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Spreadsheets read-only on Mobile device all of a sudden. Why?

Anonymous
2024-02-19T08:37:31+00:00

I recently noticed that I am no longer able to edit my excel spreadsheets stored on my university's OneDrive account on my mobile device, despite being able to edit the same spreadsheets on my laptop. I have previously been able to edit the spreadsheets on my mobile device and to my knowledge there has been no change to my university's's subscription to the Microsoft office suite. Why have I lost the ability to edit spreadsheets from my phone and only access documents as read-only and can I restore editing access?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For education | Android

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-02-19T13:11:47+00:00

    Dear Jack,

    Thanks for writing back and sharing the requested information with us.

    As per the further updates, the behavior you are encountering is not an expected because you are able to work on the same Excel workbooks using the Excel application on the laptop, but the same workbooks are not able to edit in the Excel app on the mobile device.

    Since the all Excel workbooks that you are able to work on the Excel app on the laptop should be stored in your cloud locations such as OneDrive or SharePoint Online, I suggest you try to access the same Excel workbook on the browser of your mobile device and see whether you are able to edit.

    If yes but the problem is with the Excel app only on the mobile device, if possible please uninstall the Excel app on your Android device and re-install it to check the outcome.

    If still the same problem, we apologize and request you to please connect with the IT team of your university and request them to raise a new service request from the Microsoft 365 admin center, where the related development team can collect the related logs and perform the further investigation to find out the cause of the issue.

    Reference: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

    Note: To create a support ticket, you need to have admin privileges and if you aren’t admin of your Office 365 organization, please contact the admin of creating a new ticket.

    Appreciate your patience and understanding with us. Have a great day!!

    Best Regards,
    Sophia

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-02-19T10:20:44+00:00

    Hi Sophia,

    I followed those steps and all my excel files are still read-only on my mobile device. In response to your questions:

    1. I am not able to edit any of the excel files created on my laptop, but can create new excel workbooks on my mobile device which I can edit.
    2. I can create and edit new excel files on both my laptop and mobile device.
    3. The files are marked as xlsx on my laptop
    4. There is no error message but it reads "to edit and save, a Microsoft 365 subscription is required". and "links disabled - links to external workbooks are not supported and have been disabled.". Again, neither of these messages come up on my laptop and I am not aware of any sudden changes to my university's subscription.

    Let me know if there is any other information I can provide. Thanks for your help so far.

    Thanks,

    Jack

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-02-19T09:46:46+00:00

    Dear Jack Collins,

    Good day!!

    Apologies for the inconvenience caused and please don’t worry, let’s work together on your concern and move towards the resolution path.

    I understand your concern and I would like to convey that I have tested the behavior at my end by opening the cloud location files in the Office apps on the Android device, where I am able to work on the XLSX workbook without any issue.

    Since you mentioned you are able to work on the Excel workbooks in the Excel app on the mobile device and not able to edit suddenly, I would like to suggest you follow the below steps and check the outcome:

    Quit the Excel app on your mobile device> Hard-click on the Excel app> App Info> Clear Data> Clear All Data> Restart your device> Open the Excel app> Sign in with your Office 365 account to check the outcome

    If the same problem persists, we are sorry and request you to share the following information which will help us to better understand and find you further:

    1. Are you not able to edit the specific Excel workbook or all Excel workbooks?
    2. Are you able to create the new Excel workbooks using the Excel app on the mobile device?
    3. If the problem is with specific Excel workbook, can you please share whether the Excel workbook file extension in XLSX or CSV or XLS or XLSM etc?
    4. Please share the screenshot of the error message encountering when trying to edit the Excel workbooks using the mobile app?

    Our sincere apologies for not resolving your problem but the answers to the above queries will help us to better understand and move further.

    Appreciate your patience and understanding. Have a great day!!

    Best Regards,

    Sophia

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