Issue to open Excel file on Sharepoint

Question

Issue to open Excel file on Sharepoint

Jonathan 380

Hi,

I have an issue to open one specific Excel file on Sharepoint. Fine to share it here. It would not violate the code of conduct on this forum?

Jonathan 380 Reputation points

2026-08-27T06:19:10.4533333+00:00

I clicked the file on Sharepoint but nothing happened. For other similar Excel file, I can open the file well.
Liora 1,630 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-27T07:03:02.8233333+00:00
Hello Jonathan,

Thank you for the additional information.

The fact that other similar Excel files open normally in SharePoint is very helpful, as it suggests the issue may be related to this specific workbook rather than SharePoint in general.

To help investigate this further, could you please let me know the results of the checks I suggested earlier?

In particular:

Are you able to download the file and open it locally in Excel?

Can other users open the same workbook successfully?

Does the behavior differ between Open in browser and Open in Desktop App?

Have you checked whether an earlier version of the file opens correctly from Version History?

Thank you for your cooperation. I look forward to your update.

Kind regards.

Answer accepted by question author

Liora 1,630 Independent Advisor

Dear Jonathan,

I hope you’re having a good day and thank you for your question.

It would be very helpful if you could provide:

The exact error message you receive when opening the file.
A screenshot of the error (with any sensitive information removed).
Whether the issue occurs when opening the file in Excel Desktop, Excel for the web, or both.
Whether other users can open the same file successfully.
The approximate file size and whether the file contains macros, external connections, Power Query queries, or linked workbooks.

While waiting for your update, I would also suggest performing a few checks:

Try opening the file using Excel for the web if you are currently using the desktop application, or vice versa.
Download a local copy of the file from SharePoint and test whether it opens successfully outside of SharePoint.
Check whether other users are able to open the same workbook.
Test whether the issue affects only this specific file or multiple Excel files stored in the same SharePoint library.
Review the file's version history in SharePoint to determine whether a recent change may have introduced the issue.

The results of these checks will help better understand whether the problem is related to the workbook itself, permissions, SharePoint, or the Excel client.

I hope to hear back from you soon with additional details so we can investigate further.

Thank you, and I wish you a wonderful day.

Warm regards,

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1 additional answer

Your answer

Jonathan 380 Reputation points

2026-08-27T06:19:10.4533333+00:00

I clicked the file on Sharepoint but nothing happened. For other similar Excel file, I can open the file well.
Liora 1,630 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-27T07:03:02.8233333+00:00

Hello Jonathan,

Thank you for the additional information.

The fact that other similar Excel files open normally in SharePoint is very helpful, as it suggests the issue may be related to this specific workbook rather than SharePoint in general.

To help investigate this further, could you please let me know the results of the checks I suggested earlier?

In particular:

Are you able to download the file and open it locally in Excel?

Can other users open the same workbook successfully?

Does the behavior differ between Open in browser and Open in Desktop App?

Have you checked whether an earlier version of the file opens correctly from Version History?

Thank you for your cooperation. I look forward to your update.

Kind regards.

Answer 1

Yes. Sharing details about the problem is appropriate.

Useful details to include:

The exact error message
Whether the problem happens only with that one workbook or with other files too
Whether it fails in SharePoint in the browser, in Excel for the web, or in the desktop Excel app
Whether the file opens as read-only, downloads instead of opening, or nothing happens
Whether the file might contain unsupported features in Excel for the web, such as VBA macros or ActiveX/Form Control buttons
Whether the file name or folder path contains special characters such as [ ], ?, < >, :, |, or *
Whether the file may be corrupted or saved in a format that the app does not support

If the workbook contains buttons, macros, or ActiveX/Form Controls, that is not a SharePoint permission issue. Those features are not supported in Excel for the web, and the workbook should be opened in the Excel desktop app.

If the file name or folder path contains unsupported special characters, rename the file in File Explorer to remove them.

If the file used to open and now does not, file corruption or an incompatible format is also a possible cause.

References: