Office Script Buttons in Excel on the Web don't work

Question

Office Script Buttons in Excel on the Web don't work

Anonymous8 85

We use buttons to run office scripts in excel on the Web. the button keeps on losing its functionality, it becomes a lifeless shape and doesn't respond when pressed. when running the script from the automate tab it works well. The issue is not with the script or sharing permissions, it is only the button that doesn't work. after playing around with the workbook (opening in desktop, pausing and resuming the sheet protection, etc.) the button can start working again but it doesn't last long.

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Kimberly A Grantham 0 Reputation points

2026-08-25T21:55:12.0033333+00:00

Hello, I am running into a similar situation. I have two Excel workbooks that run four scripts per document. When I created the workbooks I was unfamiliar with Office Scripts so I was using it in the desktop version. My team used the workbooks for a little over a month without issues with the scripts. The buttons quit working last week and I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to fix the "unshared" issue. I have followed Kai's recommended steps except leaving it open in a browser for a few days. I have moved the files from the network folder to my SharePoint site where it will open in Web version. The Scripts are saved on my OneDrive and I have reshared everything that I can think of with my Team. The workbooks are not protected. I have detached the scripts, reattach and added new buttons. I have tried using a different browser with no new results. I have submitted a ticket with my IT department but I have not received a response yet. Are there any additional suggestions to try to fix this issue?
Kai-L 18,970 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-26T21:12:08.0933333+00:00

Dear Kimberly,

Thank you for the detailed rundown, and it sounds like you have already worked through everything I would normally suggest. Given that two separate workbooks are affected and rebuilding the buttons did not help, this is looking less like a configuration issue and more like something on the service side. That is beyond what can be diagnosed from the forum, so your IT ticket is the right route. If they need to take it further, they can raise a case with Microsoft from the admin center.

One thing worth noting is that the scripts sit in your personal OneDrive. Moving them to a SharePoint library instead can help, as access is then granted through the site rather than individual sharing.

I hope this helps. Looking forward to your update if your IT team finds anything.

2 answers

Your answer

Kimberly A Grantham 0 Reputation points

2026-08-25T21:55:12.0033333+00:00

Hello, I am running into a similar situation. I have two Excel workbooks that run four scripts per document. When I created the workbooks I was unfamiliar with Office Scripts so I was using it in the desktop version. My team used the workbooks for a little over a month without issues with the scripts. The buttons quit working last week and I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to fix the "unshared" issue. I have followed Kai's recommended steps except leaving it open in a browser for a few days. I have moved the files from the network folder to my SharePoint site where it will open in Web version. The Scripts are saved on my OneDrive and I have reshared everything that I can think of with my Team. The workbooks are not protected. I have detached the scripts, reattach and added new buttons. I have tried using a different browser with no new results. I have submitted a ticket with my IT department but I have not received a response yet. Are there any additional suggestions to try to fix this issue?
Kai-L 18,970 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-26T21:12:08.0933333+00:00

Dear Kimberly,

Thank you for the detailed rundown, and it sounds like you have already worked through everything I would normally suggest. Given that two separate workbooks are affected and rebuilding the buttons did not help, this is looking less like a configuration issue and more like something on the service side. That is beyond what can be diagnosed from the forum, so your IT ticket is the right route. If they need to take it further, they can raise a case with Microsoft from the admin center.

One thing worth noting is that the scripts sit in your personal OneDrive. Moving them to a SharePoint library instead can help, as access is then granted through the site rather than individual sharing.

I hope this helps. Looking forward to your update if your IT team finds anything.

Answer 1

Kai-L 18,970 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Anonymous,

Since the script runs correctly from the Automate tab, the script itself looks healthy. The problem appears to sit with the button object and its link back to the script inside the workbook. The two things that temporarily bring it back, opening in desktop and toggling sheet protection, are useful clues, so a few details would help narrow this down:

Does the button lose its function for everyone, or only for certain users?
Does it break after a specific action, such as someone opening the workbook in the Excel desktop app, or after the sheet is protected?
Is the button placed on a protected sheet, and is the shape itself locked?
Is the workbook stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, and is anyone editing it in the desktop app at the same time?
Does the script run under your account or a shared one, and is it stored in your own OneDrive or shared to the workbook?

