Docs and Attachments won’t open through Web Apps

Question

Docs and Attachments won’t open through Web Apps

SP 0

I am not able to open any of my prior documents in excel or powerpoint - nor am I able to open attachments from my Microsoft 365 Outlook emails. I am getting the below error message which states ’This Site Can’t Be Reached'. Are you able to help me figure out how to get back to being able to access my files?

Thank you,

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Answer 1

Tammy-Ng 5,270 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear SP

Welcome, and thank you for sharing your issue in the Q&A forum.

Based on the information you provided, I understand you are experiencing difficulties opening documents in Excel or PowerPoint, as well as opening attachments from Microsoft 365 Outlook emails. Here are some suggested steps to try:

Access Outlook Web

Open a browser. Go to https://outlook.office.com.
Sign in with your Microsoft 365 company account.

Check the following:

Is the issue happening with one specific file or multiple files?
Have you tried opening the file on another device, preferably a Windows PC, to rule out macOS-related issues?
Can you open emails normally?
Can you download attachments successfully?

If the file opens from Outlook Web, the issue may be with the Outlook or Office apps on your Mac.

Verify Network and VPN

Disconnect VPN if it’s enabled.
Ensure your internet connection is stable.

If the issue persists, consider checking your Office version and rolling back to a previously stable build. This depends on how Office was installed:

If installed from the Mac App Store: You cannot roll back to a previous version. Your only option is to uninstall the App Store version and reinstall Office by downloading it from the Microsoft website: Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac

If installed from the Microsoft Website (Retail/Web Download): You can roll back by:

Uninstalling your current version of Office.
Visiting the Update history for Office for Mac page and downloading the installer package for a stable older version (e.g., 16.100 or 16.99).

After updating or rolling back, to prevent automatic updates:

Go to Word >> Help >> Check for Updates
Uncheck Automatically download and install

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We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience while this issue is resolved. We hope these steps are helpful. If you need further assistance or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to support you.

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SP 0 Reputation points

2025-12-03T04:29:06.4933333+00:00
Thank you, - you understand my problem perfectly! My trouble is, I only use the web app - no desktop version.

To answer your questions:

Is the issue happening with one specific file or multiple files? multiple files; specifically when I click out to web based excel or ppt - I can see my files but the error message appears when I click to open them.

Have you tried opening the file on another device, preferably a Windows PC, to rule out macOS-related issues? I have not - I don't have access to one. These worked fine last week.

Can you open emails normally? Yes

Can you download attachments successfully? Yes
Tammy-Ng 5,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T04:53:09.32+00:00
Dear SP
Thank you for confirming those details! Since you’re using the web app, please try the following steps:

1.Check your browser: Let us know which browser you’re using. If possible, try opening the files in a different browser.

2.Clear cache and cookies (based on my experience, this often resolves similar issues):

Safari: Go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data > Remove All.

Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data.

3.Access OneDrive directly: Visit https://www.office.com, click OneDrive, and try opening the same file from there. You can also try opening the link in a Private/Incognito window.

4.Sign out and back in: If the issue persists, sign out of all Microsoft accounts in your browser and then sign back in.

Please let us know the results we’re here to help!
SP 0 Reputation points

2025-12-03T20:08:39.55+00:00
Thanks @Tammy-Ng -

I'm using chrome but also tried on duck duck go with the same result

I do this and now I'm getting a new error message that says 'This site can't Provide a secure connection.'.

Sadly, didn't work in regular or incognito.

I've signed out and rebooted - no fix!

Thanks so much for continuing to help.
Tammy-Ng 5,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T01:33:19.5766667+00:00
Dear SP

Thank you for trying those steps! Since the issue persists, let’s try opening the files directly from OneDrive instead of using the email link:

Open your browser (Chrome is fine).

Go to https://www.office.com and sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.

Click OneDrive from the left menu.

Locate the file you were trying to open and click it to see if it opens successfully.

This will help us confirm if the problem is with the email link or with the service itself.

Please let us know the result!
Tammy-Ng 5,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-05T04:52:15.92+00:00

Dear SP

Just writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.

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Docs and Attachments won’t open through Web Apps

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