Share via

All of a sudden I can no longer edit my excel spreadsheets from work on my phone.

Ben Hall1 0 Reputation points
2026-01-28T06:38:50.6+00:00

I've been editing for over a year on my phone now all of a sudden it says I need a subscription. I checked online apparently thats only for phones bugger than 10 inches whic is not mine. Very annoyed I cannot get access to my files

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Android
0 comments

3 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Gunasekar N 68,335 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-01-28T07:59:38.42+00:00

    Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    According to the Microsoft article below, editing documents or spreadsheets in Office apps is allowed on devices with a screen size below 10 inches.

    What you can do in the Microsoft 365 apps on mobile devices with a Microsoft 365 subscription

    If you are suddenly being asked to subscribe on a device with a screen size below 10 inches, this may be a temporary issue with the application.

    Could you please confirm if you are experiencing the same problem with all files? Also, do you have the necessary permissions to edit these documents?

    What is the file format of the Excel files - are they in .xlsx format or the older .xls format? See if you can copy all the contents and paste them into a new Excel spreadsheet so you can edit there.

    Meanwhile, if you have already tried uninstalling and reinstalling the apps, please also try restarting your mobile device, clearing all data for these apps in the app settings, then reinstalling the app again and signing in with your Microsoft account.

    Let me know if you still need more help.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Ben Hall1 0 Reputation points
    2026-01-28T06:40:46.9166667+00:00

    I have a free account. And it's active.I have already reinstalled both apps and nothing works

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  3. AI answer

    2026-01-28T06:40:05.8833333+00:00

    It appears that you are facing difficulties editing Excel spreadsheets on your phone, and it is indicating that you need a subscription. This situation can arise if there are changes to your subscription status or if there are updates affecting your editing capabilities on mobile devices.

    One potential cause for this issue is related to the enforcement of policy changes for unlicensed accounts, which can limit your ability to edit files. If your Microsoft 365 subscription has expired or if the license assigned to your account is not valid, it may prevent you from editing documents on your mobile device.

    To address this, check your subscription status to confirm that it is active and includes the necessary permissions for mobile editing. If everything appears to be correct, you might also consider uninstalling and reinstalling the Excel app, as this has resolved similar issues for other users in the past.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.