Making excel sheet non-editable on sharepoint

Question

I am currently trying to adjust the dashboard as my team requested that the Excel sheet on my sharepoint dashbaord be viewable by everyone with access to the website instead of editable. I am running into an issue with keeping the Excel sheet on view only through SharePoint while keeping the other items on the dashboard still editable. 

I feel like I have tried everything from adjusting the permissions through the Excel sheet directly, putting a password on it for editing, and uploading these new links to the SharePoint website. I have also tried to adjust permissions through SharePoint itself, but nothing seems to be working. I have tried to break the inheritance and everything.

Answer 1

Good day Fiona, and I appreciate the clear explanation of your concern.  

Just to gently clarify before we go any further, this is a user‑to‑user support forum. I don’t have the ability to access or investigate individual accounts because this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, do not have access to internal systems or the ability to directly take action on Microsoft product features. However, I truly hope I can help review your situation, offer some guidance, and support you in finding the right next steps as best as possible.   

Based on what you have described, the next step is to identify where the edit permission is still being granted. In SharePoint, users can receive edit access from several locations and a workbook may remain editable even when changes have been made in one area. 

Additionally, the workbook protection doesn't replace SharePoint permissions. Users with sufficient SharePoint permissions may still be able to edit or replace the file.

Notes: I understand you may have already attempted the following options. However, to ensure that nothing is missed, please go through them once more. After making any of the changes described above, update the dashboard web part to ensure it references the workbook in the correct library. Then republish the page to make sure the changes are applied and reflected correctly. 

I recommend reviewing the following areas: 

Option 1: Review the workbook's Manage Access settings 

Open the document library where the Excel workbook is stored. 

Right click the workbook > Choose Manage Access. 

Review all users, groups and sharing links listed. 

Look for any entry that grants Can edit permissions. 

Change those permissions to Can view. 

Remove any edit sharing links that are no longer needed. 

Even if a new view-only link has been created, an older edit link may still allow users to modify the workbook. 

Option 2: Review the workbook's advanced permissions 

The workbook may be inheriting permissions from its parent library, or it may have separate permissions that need to be reviewed. 

Right-click the workbook and select Manage Access > More Options > Advanced Permissions. 

Choose Stop Inheriting Permissions. 

Update the permissions as needed and assign Read permissions to the users or groups.

This ensures that users can view the workbook without being able to make changes to it. 

Option 3: Move the workbook to a (new) separate document library (workaround) 

If the workbook requires stricter control, consider storing it in a separate library with its own permissions. 

Create a new document library or use an existing one where users have only View permissions. 

Move the workbook to that document library. 

Open the workbook from the separate document library. 

Go to Settings > Library settings > More library settings > Permissions for this document library. 

Choose Stop Inheriting Permissions, if the option is available. 

Change the permissions for the relevant users or groups to Read access. 

Option 4: Contact Microsoft Support 

If the issue still persists after trying the steps above, I recommend creating a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support for further backend investigation.  

Note: If you don't have the required administrative permissions, please contact your organization's Global Administrator for assistance. If you are unsure who your Global Administrator is, please refer to the following article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support  

A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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