shared workbook in excel not working on an ipad

Hi @Aaron Green,

Thank you for the detailed response.

Microsoft Excel on iPad requires an active Microsoft 365 subscription for editing if the screen size is greater than 10.1 inches.

iPhones and smaller tablets allow free editing because they fall under the “mobile device” category.

If Your iPad has a screen larger than 10.1", the app enforces the subscription requirement.

You can find information about this via this article: Microsoft 365 system requirements

You can follow the steps below to ensure you have the correct license for your iPad:

• Ensure the employee signs-in with a licensed account

Open Excel on iPad → Profile icon → Sign in with the Microsoft 365 account that has an active subscription.

If they sign in with a free account, editing will remain blocked.

• Verify your subscription

Go to account.microsoft.com/services and confirm your Microsoft 365 subscription is active.

If you have a business subscription, make sure the employee is assigned a license in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

• Assign the license (if needed)

IT administrator is required for this step.
In Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Users → Active Users → Select Employee → Licenses and Apps → Assign Microsoft 365 Apps license.

• Restart the app

After signing in with the licensed account, close and reopen Excel on the iPad.

If you don’t want to purchase additional licenses:

• Use Excel Online in Safari or Chrome on the iPad (editing is free in the browser).
• Or consider a smaller tablet (≤10.1") for free editing in the app.

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Hi @Aaron Green,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum.

On iOS, there are a few common causes for this to happen which lead to the workbook is opening read‑only on the iPad. Sometimes, the old Shared Workbook feature (from desktop Excel) is deprecated and doesn’t work on mobile apps. iPad Excel only supports co-authoring on files stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams.

You should verify the following points to ensure the Excel is running correctly:

1. Sign in & license

Make sure the user is signed into the Excel app with their work Microsoft 365 account (same tenant where the file lives).

Confirm their license includes the mobile app’s editing rights (e.g., Business Standard/Premium, Apps for Enterprise). If they’re signed in with a personal account, Excel may allow viewing but block editing.

1. Open from the cloud location

• Please reset and completely exit Excel.
• Open the shared Workbook from OneDrive/ SharePoint to force the file to be open in Excel.
• Use modern co‑authoring: The workbook must be an Excel (.xlsx) stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint/Teams. Legacy “Shared Workbook” (the old feature in .xls) isn’t supported on iPad and blocks editing. Convert to .xlsx and turn on modern co‑authoring (no “Shared Workbook” legacy setting).

If the issue persists, you can try creating a new blank Excel file (.xlsx) directly from the iPad in OneDrive for Business, share it with the employee with ‘Can edit’ permissions, and confirm if they can edit that file? If they can, the issue may be with the original file’s format or protection settings.

Additionally, can you provide me some additional information about your situation so that I can investigate further?

• Where is the file stored (OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams)?
• What is the file type (.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm)?
• Is Protect Sheet/Workbook or Mark as Final enabled?
• Is there any sensitivity label applied?
• Does your organization use Intune, App Protection, or Conditional Access?

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. If you continue to experience difficulties, please feel free to attach a screenshot. This will help us better understand the issue and provide more accurate assistance. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.   

Once we have this information, we can review it and provide a more precise solution tailored to your setup. I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.   

I'm looking forward to your reply. 

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