Knowledge Center

General

Creating Office Files

Installing Synology Office allows you to use the following functions in Synology Drive:

  • Create documents, spreadsheets, and slides which support online collaboration of multiple users.
  • Create encrypted documents, spreadsheets, and slides for the protection of private files.

Default Locale Settings

In addition to the display language in Synology Office, which can be selected at Settings > Display, you may also want to change the formatting of numbers, currencies, and dates according to your language and geographic region when working with spreadsheets. Follow the steps below to change the default locale for all spreadsheets.

  1. Click the Account icon > Settings > Synology Office > Default locale.
  2. The default locale will be the same as your browser locale. Select a locale from the drop-down menu to change the default locale.
  3. Click OK.

Note:

  • If you want to adjust to locale settings of the current spreadsheet, go to File > Spreadsheet settings, and choose a locale from the Locale drop-down menu.

Compatibility of Synology Office Files with Microsoft Files

To convert Microsoft Office files to Synology Office files:

  1. Right-click on a Microsoft file.
  2. Click the Convert to Office file option.
  3. The Microsoft Office file will be converted to a new Synology Office file.

Supported file formats for conversion:

  • Document:
    • .docx
    • .odt, .rtf, .doc (We recommend installing Document Viewer for better compatibility.)
  • Spreadsheet:
    • .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm, .csv
    • .xls, .xlt, .ods, .ots (We recommend installing Document Viewer for better compatibility.)
  • Slides:
    • .pptx
    • .odp, .ppt (We recommend installing Document Viewer for better compatibility.)

To download Synology Office files as Microsoft Office files:

Do either of the following:

  • Right-click on a Synology Office file and select Download.
  • Open a file, click File > Download as, and select the desired file type.

Supported file formats for downloads:

  • Document:
    • .docx
    • .pdf (Requires using browsers that support PDF printing)
    • .odt (Requires installing Document Viewer)
  • Spreadsheet:
    • .xlsx, .pdf, .csv
    • .ods (Requires installing Document Viewer)
  • Slides:
    • .pptx
    • .pdf (Requires using browsers that support PDF printing)
    • .odp (Requires installing Document Viewer)

Note:

  • Only formats (e.g., font size, text color, comments, hyperlinks, chart types) supported by Synology Office will be converted.

Managing Templates

The Synology Office package provides a variety of built-in templates, which all users can create files with but are not allowed to edit, share, delete, or rename. However, users can also create their own customized templates, which they could edit, share, delete, rename, and publish. To go to the template page, click File > New file > From template.

To create a customized template:

  1. Open an existing file that you would like to save as a template.
  2. Open the File menu, and click Save as template.
  3. Specify a name for the template.

Note:

  • The historical versions and encryption settings of the original file will not be saved into the template, and neither will any comments or revisions.

To share a template:

Click the Share icon in the toolbar. Select who you want to share the template with and what type of permission to give. After the template is shared, users with permission will be able to see it by clicking + > From template in the Synology Drive portal or File > New file > From template in the Synology Office editor.

You can share your template with:

  1. User: for specific users to access your template.
  2. Group: for users in specific groups to access your template.
  3. Internal: for all internal users who can access Synology Drive to access your template.

Permission types for template sharing include:

  1. Edit: Users who are given the editing permission can edit, share, delete, and rename your template.
  2. View: Users with the viewing permission can only create new files with your template.

Note:

  • Users with administrative privileges can manage all templates.

To share a template URL:

To share your template via a URL, click the Share icon in the tool bar, copy the sharing link of the template, and send it to whoever you would like to share the template with.

After receiving and opening the link:

  1. Users with the View permission will be directed to the view mode.
  2. Users with the Edit permission will also be directed to the view mode, but can switch to editing as well.
  3. Users with no permission will be directed to the Request access page.

Using Templates

For built-in templates, you can only preview and create files with them from the template page. As for templates shared to you by other users, you can view and create files with a template that you have the permission to view, while for a template that you are permitted to edit, you will be able to rename, delete, edit, and publish it. For more details, see below:

To edit and publish a template:

  1. Edit your templates like any other regular file.
  2. After your editing is complete, publish the template to make sure that users who create files with the template will be using the finished version of it.

Note:

  • When a file is saved as a template, the system will deem it already published.
  • When accessing a template via its URL, users will see the template version published most recently instead of one that’s still under editing.
  • The comments, revisions, and version history of a template will not be save into files that are created with it.

