
In Canopy, right-click the file and select Edit file.
The file opens in your computer's default app for that file type. For example, a .csv opens in Excel if Excel is your default for .csv files.
The file is locked in Canopy while you edit it.
Make your edits.
Click Save, then close the app.
Use Save, not Save As, and don't rename or move the file, or the Desktop Assistant can't upload your edits.
The Desktop Assistant uploads your edits and unlocks the file.
To see files you still have open, open the Desktop Assistant and select the Open edits tab.
If the Desktop Assistant says it can't sync the file automatically, click Sync to Canopy in the Open edits tab.
When Does a File Unlock?
The Desktop Assistant keeps a file locked while you edit it, so no one else can change it at the same time. When it unlocks depends on what happened to the file.
You edited and saved the file: The Desktop Assistant syncs your edits to Canopy and unlocks the file after you save and close the app.
You opened the file but didn't change it: The file unlocks automatically 30 seconds after you close the app. The Desktop Assistant shows a countdown while it waits.
The wait is intentional. Excel and Word can close and reopen a file in Protected View, and the short delay keeps the Desktop Assistant from syncing too early and losing your edits.
The Desktop Assistant can't detect the app: For example, a PDF that opens in a web browser. The file stays locked and the Desktop Assistant tells you it can't sync automatically. Click Sync to Canopy in the Open edits tab to unlock it.
Editing in a Browser or in Numbers and Pages
Web browsers: Clicking Sync to Canopy for a file opened in a browser may only unlock it. It doesn't guarantee your edits were saved to the original file. Microsoft Edge is the only browser confirmed to save edits back to the original file.
Numbers and Pages on Mac: These apps save your work as a separate .numbers or .pages file, so the Desktop Assistant shows the can't-sync-automatically message. Clicking Sync to Canopy unlocks the file in Canopy but doesn't upload the .numbers or .pages file. Upload that saved file to Canopy separately.
Excel and Word on Mac sync normally.
👉 Canopy Tip: If you edit PDFs in a browser, use Microsoft Edge, then click Sync to Canopy when you're done so your changes reach Canopy.
Unlock a File Yourself
Only the person who opened the file, or someone with the Unlock Files permission, can unlock it.
Heads up: Unlocking a file cancels the edits. Canopy keeps the previous version, and the editor's copy moves to their Failed Uploads folder.
To unlock a file:
In Canopy, open the client's files and right-click the locked file.
Select Unlock file.
👉 Learn more: if an edit didn't reach Canopy, see How Do I Troubleshoot the Desktop Assistant?.
Summary
Select Edit file in Canopy, then save and close the file in your app, and the Desktop Assistant syncs and unlocks it. A file you open without changing unlocks 30 seconds after you close the app, and one the Desktop Assistant can't detect needs Sync to Canopy.
Need Help?
Need help? Contact Support or ask Penny, our AI Support Bot, for assistance.