Recipient cannot receive the Excel file

Question

We have created an Excel sheet on Sharepoint. In that file, we insert 119 companies' websites, tick boxes, and used Countif formulas. There are 3 tabs in this file.

I downloaded the file into Excel file and sent it to an email and ccied 2 emails. Mine and other 3 emails are from the same company with the same domain.

However, none of these 3 received my email. When i removed the Excel file, they received the mail successfully. I suppose this is because of the Excel file. How can i solve this problem?

P/s: Previously, i also sent similar Excel files (created by Excel or Google Sheet, including links of websites, tick boxes) and these 3 recipients could receive it.

Answer 1

Hi @Phuong Nguy, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.         

I understand that your email is only blocked when you attach a specific Excel file downloaded from SharePoint, and that the message is delivered normally when the attachment is removed. Since similar Excel files worked in the past, this does seem unusual. To help identify the root cause, I’d like to gather a bit more information from you. 

• Does this issue occur for other users in your organization as well, or only for you?
• Do you receive any bounce‑back message or non‑delivery report (NDR) when the email with the Excel file fails to reach the recipients? 
• Have you checked folders like Junk Email, Deleted Items, or Archive for the missing messages? 
• Can you locate the missing email if you use the search bar? 
• Have you try sending an new Excel file that doesn't contain any link does the issue still persist? 
• Do you or your organization use any email security system (e.g., Exchange Online Protection, Defender for Office 365, Mimecast, Proofpoint, etc.) that might be scanning or blocking attachments?  You could ask your company admin to check in the Exchange admin center, to see if there might be any rules that is blocking from sending the email. 
• The emails doesn't be received by the Exchange Online Protection (EOP). You can involve the tenant admin to run a message trace in Exchange Admin Center (EAC) to check it. 

Thank you again for your time and understanding. While my initial response may not resolve the issue immediately, I’d like to gather more details about your situation so I can assist you more effectively.       

I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response.    

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread   

Answer 2

It seems that the issue you are experiencing with sending the Excel file may be related to the content of the file or specific settings in your email system. Here are some potential causes and solutions:

1. Invalid Message Content: If your Excel file contains certain elements or configurations that trigger transport rules, it may result in a nondelivery report (NDR). You can check if a transport rule is causing the issue by reviewing the rules set up in your email system.
   • You might want to try password-protecting the Excel file before sending it, as this can sometimes bypass restrictions.
2. Email Address Flagged as Spam: It's possible that the email addresses of the recipients are flagged as spam by their email provider when the Excel file is attached. Ask the recipients to check their Junk or Spam folders. If your email address is blocked, they should add it to their Safe Senders list.
3. File Size and Complexity: Sometimes, large or complex files can cause delivery issues. Ensure that the file size is within acceptable limits and consider simplifying the file if possible.
4. Testing with Other Formats: Since you mentioned that similar files were sent successfully in the past, consider testing with a different format (like PDF) or a simplified version of the Excel file to see if the issue persists.
5. Check Email Client Settings: Ensure that the default mail client is set correctly. If you are using New Outlook, it may not be MAPI-compliant, which could lead to issues when sending attachments from Office programs. Switching to Classic Outlook might resolve the issue.

If these suggestions do not resolve the issue, you may want to obtain a message trace to gather more insights about the delivery failure.

---

References:

• 554 5.6.0 Invalid message content when sending a message that contains an Excel or Word attachment
• Email notifications from sharing events aren't delivered to recipients

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