Excel on computer How to update or refresh Excel on mobile phone

Question

Hello from Steve

Excel on computer saved as Budget.

Excel on mobile phone same as the Excel on computer.

Objective is either update or refresh the same data from the computer to the phone.

Please how can this be achieved.

I thank you.

Answer 1

Hi, SteveD

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

If you want the Excel on your phone to always match what you last saved on your computer, the key is that both devices must be opening the same cloud file, not a local copy.

Make sure the “Budget” workbook is stored in OneDrive (or SharePoint) and open it from there on the PC and on the phone. Also, try to keep AutoSave on, and after you finish editing on the computer, give OneDrive a moment to fully upload before you switch to the phone, otherwise you can end up looking at an older cached version.

If the phone still shows old data, the quick “refresh” most people use is:

Close the workbook fully on the phone, then reopen it from OneDrive (not from a recent/offline copy).

If it’s still stuck: force close and reopen the OneDrive app, and if needed clear OneDrive’s cache/storage on the phone, then open the file again.

Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you need further assistance.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment."    

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Answer 2

To keep the same Excel “Budget” file updated between computer and mobile phone, the file must be stored in a cloud location that both devices use and then opened from there on each device.

Use OneDrive or SharePoint so changes sync automatically:

1. On the computer
   • Open the Budget workbook in Excel.
   • Save it to OneDrive or SharePoint (for example: File > Save As > OneDrive or your SharePoint site).
   • Make sure the file is not read-only.
2. On the mobile phone (Excel for Android or iOS)
   • Sign in to Excel with the same Microsoft account used on the computer.
   • Go to Open and browse to OneDrive or your SharePoint location.
   • Open the same Budget workbook from there (not from local phone storage).
   • Turn on AutoSave in Excel mobile: File > AutoSave.
3. How updates/refresh work
   • When the file is opened from OneDrive/SharePoint on both devices and AutoSave is on, changes made on the computer are uploaded to the cloud.
   • On the phone, Excel will pull the latest version from the cloud. If needed, close and reopen the file or use the refresh options provided by the app.
   • Ensure OneDrive sync is not paused on the computer so changes upload correctly.

If the workbook is co-authored (opened on multiple devices), make sure AutoSave is on in all Excel apps and that the file is not marked as read-only. If a “Refresh recommended” or “Upload failed” message appears on mobile, use Refresh or Discard changes/Save a copy as described in the co-authoring guidance.

---

References:

• Excel for Android Phones Help
• Collaborate on Excel workbooks at the same time with co-authoring
• Office Mobile for Windows Phone