unable to open Excel file from Sharepoint

Copper Contributor

"Hello, I am experiencing issues with certain users unable to open files from SharePoint in Excel desktop, although they can do so in the browser. Accessing files from local drives or OneDrive is functioning correctly. This problem is affecting multiple SharePoint instances and arose after the MS365 update. The error message 'You can't open this file' appears. Can anyone assist me in resolving this issue? Thank you

1 Reply
Here are some troubleshooting steps for the issue of being unable to open Excel files from SharePoint in Excel desktop:

Office Repair: Go to 'Programs and Features' on your PC, select Microsoft Office, and click 'Change'. Choose 'Online Repair'. This fixes most of the Office-related issues.

Office Updates: Ensure Excel and other Office applications are updated to the latest version. Updates might contain patches for software conflicts caused by the MS365 update.

Clear Cache: Clear the Office cache. This can be found in C:\Users[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office[version number]\OfficeFileCache. Backup, then delete the content of the folder.

Check Permissions: Ensure that users have appropriate permissions on SharePoint. Sometimes, users can view in a browser but not in the desktop due to different permission levels.

File Associations: Ensure .xlsx files are associated with Excel desktop. You can check this in the default apps or programs setting of your operating system.

Disable Add-ins: Start Excel in Safe Mode (by holding 'Ctrl' while starting Excel) to see if any add-ins are causing the issue. If it works in Safe Mode, disable add-ins one by one to identify the culprit.