Sharepoint differences in opening Excel files

Question

I have an unusual issue and I'm not sure if it's a teams, sharepoint or Excel online issue. On our teams site, we have a sharepoint page with quicklinks. When we open Excel files on some of the quicklinks, it opens the file within the teams structure (taking over the entire teams screen with the exception of the far left icon bar and top menu). When this happens the user has an option to "close" the excel document easily with a button that says close on the right hand side. However, we also have another set of quick links where the excel file opens only within the sharepoint page section and doesn't have a close button but only a "catch up" button on the right hand side. I've tried to see if there are any setting differences and all the pages seem to be linked the same way with the same settings. I'm not sure what we are missing that is causing this difference. It makes it almost impossible to close the file without "reloading the window" and returning to the sharepoint page.

Thanks for any suggestions, I feel like I've exhausted every search and option for this.

jm_herard · Answer

The difference does not comes from the file itself but the way of opening it.
From Teams, you are opening your file in Excel Online (which shows this close button).
From SharePoint, user will probably have to use the arrows located in his/her web browser.

dblemker · Answer

jm_herard&nbsp;although I appreciate your reply, it doesn't answer my question. Both files are being opened from the same location (inside Teams on a Sharepoint page from a quicklink). So it isn't about the way of opening it. The files are all excel files opened from a Sharepoint page quick link in teams and they behave differently.

jm_herard · Answer

Can you join a screenshot showing files Porperties from SharePoint?

dhirenmehtamsft · Answer

dblemker&nbsp;&nbsp;I did some testing on my lab tenant and I have partially noticed the same behavior that you have described. However, few things to note here.1.&nbsp; In my case, when I am using QuickLinks web part on the SharePoint page, All the Excel/ Word/PowerPoint files are only showing Catch up button and NOT the Close button. This is because when you use QuickLinks web part, and click on the Link on the page (from the Teams client), it's loading the Link as a whole page in the Teams client. (This is the same behavior you will see when you will click on the Link from the SPO site in the browser directly). Also, you will notice in this scenario that the URL of the Page doesn't change (you can use Fiddler or web version of Teams in the browser to notice this). This means that when you are using QuickLinks web part links in the SharePoint page and when you are opening the SharePoint page from Teams client, Team client is simply opening the link as a new page (like how you would see in the browser). 2. However, When I have Document Library web part on the same SharePoint page and when I tried to open the Excel files form the Library web part in Teams client, I can see the Close button and also, the Excel file taking over entire Teams client real estate (as you have mentioned). This is because when you are opening the file from Document Library web part, Teams client is using DOCX/XLSX Viewer Web/App Part Functionality to display the file and this Web/App part seems to have Close button in it. If you open the teams team in Browser and click on the Excel file from Document Library web part on the SharePoint Page tab, you will see the URL pointing to something like this. https://teams.microsoft.com/_#/xlsx/viewer/teams and also look at the browser tab title changing with something like "XLSX File Viewer | Microsoft Teams"

&nbsp;
- So from what I am seeing based on my research and testing, the behavior you are seeing is currently by design. However, if you are seeing these two different behaviors using the QuickLinks web part itself, then can you please provide detailed repro steps and some screenshot to better understand the scenario?

dblemker · Answer

DhirenMehtaMSFT&nbsp;Thank you for this. I thought you were on to something... but alas I don't think so. I'm going to try to share as much as I can about the files without violating our company policy with information sharing.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Sharepoint page loading within teams as our "Main Menu" of sorts is made up of multiple web parts with quick links. I used the browser version of teams to get the links for you as you suggested. One section of the quick links opens an excel document as this:&nbsp;https://teams.microsoft.com/_#/xlsm/viewer/teams&nbsp;The other part opens excel files as this:&nbsp;https://teams.microsoft.com/_#/tab::1a097827-23d1-4415-b11f-fca99483ccb4/General?&nbsp;(within continuing thread ID information that I can't paste without it renaming it).&nbsp;The weird thing is, all files were added the same way: Add Link&gt;Site or Add Link&gt;From a Link. Both options respond the same way. But for some reason, the few files react differently and come up as the xlsm viewer. I don't know how to force it to load it that way. None of my elements are document web parts (that I know of). Everything is set up as quick links.

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Sharepoint differences in opening Excel files

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