While you gather that, it is worth testing a few things:

Keep the workbook in the browser only for a few days and ask everyone to avoid the desktop app. Script buttons are a web feature, so a desktop editing session is the most likely candidate for breaking the link.
Delete the broken button and add a fresh one from Automate, then note exactly what happens just before it goes inactive again.
Test the same button on an unprotected copy of the sheet to see whether protection is involved.
Try it in a different browser and in a private window to rule out a local caching problem.

If the button still fails with the workbook kept in the browser and protection off, that points to a product side defect. At that stage it is worth having your admin raise a support case so it can be logged and escalated, and you can also report it through Help > Feedback in Excel for the web. For guidance on opening a case, see Get support - Microsoft 365 admin. If you don't know who your IT administrator is, please refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

I hope this helps. Looking forward to your reply.

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Anonymous8 85 Reputation points

2026-08-24T20:27:40.86+00:00

the script is stored in OneDrive, and a few separate workbooks have a button to run that script. when the button doesn't work, all buttons in all workbooks lose their functionality. but i do not have to recreate the button as the button will at some point work again, the issue is not that the button is permanently unlinked from the script. each workbook containing such a button is usually only open by one person and only in the web. the button is on a protected worksheet, but unprotecting the worksheet will not always resolve the issue.
Kai-L 18,970 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-24T22:38:10.44+00:00

Hi Anonymous,

Thank you for the extra details. Since all buttons in all workbooks fail at the same time and recover on their own, this points to the shared script in OneDrive rather than any single workbook or button. Unprotecting the sheet not helping also rules protection out as the cause.

Could you let me know the results of the steps from my earlier reply.
Kai-L 18,970 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-25T21:27:22.0733333+00:00

Hi Anonymous,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue. If there’s anything else I can assist you with or if you need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to let me know, I’m here to help. Looking forward to hearing from you. Wishing you a great day ahead!
Anonymous8 85 Reputation points

2026-08-28T16:05:20.3366667+00:00

i found another question that is exactly my issue: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5977765/how-to-fix-script-buttons

Answer 2

concerneduser-6265 0

Hi Kai-L,

Another data point from a different environment, in case it helps.

We have Excel workbooks with Office Scripts attached to worksheet buttons. They worked normally for a long time and then suddenly stopped, with no changes on our side to the scripts, the workbooks, or the sharing settings as far as we know. Clicking a button returns "The button cannot run because the script was unshared. Contact the owner to share it again."

We are the owner of the script, so there is no one else to contact, and it was never unshared on our side. The script still runs correctly from the Automate tab. Only the button path fails.

One detail that may be relevant to your hypothesis that a desktop editing session breaks the link: we reproduce this consistently in BOTH Excel Desktop and Excel for the web, on the latest Excel version 2607. The failure is not confined to the web client, which points to the service side rather than something introduced by a desktop session.

Given how many separate reports show identical behavior, could this be escalated to the Office Scripts product team as a possible service-side regression, rather than being handled case by case as a configuration issue?

Thank you!

Kai-L 18,970 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-27T22:09:34.9033333+00:00

Dear concerneduser,

Thank you for sharing these details. Since the script still runs from the Automate tab and the button fails consistently in both Excel for the web and desktop, reporting this as a possible product issue is reasonable.

Please submit a report through Excel > Help > Feedback > Report a Problem. Include the exact error message, Excel version, affected platforms, and the fact that the script continues to run from the Automate tab.

I also recommend asking your Microsoft 365 administrator to open a support request through the Microsoft 365 admin center. Microsoft Support can collect the necessary diagnostic information and escalate the case to the appropriate product team if required. Get support - Microsoft 365 admin. If you don't know who your IT administrator is, please refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

I appreciate you providing another detailed data point. It may help the team identify whether the reports share the same underlying cause.
concerneduser-6265 0 Reputation points

2026-08-27T23:29:47.0666667+00:00

Thank you Kai-L. We will report the issue as suggested.
Kimberly A Grantham 0 Reputation points

2026-09-02T17:21:46.7966667+00:00

Hi.

Did anyone hear back from Microsoft Support regarding the non-functioning Office Script Buttons?

Thanks!