Unable to add new rows in Excel Spreadsheet - Generic Error Pop Up

Question

This started happening last week, but all of a sudden, our team's shared Excel spreadsheet (hosted on OneDrive), is no longer letter us insert rows or copy/paste rows to other sections of the spreadsheet.

I only get a generic error message :

I even tried creating a brand new spreadsheet and it continues to throw the same error. Any advice?

Answer 1

Hello @Arianna,

Thank you very much for your updates via private message.

I believe that many users may encounter similar issue, and your case could serve as a valuable reference for them. Therefore, I would make a brief summary of this post so that other forum members could easily find useful information here:  

Issue Description
Starting last week, OP team’s shared Excel spreadsheet hosted on OneDrive began showing a generic error message when attempting to insert rows or copy/paste rows within the document:

"We're sorry. We ran into a problem completing your request. Please try that again in a few minutes."

This issue persists even when creating a brand-new spreadsheet under the same shared OneDrive environment.

Assessment
The error appears to be linked to the shared OneDrive environment or its permissions/configuration. The fact that the same issue occurs with newly created spreadsheets suggests it’s not file-specific but possibly related to the shared workspace or account settings.

Workaround
OP created a fresh spreadsheet using your personal OneDrive account, then uploaded it to the main shared OneDrive. This workaround allowed OP's teammates to add rows successfully, indicating that the issue may be isolated to the original shared environment.

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As other users will also search information in this community, your valuable vote will definitely also help other users who have similar queries easily to find the correct channel and useful information more quickly. 

Greatly Appreciate again for your patience and understanding.

Answer 2

Dear @Arianna

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum. We are happy to assist you.

This issue typically occurs due to browser cache corruption or conflicts caused by add-ins. Try the following steps to see if the issue persists:

1_Clear your browser’s cache, then reopen the workbook:

For Microsoft Edge:
Open Microsoft Edge 
Ctrl + H > Delete browsing data (Trash bin icon) 
Check "Cookies and other site data" (if needed) and "Cached images and files"
Click "Clear now"
Restart Microsoft Edge and re-open the file then add rows.

For Google Chrome:
Open Google Chrome
Click the three dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security.
Click Clear browsing data.
In the pop-up: Select Time range: choose All time.
Check Cached images and files (you can also check Cookies if needed). Click Clear data.
Restart Chrome and try opening your Excel file again.

2_ Alternatively, open the workbook in a different browser or in the Excel desktop application. Once opened, try inserting or copying rows again to see if the issue persists.

If you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out. We're here to help. Thank you very much for your understanding and your cooperation.

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