Cannot access excel file now excel installed on iPad

Installing Excel and creating an Outlook account shouldn’t automatically move your files from iCloud to OneDrive. You may be seeing a recent-file shortcut or a file that hasn’t downloaded, rather than a usable local copy.

Start on your Mac and find the workbook in Finder, rather than Excel’s Recent list. Check iCloud Drive and OneDrive. If it has a cloud icon, right-click it and choose Download Now or Always Keep on This Device, depending on where it’s stored. Once downloaded, copy it to your Downloads folder and try opening that copy.

If it won’t download, check iCloud.com > Drive and OneDrive.com directly, using the account associated with each service. If you find the workbook, download a copy from there. For OneDrive, make sure you’re using the account that originally held the file—your newly created Outlook account won’t contain files from another account.

On the iPad, use Files > Browse to check the actual iCloud Drive or OneDrive location rather than opening it from Recents.

Don’t delete either cloud copy or sign out of iCloud while you’re tracking it down. If the downloaded copy still won’t open, the exact error message will help distinguish a permissions problem from a damaged workbook.