OneDrive Excel file not opening in Desktop App, but does in Web App

Question

A user has been shared a OneDrive Excel file. This has been shared with him for months and has been working fine. The file is just called "planners". Other users can access it fine using Desktop Excel.

This user is now getting the attached error (the 1st one and then when clicking on OK, they get the 2nd error)

As I said, other users can access it fine and this user can access it using the Web Excel. In File Explorer, this file has the green tick OneDrive icon

I have:

1. Unlinked OneDrive and relinked and sync'ed
2. Asked the user to stop sharing and re-share the file
3. Signed out of Desktop Office and signed back in again
4. Checked Office is up to date
5. Cleared the cache - Clear the Office document cache (File > Options > Save in Office apps)
6. Rebooted laptop
7. Reset OneDrive - reset OneDrive on Windows, press Windows Key + R, paste %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset into the Run dialog, and click OK. If an error occurs, try C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset instead. The OneDrive icon will disappear and reappear, re-syncing your files.
8. I did also notice that when we were signed out of OneDrive and then we tried the file (it didn't have the OneDrive green tick cloud) next to it, it opened fine in Desktop Excel. As soon as we signed bak into OneDrive and the green tick appeared, the same error came up

Answer 1

Hi,

I have tried all of these above steps and it is still the same error message.

Answer 2

 

Hello @Satvir Sanghera,

Thank you very much for explaining the issue in detail and for sharing the troubleshooting steps you have already tried. I appreciate the effort you’ve put in so far, and I know how frustrating it can be when a file works in the Web App but refuses to open in the desktop version.

1. Sign Out from All Accounts 

First, sign out of all Office applications completely. After signing out, fully close every Office app to make sure no session remains active in the background.

2. Disconnect and Reconnect Work/School Account 

Next, go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school and disconnect your work or school account. This will remove any outdated connection tokens that might be causing the file access issue. You can reconnect the account again after completing the steps below.

3. Remove Stored Credentials 

• Open Windows Credential Manager: Press Windows Key + S, type Credential Manager, and open it. 
• Go to Windows Credentials. 
• Look for any entries related to Office, Microsoft 365 or OneDrive and remove them. This clears old authentication tokens that sometimes prevent OneDrive or Office from accessing shared files correctly.

4/ Validate Your Credentials 

Once everything has been cleared, please restart your computer and then try signing in to your Office apps again. After signing in, open the file once more and let me know whether the same error still appears.

Please understand that our first response might not fix the issue immediately. However, with your help and the additional information you provide, we can continue working together to find the best solution.

If you have any updates after trying the steps above, please let me know so I can look for other possible ways to assist you further. I’m looking forward to your reply, and thank you again for your cooperation.

Kind regards,

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