Unable to Open Excel File in SharePoint Despite Edit Permissions

Question

In a SharePoint site, the user is a Manager and has Edit permissions. However, they are unable to open a specific Excel file. Each time they try, they receive the following error message:

**"Microsoft Excel cannot access the file '...file URL...'. There are several possible reasons:

• The file name or path does not exist.
• The file is being used by another program.
• The workbook you are trying to save has the same name as the currently open workbook."**

No other Excel files were open at the time. The file was removed and re-uploaded, but this did not resolve the issue. The file path is right other users do not experience this problem.

Answer 1

The issue you are experiencing with opening the Excel file in SharePoint, despite having edit permissions, could be due to several factors. Here are some potential causes and solutions:

1. File Path or Name Issues: Ensure that the file name and path are correct. Sometimes, special characters in the file name or path can cause issues.
2. File in Use: Although you mentioned that no other Excel files were open, it's possible that the file is being accessed by another user or program. Check if the file is locked or in use by someone else.
3. Corrupted File: The file itself may be corrupted. Try downloading the file to your local machine and see if it opens correctly in Excel. If it does not, you may need to restore a previous version of the file from SharePoint.
4. Office Document Cache: Clearing the Office document cache can sometimes resolve issues with opening files. You can find instructions on how to delete the Office document cache in the Microsoft support documentation.
5. Permissions: Even though you have edit permissions, ensure that there are no additional restrictions set on the file or library that may prevent access.
6. Antivirus or Security Software: Sometimes, antivirus programs can interfere with file access. Check your antivirus settings to see if it is blocking access to the file.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider reaching out to your IT support for further assistance, as they may have more specific tools to diagnose the problem.

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References:

• Can't open Office files from SharePoint Online
• SharePoint files open as read-only

Answer 2

Thanks for sharing the details, Anna! The “Open in App” Handler Is Broken — Reset Office URL Protocols

Sometimes Excel fails to resolve the ms-excel:ofv|u| SharePoint URL handler on one machine.

Fix: Re-register Office file URL associations

Close all Office apps

Windows Start → type Default Apps

Scroll to Set defaults by app

Choose Microsoft Excel

Click Reset (resets URL protocol handlers)

This resolves cases where only one specific user cannot open a file but others can.

See if this helps. If you need further assistance just let me know.

Best regards,

Kimberly