Shared workbook only wants to open in live.com

Michael Corrigan 0 Reputation points
2026-08-12T05:16:46.11+00:00

I have shared some files with my wife. When she opens up her Excel app on her iPad and tries to open the shared Excel files, she is then taken to live.com to access the files. She would prefer to deal with them in the app. Is there a way on ensuring that shared EXcel files can be opened and edited in the Excel app

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | iOS
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  1. Ian-T 10,695 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-12T10:25:00.0933333+00:00

    Hi Michael Corrigan

    The live.com page is likely part of the Microsoft account sign-in process rather than the workbook itself. The common issue is that Safari and the Excel app are signed in with different Microsoft accounts.

    On your wife’s iPad, please try the following:

    • In Safari, sign out of any Microsoft accounts, then reopen the sharing link and sign in with the exact email address to which you shared the workbook.
    • In the Excel app, check that the same account is listed under the profile icon. Remove any unused account if necessary.
    • After the workbook opens in the browser, select Editing or Viewing, then choose Edit in Desktop App/Edit in Excel. Excel for iOS supports opening and co-authoring shared workbooks.
    • If the link still returns to live.com, open iPad Settings > Excel > Reset Excel, enable Delete Sign-in Credentials and Reset Cloud Settings, then reopen Excel and sign in again. Do not select Clear All Workbooks unless any locally stored files have already been backed up.

    Also verify from your side that the workbook was shared directly with her correct Microsoft account and that the permission is set to Can edit

    I hope my answer helps, please feel free to let me know if you need any further assistance.

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