Applies To: Microsoft Excel

Symptoms

• An Excel file will not open in the desktop application.
• Nothing happens when selecting Open in Desktop App.
• Excel opens but the file never loads.

Resolution

Step 1: Open the File in Excel on the Web

1. Navigate to the Excel file in SharePoint or OneDrive.
2. Open the file in your web browser.
3. Select the Editing or Viewing dropdown near the top right of the page.
4. Select Open in Desktop App.

If the file opens successfully, continue working as normal.

Step 2: Clear the Excel Cache

If the file still does not open in the desktop application, try clearing the Microsoft Office cache.

1. Close all Microsoft Office applications.
2. Open File Explorer.
3. In the top Search bar navigate to:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache

1. Delete the contents of the OfficeFileCache folder. ( Delete file called 0 )
2. Reopen Excel.
3. Try opening the file again.

Why This Works

Sometimes cached Office files become corrupted or outdated, which can prevent Excel from properly opening files from SharePoint or OneDrive. Clearing the cache forces Excel to create a new local copy of the file.

Contact IT If

• The file still does not open after completing the steps above.
• The issue affects multiple Excel files.
• You receive an error message when attempting to open the file.