Excel file opens in browser just fine but doesn't open the newest version in app

Question

Hello,

I have an .xlsx file stored in OneDrive that opens just fine in browser, but gives the following error when trying to open in the desktop app.

"REFRESH RECOMMENDED A newer version of this file is available on the server." Then I have the option to Save a copy or to Discard Changes.

Save a copy is not an option in this case as this file is accessed by others on a daily basis, and it opens a version from a week ago.

When I click on Discard changes the following message pops up:

"Are you sure you want to discard your changes? You won't be able to access this file while you are offline. You can reopen it the next time you're online."

Then I click on yes and nothing happens.

When I'm trying to close the file the following message pops up:

"Performing cleanup

Excel is uploading your most recent changes. This will take a moment.

If you'd rather not wait you can close the file now and we'll upload them next time you open it" - but nothing happens.

I don't have issues with any other shared files, it's just this particular file.

How can I open this file in my desktop app?

Thank you,

Timea

Answer 1

Hello Timea,

Thank you for reaching out. I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue with your Excel file. Here are a few steps you can try to resolve this problem:

1. Stop sync with OneDrive: First please stop syncing the shared folder your OneDrive by clicking OneDrive icon from system tray > settings > Under "Accounts" tab, click "stop sync" next to the folder.

2. Clear Cache:

• Open Excel and go to File > Options > Save > Click on Delete cached files.
• Close Excel App
• Open File Explorer, paste this line in address bar: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache, and delete all the data inside.

**3. Open the file in different way:**Please open the file from web browser first and then click "Editing" > "Open in dekstop app" to open it. This way, you can completely bypass OneDrive and build connection from Excel App to the Cloud directly. Please check if there is any problem in this way.

4. Once you confirmed it does not have same error after above 3 steps, please try re-sync the folder to your file explorer by going to the shared folder from browser and click "sync" button. However, please choose a different folder when setting it up, so it does not have conflicts with previous one.

5. At last, if issue still doesn't resolve, please consider Repair Office:

• Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
• Select Microsoft Office and click Change.
• Choose Quick Repair first. If that doesn't work, try Online Repair.

Please let me know if this helps, or if you need further assistance.

Thank you for your time and patience, we hope you have a great day!

Best Regards,

Community Moderator | Sophia

Answer 2

Please see error message pictures, that I somehow was not able to insert it in the description.

Kind regards,

Timea