Office 365 SharePoint Error: Links to external workbooks are not supported and have been disabled.

Question

I have been working in SharePoint for several months with no issue, until the past few weeks.  I create Excel spreadsheets on my computer and then upload them to our SharePoint site so others can pull info from them.  Recently, I started seeing this alert and now I am unable to open the files in Excel (2016) and cannot save anything to the SharePoint site that I do in Excel unless I delete the file and upload a new version after saving on my computer.

Is there a fix to this?  I have scoured the internet but nothing I have found has helped.

Answer 1

Hi Aaron,

Please check this article to troubleshoot. You may remove the links that are in question.

If the issue persists, could you please provide the following information to help better understand your situation?

1. A screenshot of the error message. Is it from Excel application (Windows or Mac?) or Excel Online?
2. If you create a new blank workbook, does the issue occur?
3. Does the issue occur to all the workbooks?
4. About "unable to open the files in Excel (2016)", please provide detailed steps and related screenshots about how you encounter the issue. Do you open the files in SharePoint site library with Excel application via browser?

Thanks,

Tina

Answer 2

Hi Tina,

That was one of the questions that I found where the solution did not work/did not apply to this issue.

1. Using SharePoint online through Office 365.  Screenshot of the alert is below.  Trying to open in Excel, not online, and have never had issues until recently.

2. It occurs regardless of whether it is a new workbook or not.
3. The issue does not apply to all workbooks.  Only a few of them, others open and work fine.
4. I am unable to open the files in Excel when choosing the option to "Edit in Excel" on SharePoint.  Screenshot of the error is below.

Thank you!

Answer 3

Hi Aaron,

To move forward, could you please clarify the following information to make sure we are on the same page?

1. For all the affected workbooks, what are the common features they share? Do they all have links to external workbooks? How about other features? Do they all now allow you to open in Excel application?
2. As a new blank workbook has no links to external workbooks, could you please create one and share with us the result?
3. Does the issue occur to other people? How about the workbooks' owner?

Thanks,

Tina

Answer 4

Hi Aaron,

To move forward, could you please clarify the following information to make sure we are on the same page?

1. For all the affected workbooks, what are the common features they share? Do they all have links to external workbooks? How about other features? Do they all now allow you to open in Excel application?
2. As a new blank workbook has no links to external workbooks, could you please create one and share with us the result?
3. Does the issue occur to other people? How about the workbooks' owner?

Thanks,

Tina

Tina,

1. The ones I am having issues with have vLookup formulas, referring to other spreadsheets, and also are protected spreadsheets.  I would be surprised if this had an affect though as the problem only recently surfaced.
2. I created a test workbook, with no links/formulas, and uploaded it to the SharePoint site and it worked just fine.  No issues.

3.  I am the only one who adds information to these workbooks, and thus the only one who experiences the problem, and am also the workbook owner. 

Thank you.

Answer 5

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for the updated information.

To further investigate the issue, could you please create a new workbook with the same process and test it?

Meanwhile, please record a video about how you create it and then encounter the issue, and the sample workbook via Private Message?

Thanks,

Tina