Find and Replace

To find and replace a term:

  1. Click the Edit menu > Find and replace, or simply press Ctrl + F.
  2. Type a term into the search field. All occurrences of the term will be highlighted.
  3. If multiple results are found, you can switch between the previous and the next one using the left and right arrows.
  4. Click More Options for the following advanced options:
    • Available in Document, Spreadsheet, and Slides
      • Match case: Case-sensitive search.
      • Search using regular expressions: Search using a string pattern. For a list of common regular expressions, refer to the Note section below.
    • Available in Spreadsheet only
      • Match entire cell contents: Search for cells that are an exact match.
      • Also search within formulas but ignore formula results: Search within cell formula but not the results of the formula.
  5. To replace a term, click More Options, type the new text into the Replace with field, and do either of the following:
    • Click Replace to replace a single occurrence of the term.
    • Click Replace all to replace all occurrences of the the term.

    Note: Replace with capture group is only supported in Spreadsheet. Use "$(number)" in the replace field to reference the capture group in the corresponding sequence.

Note:

The table below lists common regular expressions and examples of how they are used.

Expression Usage Example Match Not a Match
. Use "." to represent any character in the specified position to search for words that match this criteria. c.t cat, cot ct, caat
* Use "*" after a character to search for words with the character displayed 0 or more times. so*n sn, son, soon soun, sOn
+ Use "+" after a character to search for words with the character displayed 1 or more times. fo+d fod, food, foood fd, foud
^ Use "^" at the beginning of a regular expression to search for words that begin with the specified character(s).1 ^po post, poke pane, a post
$ Use "$" at the end of a regular expression to search for words that end with the specified character(s).1 tion$ position, station stations, ratio
? Use "?" to indicate the previous character is optional. bi?t bt, bit biit, bIt
\s Use "\s" in place of a blank to search for words that have a white-space (space, tab, form feed, line feed) in the specified position. p\st p t, p[ctrl+enter]t pt, pot
\d Use "\d" to search for words that have a numeric digit in the specified position. b\dg b1g, b3g bag, b1ag
{A,B} Use "{A,B}" after a character to search for words with the character repeated between A and B times. A and B should be positive integers and 0. co{1,2}k cok, cook ck, cooook
[ab] Use "[ab]" to search for words that include any of the specified character(s) in the specified position. d[io]g dig, dog dag, diog
[^ab] Use "[^ab]" to search for words that do not include the specified character(s) in the specified position. b[^ae]d bud, bOd, bcd bad, bed, bead
[a-z], [A-Z], [1-9] Use "[a-z]", "[A-Z]", or "[1-9]" to search for words that include any of the specified character within the specified range, including upper-case or lower-case letters, numbers, or a combination of the above (e.g., [A-Za-z1-9]). b[a-p]g bag, bfg, bog bapg, b1g
  1. Available in Spreadsheet only.

Color Picker

Color picker lets you copy any color from the current browser and apply it for a consistent look throughout the file.

To use the color picker:

  1. Click the downward triangle next to any color selector (e.g., text color or background color) and click Color picker. Your cursor then turns into an eyedropper.
  2. Use the eyedropper to click on the color you want to copy. The color is now saved as a recent color.
  3. Apply the copied color to the desired text or object.

Note:

  • Color picker is only available if you have installed Synology Office Extension.
  • The eyedropper is only available on Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Chromium).

Immersive Mode

The Immersive mode hides the menu and toolbar, allowing you to focus on your documents without distraction.

To hide the menu:

  1. Click the Immersive mode icon at the right corner of the toolbar.
  2. Select Hide the menu bar.

To hide the menu and toolbar:

  1. Click the Immersive mode icon at the right corner of the toolbar.
  2. Select Hide menu and toolbars.

To show the menu:

  1. Click the Immersive mode icon at the right corner of the toolbar.
  2. Unselect Hide the menu bar.

To show the menu and toolbar, do either of the following:

  • Press ESC.
  • Right-click and select Show menu and toolbars.

Note:

  • Synology Office memorizes your most recent view. Your file will appear in the same view the next time you open it.
  • Modifying your view will not affect other users viewing the same file.

Managing File Versions

When you work on your files in Synology Office, versions will be saved automatically to the server periodically, so you won't have to worry about any loss of information if you close a file without saving it. The complete version history for each file is recorded, including the last modified time and users who have made changes to the file.

To restore or copy a file version:

  1. Open a file.
  2. Click the View History icon in the left sidebar. You will then see a main window with a list of historical versions on the right side.
  3. Click on a version from the list, and a preview of this version will appear in the main window. Switch from the Hide record mode to Show record for the differences between versions to be highlighted.
  4. You can click the More icon on the right end of an unnamed version and choose Name version to specify a name for the version.
  5. You can also click the More icon on the right end of a named version and choose Rename or Remove name to rename or delete the name of the version.
  6. Click Restore in the lower-right corner to restore the file to the selected version, which will overwrite the current one. Alternatively, click Make a copy to save the selected version as a separate file.

