how to open a shared excel file in the app

Zulfiqar Muradi 0 Reputation points
2025-08-09T07:09:44.4566667+00:00

I have a shared linked to an excel file but it only open to the browser I need it in the excel app and also be able to work together with my team on the sheet. I have tried everything but I either dont have access to it because of my school or its just not there. I really need help fast becasue this is for my final project.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For education | Windows
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  1. Henry-N 945 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-09T08:17:56.38+00:00

    Hi @Zulfiqar Muradi

    Thanks for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum! 

    It sounds like you're trying to share an Excel file via a link and collaborate with your team on it. To better assist you, I’d like to ask a few quick questions to understand your situation more clearly: 

    -Are you using a personal account or an institutional (school or organization) account to access the shared Excel link? 

    If you're using a personal account, you might not have the necessary permissions. I recommend switching to your school or organization account to ensure access. 

    -Do you know who created or shared the Excel file with you? 

    If so, they are likely the file owner and can grant you access. You can ask them to check the sharing settings and ensure your account is included. 

    -When you click the link to open the Excel file, do you see any error messages? 

    If yes, could you please share a screenshot of the error? That will help us diagnose the issue more accurately. 

    For example if I get shared the file when I go to Excel for the Web - Microsoft 365 and log in to my organization account or school account I will be able to see the file that the owner of that file shared with me 

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    If you don't have access to that file you should tell the owner of that file to grant you access by going to manage access in that file 

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    Then choose grant access  

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    Then the owner should type in your school account 

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    Once that’s done, I’ll be able to open and collaborate on the file. 

     

    I'm sincerely sorry for the inconvenience that you've encountered. But I need to know more about your situation so I can help you better. I appreciate your patience and are here to help. Looking forward to your response 


    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. 

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