Microsoft Excel failing to sync with Forms in Browsers

Question

I’m experiencing an issue where Microsoft Forms is not syncing responses to the linked Excel workbook when using a regular browser (Edge and Chrome) session, but the sync works correctly in Incognito mode or on the desktop version of Excel. The form and Excel file are stored in SharePoint, and the workbook opens without issue, but Excel displays the error “Can’t sync with Forms. Please restart Excel or try again later.”

I’ve already signed out of Microsoft 365, cleared browser cache and cookies, signed out of the browser profile and cleared all browser data, and confirmed that no other users were editing or locking the file. The problem persists across browser restarts, however, it disappears entirely when using Incognito mode or on Excel Desktop. I have also disabled or removed extensions and enabled third‑party cookies with no results. Additionally, I have tried creating a new form and exported it to excel and the same error occurred.

What additional troubleshooting steps can be taken to identify and resolve browser‑specific causes without recreating the form or risking data loss, and are there recommended browser or Microsoft 365 settings that can prevent this issue from recurring?

Answer 1

Dear @Tyler Alexander,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, Microsoft Forms responses fail to sync to the linked Excel workbook only in normal browser sessions, while syncing works correctly in Incognito mode and Excel Desktop. You want to know what additional browser‑specific troubleshooting steps or Microsoft 365 settings can help resolve and prevent this issue without recreating the form or risking data loss.

Since you did troubleshoot methods, but the issue still persists, this behavior appears to be a service or browser‑session–specific limitation rather than an issue with your form or Excel workbook. Since the sync works correctly in Incognito mode and Excel Desktop, the problem is likely related to how Excel for the web handles authentication or browser state.

In this case, we recommend submitting feedback directly to the Microsoft Forms product team, as they are best positioned to investigate and improve this behavior.

You can submit feedback by:

1. Opening your form in Microsoft Forms.
2. Selecting More form settings (⋯) in the upper‑right corner.
3. Choosing Feedback and then describing the issue in detail (including that it only occurs in normal browser sessions but not Incognito or Excel Desktop).

Or you can submit feedback through the Microsoft Ideas Community at Ideas · Community so that the product team can review user preferences.  

Submitting feedback helps Microsoft track real‑world issues and prioritize fixes or improvements in future updates.

Here are some information you can refer to:

How to update to the new solution for syncing forms responses to Excel

How to ensure your form and workbook are in sync

How to get missing data in Forms

Besides that, here is the similar case of other user have the similar issue as you that you can check:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5394305/how-to-sync-with-excel-from-forms

Note: Please understand that as forum moderator, my primary goal is to provide helpful guidance and support through general troubleshooting steps. While I don’t have access to internal systems or test devices required to resolve backend issues, I truly appreciate your understanding of these limitations. I genuinely hope the information I share helps guide you in the right direction, and I'm always here to assist as much as I can within my scope.   

I hope information above meet your expectation, if you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out.

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Answer 2

The behavior matches a Forms–Excel sync issue that is specific to the regular browser session and not to the workbook, form, or account. In this scenario, the core data connection between Forms and the workbook is intact (as proven by Incognito and Excel Desktop), so focus should be on browser profile state and SharePoint/OneDrive access conditions.

From the available information, the supported and non‑destructive actions are:

1. Verify the workbook itself is healthy and not corrupt
   • Open the workbook in the desktop version of Excel.
   • Use the built‑in repair flow if prompted, or follow the steps in the repair guidance to ensure the file is not corrupt.
   • If Excel Desktop opens and repairs the file, save it back to SharePoint/OneDrive and then test sync again in the browser.
   • If corruption is suspected or repaired, create a new workbook from Forms (using Open in Excel) to ensure a clean, fully synced copy. The original workbook remains available so there is no data loss.
2. Confirm the workbook is not IRM‑protected or restricted
   • If the workbook is Information Rights Management (IRM) protected or subject to a policy that prevents opening in Excel for the web, Forms cannot sync data to it.
   • Check with the Microsoft 365/SharePoint administrator that the file is not IRM‑protected or subject to restricted permissions that block Excel for the web.
   • If it is, sync the data to a new workbook without IRM protection.
3. Ensure the workbook has not been manually modified in ways that break sync
   • If any manual tables, formulas, or other structural changes were added to the workbook after it was linked to Forms, Forms may throw sync errors.
   • Remove any manually added tables or content that was introduced after the last successful sync, then try again.
   • If manual changes are extensive, export/sync the form to a new workbook. The new workbook will contain all current responses but will not include manually added tables from the old workbook.
4. Check for SharePoint content‑approval settings that block sync
   • If the document library where the workbook is stored requires content approval for items, workbook sync issues will occur.
   • In the SharePoint library settings, review the Require content approval for submitted items? option. If set to Yes, Forms workbooks will not sync.
   • Work with the SharePoint administrator to disable content approval for that library or move the workbook to a library that does not require approval, then re‑export the form to Excel.
5. Use privacy mode as a diagnostic and then reset the regular profile
   • Because Incognito works, the issue is tied to the regular browser profile (cookies, cached auth tokens, or profile‑level policies).
   • After confirming the workbook is healthy and not restricted, sign out of Microsoft 365 in the browser, close all tabs, and then:
     • In Edge or Chrome, remove any additional profiles that might be auto‑selected and causing permission conflicts.
     • Sign back in with the intended Microsoft 365 account and open the workbook directly from SharePoint/OneDrive, then open the linked form and test sync.
6. Prevent recurrence with recommended practices
   • Do not manually edit the Forms‑linked workbook (no extra tables or formulas) to keep the live data connection stable.
   • Avoid storing the workbook in libraries that require content approval or apply IRM/restricted permissions that block Excel for the web.
   • When sync issues appear, use Excel Desktop to verify and repair the workbook, and if necessary, create a new synced workbook from Forms to ensure the latest responses are captured.

These steps allow troubleshooting and mitigation without recreating the form or losing existing response data, by validating the workbook’s integrity, permissions, and SharePoint/OneDrive configuration, and by using a new synced workbook only when necessary.

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References:

• How to ensure your form and workbook are in sync
• How do I know if the data in my Excel workbook is up to date?
• "403 Forbidden" error on OneDrive or SharePoint
• Using a BI workbook in a browser window