Sheet View not working in Excel online/Excel for the web/Excel web version even when hosted in OneDrive

Annie 0 Reputation points
2026-03-16T11:18:02.04+00:00

Hi support,

I have a question regarding Excel for the web, aka Excel online and Excel web. My team accesses Excel online via OneDrive. We would like to use sheet view in order to not see each other's sorting when we are all editing a sheet at once. However, we find that we are seeing each other's sorting even with sheet views turned on. We created our sheet views using the directions at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-and-manage-sheet-views-in-excel-0eea3dc5-d7d1-44c5-a953-25ebfbd6c1a6. Does sheet view work in Excel for the web?

Some information that may be useful:

  • This issue happens regardless of how many team members are simultaneously editing the sheet. It's as though sheet view is not turned on at all
  • We have tried using sheet view when both members are using a different sheet view, as well as when only one member is using sheet view and the other is using the Default view. The result is the same - we both only see the default view, as though sheet view is not turned on at all
  • Sheet view is not grayed out in the toolbar. It appears fully active and functions exactly as described in the page linked above, with the exception that there is no effect on how spreadsheets appear to us (we all continue to see the Default view, and each other's sorting, when sheet view is turned on)

This question is a follow-up from my original question: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5823794/sheet-view-not-working-in-excel-for-the-web-excel

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-16T11:18:26.93+00:00

    Sheet View works in Excel for the web when the workbook and usage conditions match what Sheet Views support.

    From the documented behavior:

    1. Sheet Views are supported in Excel for the web and are shared across platforms
      • Once a Sheet View is created, it is available on all Excel platforms: Excel for Desktop and Mac, Excel for the web, and Excel on a mobile device.
      • Sheet Views are supported only when the workbook is stored in SharePoint or OneDrive. If a local copy is saved, Sheet Views become unavailable.
    2. How Sheet View is supposed to behave during co-authoring
      • When other people are working on the file and a sort or filter is applied, Excel prompts whether to apply that sort/filter for just one person or for everyone. Choosing the “just you” option is an entry point into Sheet Views and should isolate that user’s sort/filter from others.
      • When a Sheet View is applied, an eye symbol appears next to the worksheet tab name. Hovering over the eye shows the active Sheet View’s name.
      • The Sheet View menu only shows views for the active worksheet, and selecting a view from this menu should change that user’s view without affecting others.
    3. What can still affect everyone
      • Hiding or displaying columns/rows in the default view is global: if columns or rows are hidden or displayed outside a Sheet View, that change persists across all Sheet Views on Excel for Desktop and Mac, and Excel for the web.
      • To keep such layout changes private, they must be done while in a Sheet View, not in the default view.

    Given this, if everyone is:

    • Working in the same workbook stored on OneDrive/SharePoint, and
    • Actually in a non-default Sheet View (eye icon visible, view selected from the Sheet View menu), and
    • Using sorts/filters (not global hide/unhide in default view),

    then each person’s Sheet View should prevent them from seeing each other’s sorts and filters in Excel for the web.

    If the behavior still matches “everyone only sees the default view,” the next checks are:

    • Confirm the file is opened from OneDrive/SharePoint (not a downloaded local copy).
    • Confirm each person has explicitly selected a named Sheet View (or the temporary view) from View > Sheet View, and sees the eye icon on the sheet tab.
    • Ensure sorts/filters are applied after entering the Sheet View, not before.

    If all of the above are correct and the issue persists, it indicates a product issue rather than configuration; in that case, collecting a simple repro workbook and raising it through Microsoft 365 support would be the next step.

    References:

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