Excel 2019 - We're having trouble connecting to the server. If this keeps happening, contact your help desk.

Question

Greetings,

I have had a user receive the error in the screenshot below when trying to edit a document hosted in SharePoint. The document is shared by multiple users who make edits to the document at different times. The site manager checked the user's (and document) permissions, and everything is correct and matching with other users in their department. The user was also able to access other documents from the same page without issue. I then attempted to try other solutions like reinstalling office, running Windows updates, and checking Event Viewer for any errors. I also tried the solution listed here and a few different forums and threads (basically clearing internet and Office Upload Center caches). None of these things worked for me (hence the post), but I did happen to try something that worked, that I will comment below. If you tried all of those other things like I did, I really hope it helps reading this and saves you from a headache.

User Specifications
PC Model: HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF

OS: Windows 10 Enterprise 1809 LTSC

Microsoft Office Version: Professional Plus 2019

SharePoint Version: Server 2016

Regards,

Alvin

Answer 1

If have gotten to this point, try this:

Step 1: Start the Run application, by going to Start > Windows System > Run. Type (without quotes) "Excel.exe /safe", Click OK. This will run Excel in Safe Mode, which will disable all add-ins which interacts with the application.

Step 2: While the application is running in Safe Mode, go to the file in SharePoint and open the document, make an edit to the file, and finally save the file.

Step 3: Go back into your browser and verify that the modification reflects on the page in SharePoint.

Step 4: Close the running Safe Mode instance of the application and try opening the document from SharePoint once more. At this point you should be able to freely access the document.

If you are only able to edit the document in Safe Mode, your issue is with one of the add-ins in the application. To find which add-in is the culprit, you will need to do this:

Step 1: Run the application in Safe Mode.

Step 2: Go to File > Options > Add-ins > Manage.

Step 3: Check the box for the add-in you want to enable and click OK.

Step 4: Once the add-in is enabled, try opening and editing the document.

Step 5: Close the document and repeat steps 2 - 5 until the error is recreated. Or repeat 1 - 5, if you prefer to enable each add-in only one at a time.

Step 6: Once the error is recreated and the faulty add-in is found, you will most likely need to reinstall the add-in. Any other issues after reinstalling it may require a registry fix or calling in support from the add-in creator.

If you are unable to access the document even with Safe Mode (my heart goes out to you), your issue may be a number of possible things like:

• An underlying issue with SharePoint. I would advise checking with the site manager for additional troubleshooting.
• A corrupted Office file, possibly requiring a repair or reinstall of Microsoft Office.
• An issue with the user profile. Removing the profile and having the user login to recreate it may work. I would HIGHLY recommend backing up the profile before doing this.
• A corrupted or missing Windows file (rarely works for me but try running the System File Checker).
• A client or server update issue. Checking for updates that were recently applied to the system and uninstall them could potentially work.
• A security application/appliance or antivirus. Try disabling these things temporarily to see if the file is accessible without it.

Answer 2

Dear Alvin,

Greetings!

Thank you for posting your experience and observation, I am sure this will help other community members looking for the solution to the similar problem. I will mark your post as an answer, so it sticks at the top of the replies,

Should you need help with any other issue, please feel free to post a new thread in the forum.

Sincerely,

Neha Singh | Microsoft Community Moderator