Gmail now lets you edit Microsoft Office documents from your inbox

Import attached files to Google's Docs formats

Google has today added a new feature to Gmail inboxes that allows users to edit Microsoft Officedocuments sent as email attachments. Click the new "edit" option on an Office file attachment and Gmail will convert the file to the relevant Google format, saving it in Google Drive to allow for continuous editing and sharing. Google has also increased the amount of Office file types it can import to Docs to make this process easier — the list now includes 15 less-used Office formats including presentation show files .pps and .ppsx.
If you need to edit the Office attachments without changing the file type, but don't have the Microsoft suite on your desktop, Google suggests you use its Office Editing Chrome extension. The extension, last updated at the end of November, allows users to alter Office files and save them in their original format from their Chrome browser.