Find and open a file on my ipad

John Morris 0 Reputation points
2026-08-10T14:19:41.5933333+00:00

All my local ipad excel files now have a dates stamp of 8/4/26. I am unable to open two of them that I use routinely. The rest open correctly.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | iOS
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  1. IGYQ 22,055 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-11T14:02:16.57+00:00

    The error that you have there - file has been moved, deleted, or renamed, your file(two documents that are not working) it's either missing or got moved from it's original place where you saved it (could be OneDrive, SharePoint, local drive or external drive).

    Can you tell me where did you save those files? are you opening them from a shortcut on your desktop or somewhere else?

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  2. IGYQ 22,055 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-11T13:55:56.6866667+00:00

    The error that you have there - file has been moved, deleted, or renamed, your file(two documents that are not working) it's either missing or got moved from it's original place where you saved it (could be OneDrive, SharePoint, local drive or external drive).

    Can you tell me where did you save those files? are you opening them from a shortcut on your desktop or somewhere else?

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  3. IGYQ 22,055 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-10T15:29:03.71+00:00

    Hi!

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Can you tell me is there any error that appears when you open the affected document? Also, can you recall any iOS update before it happened?

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  4. AI answer

    2026-08-10T14:20:01.33+00:00

    On iPad, the most likely cause is that those two files are in a format Excel for iOS cannot open or can only open as read-only.

    Check the file type first:

    • Supported for open/edit: .xlsx
    • Supported for open/edit with limitation: .xlsm (VBA functions will not run)
    • Open read-only: .xls, .xltx, .xlsb, .csv, .ods, .xlt
    • Not supported on iOS: .xltm, .xla, .xlam, .xml, .dif, .htm, .html, .mht, .prn, .slk, .sylk, .txt, older BIFF formats

    If either file is password-protected and in an unsupported format, open it on a Windows computer and save it as .xlsx. Microsoft notes this can be a workaround, but some formatting, features, or recent changes might not be preserved.

    If the files are .ods, Excel for iPad can open them only after online conversion. To edit and save:

    1. Tap Open in Excel on iPad.
    2. Browse to the file location.
    3. Tap the .ods file.
    4. When prompted, tap Allow to let the Microsoft online service convert it.
    5. After it opens as read-only, tap Duplicate to save an editable .xlsx copy.

    If the files are stored in SharePoint 2010, that is a separate known issue on iPad. Use one of these methods:

    1. In Excel for iPad, select Add a Place.
    2. Choose SharePoint site URL.
    3. Enter the document library URL, then sign in.

    Or:

    1. Open the SharePoint document library.
    2. Select Download a copy.

    The date stamp change to 8/4/26 is not explained in the available documentation, but the file format and storage location are supported checks for files that suddenly stop opening while others still work.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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