With Microsoft 365 subscription, Excel and Word files are lost when migrating from old Mac to new one...

William Baker 0 Reputation points
2026-08-16T23:43:13.5166667+00:00

I am not sure if I used Migration Assistant when I installed MS 365 on the new iMac. After the install, I noticed that most of my Excel files are missing and all of my Word files are missing. I used Excel on my MacBook and under Recents, it seems like all the files are listed, but most will not open with the message, "Can't open filename. This workbook is either deleted or not currently accessible."

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | MacOS
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  1. William Baker 0 Reputation points
    2026-08-18T21:05:42.0866667+00:00

    Hi Ian

    ASI am new to this MicroSoft Learn, I accidentally posted my answer under the comment section.

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  2. William Baker 0 Reputation points
    2026-08-18T12:42:24.25+00:00

    Hi Ian

    Sorry, none of your procedures worked. I forgot to mention that my files were stored in iCloud, not onedrive. When I first noticed this problem, I contacted Apple support. I was on the phone for 2 hrs with 3 different people and they could not find a resolution. I was then advised to contact MicroSoft and that is where I am now. In the migration the PDF files came across ok; it was only the Excel and Word files that were the problem.

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  3. Ian-T 13,775 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-17T04:24:46.3233333+00:00

    Hi William Baker

    I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Installing Microsoft 365 on the new Mac installs the Office applications, but locally stored Word and Excel documents must still be transferred separately. The files shown under Recent are only references to their previous locations, so “Can’t open filename” usually means the new Mac cannot find the original file at that path.

    Please avoid erasing or resetting the old Mac, then try the following:

    • Check the old Mac first. In Finder, search This Mac for .doc, .docx, .xls, and .xlsx. Also check the Documents, Desktop, and Downloads folders.
    • Check OneDrive online. Sign in using the same Microsoft account and look under My files and the Recycle bin. If the files are present online, set up OneDrive on the new Mac and allow it to finish syncing.
    • On the new Mac, check Finder under Library > CloudStorage > OneDrive. On newer macOS versions, OneDrive uses this location, and old entries in Office’s Recent list may point to a path that no longer exists.
    • If the old Mac or a Time Machine backup is available, use Apple’s Migration Assistant to transfer the documents or the original user account. Migration Assistant can transfer documents, applications, user accounts, and settings, and it can also transfer from a Time Machine backup.
    • For files that had never been saved properly, check the Office AutoRecovery folders on the old Mac. Microsoft provides the applicable locations in Recover files in Office for Mac. AutoRecovery is mainly intended for files affected by an unexpected application or system shutdown, so it may not contain normally saved documents

    Hope this helps. Please feel free to let me know if you need any further assistance

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