Note:

  • If you have not enabled version rotation for Synology Office, there is no limit to the number of historical versions.
  • Synology Office will create a new historical version in the following situations:
    • When the modifications you make to a file include a certain number of commands. Note that one action may include several commands and that the command count will be reset once a historical version has been created.
      • For document, when the modifications include 1,000 commands
      • For spreadsheet, when the modifications include 100 commands
      • For slides, when the modifications include 1,000 commands
    • Ten minutes after Synology Office receives the first command.
    • After you download, delete, make a copy, or restore a file to a historical version.
    • When you click File > Version history > Name current version to name the current version of your file.

Encrypting Files

You can add password protection to confidential files, which can be done as you create a file or afterwards.

To create a new file with encryption:

  1. Click File > New encrypted file.
  2. Select Document, Spreadsheet or Slides.
  3. Enter and confirm the password, and then click OK. The encrypted file will be opened in a new tab.

Note:

  • The title of an encrypted file will still be visible to other users.

To add encryption to an existing file:

  1. Click the Encrypt icon in the left sidebar after opening a file.
  2. You can edit the title if necessary.
  3. Enter a password into the Password field.
  4. Enter the password again into the Confirm password field.

Note:

The following data will not be retained in the encrypted file:

  • Labels
  • Sharing permission
  • Star
  • Historical versions

To change the password of an encrypted file:

  1. Click the Encrypt icon in the left sidebar after opening a file.
  2. Select Change password.
  3. Enter the current password in the Password field.
  4. Enter the new password in the New password field.
  5. Enter the new password again in the Confirm password field.
  6. Click OK.

To create an unencrypted copy of an encrypted file:

  1. Click the Encrypt icon in the left sidebar after opening a file.
  2. Select Create an unencrypted copy.
  3. Enter the password in the Password field.
  4. Click OK.

Sharing Synology Office Files

You can choose whether to grant viewing, editing, commenting, or managing permission to other DSM users or groups. After a file is shared, invitees will accept notifications.

To share files with other users:

Click File > Share. On the Permission tab, select one of the below options from the Privacy Settings drop-down menu.

  • Private - Only invitees can access

    • The list of accounts that you invited below can access the item according to their corresponding permission.

  • Internal - Anyone with an account can view/edit

    • All accounts with the permission to access Synology Drive on that Synology NAS can access the item when signed in.

To create a public sharing link, refer to the To share files with anyone via public link section.

When granting users permission to view file contents in Privacy Settings, you can unselect the option Allow options to download or copy to prevent sensitive file contents from being easily copied by or shared with other users.

Note:

  • Unselecting Allow options to download or copy disallows users to download, print, or copy your content from the user interface. However, keep in mind that web browsers are naturally designed to download data in order to render the content. As such, users with more technical skills may still be able to circumvent the protection measure.

To invite accounts:

  1. In the User/Group field, enter a DSM username or a group name. An autocomplete list of usernames or group names will appear as you start typing.
  2. Select whether you want to allow this user or group to view, edit, manage, or only comment on this item from the drop-down menu.
  3. Click the + button to share this item with that user or group. You can add multiple users or groups.
  4. Click OK.

To share files with anyone via a public link:

Synology Office supports password and expiration protections for public sharing links in the Public Link tab.

  1. Click File > Get link, or click the Get link icon in the left sidebar and click Sharing settings.
  2. In the Public Link tab, select the checkbox to create a public link for this item.
  3. Select whether you want to only allow people with this link to view, to comment on, or to edit this item from the Privacy Settings drop-down menu.
  4. When selecting the viewing permission in Privacy Settings, you can unselect Allow options to download or copy to prevent sensitive file contents from being easily copied by or shared to by other users.
  5. Select the checkbox under Password Protection to add password protection for this sharing link, and enter the password in the text field. The password can be displayed by clicking .
  6. Select the checkbox under Link Expiration to set an expiration date for this sharing link. Enter the date or click to configure the date.
  7. Click Save.

Note:

  1. You can share files only with DSM users and groups that have permission to access Synology Drive and Synology Office. You can grant permission to a certain user or group in Control Panel > User & Group.
  2. When there is a discrepancy between the sharing link permission and permission given directly to an account, the looser permission restriction applies.
  3. Users given the Manager role have the same file link permission settings as the owner, as well as the ability to modify file link settings for other users.

To obtain file links:

  1. Click the Get link icon in the left sidebar after opening a file.
  2. Click on the clipboard icon to copy the file link and share it with others.

Note:

  • Only users with the Manager permission are allowed to modify link settings and obtain public links of the files.

Backup and Restoration

With Hyper Backup, you can back up Synology Office to local or remote destinations and restore the settings and data of the package to a previous point of time. You must backup both Synology Drive and Synology Office at the same time because Synology Office files are managed in Synology Drive. For detailed information, go to Synology Drive Help > Backup and Restoration.

Creating Office Files
Default Locale Settings
Compatibility of Synology Office Files with Microsoft Files
Managing Templates
Using Templates
Find and Replace
Color Picker
Immersive Mode
Managing File Versions
Encrypting Files
Sharing Synology Office Files
Backup and Restoration