File changes from saved to "upload failed"

Question

Sometimes when using Excel and Word 365 files that are stored on our Sharepoint Online site our files will be saving fine and then out of nowhere change to giving an error that says "upload failed we cannot merge changes". Why does this happen? I have also experienced this when I click save and it tells me it saved so I go to close out of the file and then it tells me the upload has failed. It only does this sometimes so it is hard to establish a root cause, but this can cause hours of lost work and is a major inconvenience.

Answer 1

Hi Liz02,

Thanks for posting back.

Please ask your colleagues to open the “upload failed” file in the browser and check whether users are able to co-author the file in the browser.

If they are able to both editing the file in the browser without any conflicts, here are the suggestions may help you:

1. Please ask all users to check the OneDrive client setting “Use Office application to sync Office files that I open” is enabled
2. Please ask all users to check the Office application option.

Open Word, click File> Options> Save, under Cache Settings, tick the option “Delete files from the Office Document Cache when they are closed” and click Delete cached files.

3. Please make sure all users are using Microsoft 365 applications.

If you have any updates, please feel free and come back to share with us.

Regards,

George

Answer 2

Hi George,

Thanks for the quick reply! I tried to answer your questions as best as I can. This has happened to many of my colleagues as well as me so I am responding based off my own experiences, but it might be slightly different for different people. I will say that I have told my team repeatedly that they need to be logged into OneDrive at all times and make sure there are no issues so I don't think the problem is that people aren't signed into their OneDrive. So I am wondering why we would have a sync conflict if we are all signed into OneDrive, but hopefully my below answers help you find a reason.

1. I believe so. We don't generally use the browser though. We actually have our Sharepoint Online set up to automatically open our files in the client application because we prefer the application due to using things like macros and checkboxes in some of our files.
2. I have the OneDrive app and sign into it every morning. I also have the libraries I frequently use from our Sharepoint Online site synced into my File Explorer. I always have my one drive synced and it doesn't give any warning that I am having issues until it suddenly goes from saying "saved" to "upload failed" within my file.
3. I sometimes open the files directly from the Sharepoint Online and other times I open it from the synced Sharepoint library.
4. I have Version 2101

Answer 3

Hi Liz02,

Thanks for posting in the community.

According to your description, the issue seems caused by the sync conflict. I would like to collect more information. It will help us to better troubleshoot the issue.

1. Are you and your colleagues able to co-author the file in the browser?
2. Have you installed the OneDrive client and sync the SharePoint library to your PC (File Explorer)?
3. How do you open the online file, by the OneDrive client, from applications directly or open in the browser and click “Open in App”?
4. Your Office version

Click File> Account and check the information beside About Word. (do not click About Word)

Regards,

George