Office apps load forever when attempting to share documents

Question

I have a user who is attempting to share documents from within Office apps. When they attempt to share a document from word for example, the share window will pop-up and sit on "Loading..." indefinitely and will never get the option to share.

The user CAN share from office online in browser, but not in app. User requires the ability to share from within app so this workaround is not suitable

I have attempted the following troubleshooting with no success:

Restarting device

Reinstalling Office

Clearing credential manager

Office repair tool

Different devices - seems to follow user

Launching in safe mode

File path is less than 400 characters - file path is no more than approx 30 chars

Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant and Windows Credential Manager are running and set to Automatic.

Answer 1

As the AI Bot suggested, ensure that Classic Outlook (the full desktop Outlook) is installed and set as the default mail client. Use the toggle in Outlook to switch from New Outlook back to Classic Outlook, then test sharing again from Word/Excel/PowerPoint.

Answer 2

Dear @Byron Schaffer,

I can understand how frustrating it is when essential features like the "Share" button fail to load, especially after you have already put so much effort into troubleshooting. Since the issue follows the user across multiple devices but works in the web version, the problem likely lies in the interaction between the user's identity profile and the Office service. 

Based on the steps you have already taken, I recommend trying these specific solutions to resolve the "Loading" loop: 

Step 1: Reset the Office Sign-in State (Clear Identity Registry) 

Sometimes, persistent identity fragments in the Registry cause the "Share" UI to hang. 

• Close all Office apps. 
• Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity 
• Right-click the Identity folder and select Export (as a backup). 
• Then, delete the Identity folder. 
• Restart Word and sign in again. This forces a fresh handshake with the sharing service. 

Step 2: Check for "Optional Diagnostic Data" Settings 

The Share window is a modern "Web View" component. If certain privacy settings are too restrictive, it can block the window from loading. 

• In Word, go to File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings. 
• Ensure that "Enable optional connected experiences" is checked. If this is disabled by an IT policy (GPO), the Share dialog may fail to initialize. 

• IT administrators can refer to the following resource to enable this option: Use policy settings to manage privacy controls for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise - Microsoft 36… 

Step 3: Verify OneDrive/SharePoint Service Connection 

Even if the user can access files, the "Share" service specifically relies on a connected service entry. 

• Go to File > Account. 
• In the Connected Services section, check if OneDrive or SharePoint is listed. If it is, click Remove service and then Add service to re-link it (removing is only possible if you have connected both OneDrive personal and business).

We have previously seen incidents were OneDrive integration causes Office apps to become unresponsive. I recommend checking the Microsoft 365 Service Health Dashboard for any active advisories related to "Share Dialog" or "Office Web Components." 

If these steps do not resolve the issue, it may be necessary to recreate the user's M365 profile from the admin side, as there could be an underlying corruption in the user's object in Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).

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Answer 3

The behavior matches known limitations and issues around how desktop Office apps integrate with email and sharing components, especially when Outlook or account configuration is involved.

Based on the context, focus on these checks and changes:

1. Verify the mail client and sharing path

• If New Outlook is set as the default mail client, desktop Office apps cannot complete MAPI-based sharing flows. New Outlook is not MAPI-compliant and cannot be used for sending files directly from Office programs.
• Ensure that Classic Outlook (the full desktop Outlook) is installed and set as the default mail client. Use the toggle in Outlook to switch from New Outlook back to Classic Outlook, then test sharing again from Word/Excel/PowerPoint.

2. Check for MAPI-related failures

• When New Outlook is the default, Office apps commonly show MAPI failures or hang when trying to share or send documents.
• After switching to Classic Outlook as default, restart the Office apps and test the Share function again.

3. Confirm that the issue is not related to network or mapped drives

• When Office tries to open Save/Share dialogs, it checks all locations in the list, including mapped or offline network drives. If any mapped drive is offline, slow, or inaccessible, the dialog can appear to hang.
• Disconnect any mapped drives that are:
  • Nonexistent or currently offline.
  • In untrusted domains.
  • Across slow WAN links.
  • Inaccessible removable drives.
• After disconnecting problematic mapped drives, restart Word and test sharing again.

4. Re-map drives non-persistently if needed

• If network drives are required, re-map them as non-persistent so they do not block dialogs when offline:
  • Right-click My Computer → Map Network Drive.
  • Choose a drive letter and enter \\computer name\\share name.
  • Clear Reconnect at logon so the drive is not reconnected automatically.

If, after ensuring Classic Outlook is the default mail client and removing any problematic mapped drives, the share dialog still hangs, collect details on whether any explicit MAPI failure messages appear and whether the behavior changes when all network drives are disconnected. That will help narrow whether the remaining cause is environment-specific (network/storage) rather than account-specific.

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References:

• Office 365 apps insist on using Outlook Classic to share documents to email - Microsoft Q&A
• I am unable to share my file either as a presentation or document type or pdf type by none of the microsoft office apps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). It is continuously showing "Mapi Failure" and "Unable to Share" errors. What can I do? - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft Office stops responding when you try to open or save a file