Forum Discussion
Links to Spreadsheet on Android homepage gets greyed out
I have spreadsheets on OneDrive that I access via Excel Mobile. Since I used them every day, I created links to each of them on the android homepage. This has worked successfully for me for a very long time, but now the home page links being are being greyed out. When I open Excel to recreate the link, Excel does not list the file in the recent history, and I must go through the process of finding the file, opening and re-pinning it. I have tried opening the file from the laptop and making it favorite, but that doesn't help. Both Favorite and Pin fail. I have spent hours both alone and with Microsoft Tech Support trying to fix this. I tried everything they or I could think of, but no joy. They gave up, and suggested I ask the community, so I am asking.
This is a known issue affecting Excel Mobile on Android, especially for users who rely on home screen shortcuts to OneDrive Excel files. These shortcuts may become greyed out, non-responsive, or disconnected after an app update, cache issue, or OneDrive/Excel sync conflict.
Here are a few fixes to try that might help (I haven't tried them yet).
Clear Cache for Excel & OneDrive Apps
Go to Settings > Apps > Excel
Tap Storage > Clear Cache (not data!)
Do the same for OneDrive
Reboot phone
Recreate Shortcuts Manually
Instead of using Excel’s built-in pinning:
Open OneDrive App
Navigate to the Excel file
Tap the three dots (⋮) next to the file
Select “Add to Home Screen”
This creates a direct file shortcut that usually doesn't get greyed out
This method bypasses Excel's shortcut system and directly uses OneDrive, which tends to be more stable.
Additional trys
Ensure the File is Fully Synced and Not Offline-Only
Check Excel Mobile Permissions
Do NOT rely on Excel's Recent Files to Pin
If this continues:
Use a third-party file manager like Solid Explorer with OneDrive plugin
Create shortcuts to Excel files from there — this avoids the Excel/OneDrive app bugs entirely
Microsoft is aware of issues with pinned file handling in Excel Mobile (reported in late 2024–2025), but hasn't patched all of them yet. Until then, OneDrive → Add to Home Screen remains the most reliable method.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
2 Replies
Thank You! I am going to try all of the suggestions. Shocking that Microsoft Tech Support did not know this. I spent a total of over 4 hours with them and they had no clue.
This is a known issue affecting Excel Mobile on Android, especially for users who rely on home screen shortcuts to OneDrive Excel files. These shortcuts may become greyed out, non-responsive, or disconnected after an app update, cache issue, or OneDrive/Excel sync conflict.
Here are a few fixes to try that might help (I haven't tried them yet).
Clear Cache for Excel & OneDrive Apps
Go to Settings > Apps > Excel
Tap Storage > Clear Cache (not data!)
Do the same for OneDrive
Reboot phone
Recreate Shortcuts Manually
Instead of using Excel’s built-in pinning:
Open OneDrive App
Navigate to the Excel file
Tap the three dots (⋮) next to the file
Select “Add to Home Screen”
This creates a direct file shortcut that usually doesn't get greyed out
This method bypasses Excel's shortcut system and directly uses OneDrive, which tends to be more stable.
Additional trys
Ensure the File is Fully Synced and Not Offline-Only
Check Excel Mobile Permissions
Do NOT rely on Excel's Recent Files to Pin
If this continues:
Use a third-party file manager like Solid Explorer with OneDrive plugin
Create shortcuts to Excel files from there — this avoids the Excel/OneDrive app bugs entirely
Microsoft is aware of issues with pinned file handling in Excel Mobile (reported in late 2024–2025), but hasn't patched all of them yet. Until then, OneDrive → Add to Home Screen remains the most reliable method.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
