One Drive files open read only randomly

Question

When I open Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files in my OneDrive they randomly will open in read only. I downloaded the apps so that I can open them, but it is getting annoying to have to right click and choose to open in the app every time. Is there a setting I may have missed that will ensure all my files open on the web?

Answer 1

Hi @Ferguson, Vern,

Did you use Microsoft 365 account?

Did you mean you want to open Files from OneDrive to open in browser directly?

I suggest you Open Office desktop app and go to- File- Options- Advanced- Link Handling- uncheck the option "Open supported hyperlinks to Office files in Office desktop apps".

Read this article to get more information: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-file-links-directly-in-office-desktop-apps-fe241745-9e05-4142-9ba8-1bb1dc044773

Answer 2

Hi,

If you want to ensure that all your Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files open in the web app and not in read-only mode, you can try the following steps:

Go to your OneDrive account and click on the gear icon in the upper-right corner.

From the drop-down menu, select "OneDrive settings."

Under the "General" tab, scroll down to the "Advanced settings" section.

Look for the option "Open documents in client applications" and make sure it is set to "Use Office Web Apps."

Click "Save" to apply the changes.

With this setting, all your files should open in the web app by default. If you still encounter issues with files opening in read-only mode, you can try clearing your browser cache and cookies or using a different browser to see if that resolves the issue.

Best Regards.