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Best answer

Microsoft Excel error: The app returned "You do not have permission to open this file in the browser.".

J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Hi,

 

All steps that involve Excel are currently erroring in all my Zaps.

 

It's giving the error: The app returned "You do not have permissions to open this file in the browser.".

 

I've 'Tested' and 'Reconnected' Excel in Apps.

 

I've tried creating a new Zap with an Excel step (using both the existing and a newly added Excel connection) and it doesn't produce anything at the 'Worksheet' stage (having successfully selected a 'Spreadsheet').

 

It seems to be the same error detailed at https://community.zapier.com/troubleshooting-99/connecting-to-excel-is-giving-you-do-not-have-permissions-to-open-this-file-in-the-browser-32095

 

I've been in contact with Zapier help and they have only been able to suggest that I check the Share setting in Excel but all that seems to do is add an email got shared access or generate a share link a I don't see how that would help.

 

Any help with what to do to get this working would be appreciated :)

 

Jon

icon

Best answer by ken.a 21 March 2024, 10:26

View original

28 replies

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Hi @Jon Hall 

To give us full context, post screenshots with how your steps are outlined and configured, thanks.

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Hi,

 

I’ve got quite a lot of Excel steps in numerous (104) Zaps which are all erroring in the same way having always worked fine until last Saturday.

 

They either add new rows or find or update existing ones.

 

Below is example of a find row step that currently produces the “"You do not have permissions to open this file in the browser." error.

 

 

 

Thanks for your help - it’s much appreciated :)

 

Jon

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Jon Hall 

Perhaps the value being used to lookup is not an email address.

 

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

@Jon Hall

Perhaps the value being used to lookup is not an email address.

 

 

It is an email address. The Zap history shows this loop is putting the email addresses in fine.

 

It’s a problem across all my Zaps that involve Excel, no matter what Zapier is requesting and with what information.

 

All these Zaps worked fine until about 8am last Saturday morning and, as far as I can see, nothing has changed since.

 

Thanks,

 

Jon

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Jon Hall 

Help articles for reference for using Excel in Zaps: https://zapier.com/apps/excel/help

You can try opening a ticket with Zapier Support: https://zapier.com/app/get-help

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Thanks for this but I've looked through the help articles to no avail.

 

And I have an ongoing ticket since Monday which doesn't seem to be getting anywhere - they keep suggesting that I make the same checks they've already suggested and that I've already made 😓

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Jon Hall 

Try using GSheets instead of Excel.

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

I have considered this.

 

But I have 104 Zaps that run off several different Excel sheets so it would be preferable to sort out this problem rather than having to shift everything over to Google Sheets.

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Jon Hall 

From the error it seems related to permissions with the Excel account or the Excel files or the folder where the Excel files are hosted.

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Thanks. It might be that but I can’t figure out what to do if that’s the case. Excel / Microsoft say there’s nothing at their end and I’m having the same error with any Excel account and / or file and folder that I try.

 

And nothing seems to have changed at that end since last Saturday when all these Zaps worked ok.

 

Jon

U
Userlevel 1

Hi, I got the same problem with all my zaps yet… Since a few days all existing excel integration are not working anymore...

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Jon Hall and @UXD 

You can try opening a ticket with Zapier Support: https://zapier.com/app/get-help

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

@Jon Hall and @UXD 

You can try opening a ticket with Zapier Support: https://zapier.com/app/get-help

 

I've had a ticket open for over 8 days and we're not getting anywhere at the moment I'm afraid 😓

U
Userlevel 1

Ticket is since two days open. My customers getting crazy and I don't get a response...

Z
Userlevel 1

@Jon Hall and @UXD 

You can try opening a ticket with Zapier Support: https://zapier.com/app/get-help

 

I've had a ticket open for over 8 days and we're not getting anywhere at the moment I'm afraid 😓

I’m having the same issue.  It started with one zap, then the next day another zap, then finally all of them are erroring out.  Zap support is taking forever!!!

ken.a
Userlevel 7
Badge +6

Hi friends,

Our Support Team created a bug report regarding the “You do not have permission to open this file in the browser” error. Our team is aware of the issue and is working on a fix. I've added your email address as another affected user. That does a few things:

  • Bring this to the attention of the integration developers
  • Help track and prioritize fixes
  • Allows us to notify you via email if/when this is fixed

Unfortunately, I do not have an ETA, but I’ve added you to the list of users affected by this issue so we can let you know as soon as we have any updates.

I appreciate your patience and understanding.

C

Hi, 

I also encountered this error in another google sheet add on for insertion of a new row from a google sheet to an excel file in microsoft’s one drive. It worked well one day and then the next day I get the error: 

Error: Excel Error: FileOpenUserUnauthorized - You do not have permissions to open this file in the browser. ?$select=id,name

Could it be an issue with microsoft excel?

 

I hope this can be sorted out soon.

Cheers,

Cjking

U
Userlevel 1

Any Updates so far? Nearly a month without a solution… 

ken.a
Userlevel 7
Badge +6

Hi @Cjking,

I have added you to the open bug report as another affected member. We will keep you updated via email once the bug has been fixed.

@UXD, our engineers are still looking into the issue.  For reference, I don’t have a timeframe on how long it normally takes to fix bugs because there are multiple variables at play. 

We consider the complexity of the bug, how many users are affected, and the scope of the issue when we prioritize issues. It also depends on whether the issue cause lies solely in our control or if we need to work with our partners at other apps to resolve it, so the timeframe can range. 

I appreciate your patience and understanding.

C

Hi @Cjking,

I have added you to the open bug report as another affected member. We will keep you updated via email once the bug has been fixed.

@UXD, our engineers are still looking into the issue.  For reference, I don’t have a timeframe on how long it normally takes to fix bugs because there are multiple variables at play. 

We consider the complexity of the bug, how many users are affected, and the scope of the issue when we prioritize issues. It also depends on whether the issue cause lies solely in our control or if we need to work with our partners at other apps to resolve it, so the timeframe can range. 

I appreciate your patience and understanding.

Hey @ken.a,
I’ve been having the same trouble as them, my zaps are all error-ing out with the same error. Please add me to the list of affected users! We appreciate any solutions you might be able to provide!
Thanks!

M

I too am getting the same errors on excel . 

ken.a
Userlevel 7
Badge +6

Hi @cjk_sm and @martynelvis,

I have added you to the open bug report as another affected members. We will keep you updated via email once the bug has been fixed.

I appreciate your patience and understanding.

P

Hi @ken.a i am also having this issue it started on the 12th of April for me can i be added to this email to let me know when fixed please, or has there been a fix?

 

Thanks 

ken.a
Userlevel 7
Badge +6

Hi @pancuk,

I have added you to the open bug report. We will keep you in the loop via email once the bug has been fixed.

I appreciate your patience and understanding.

O

I’m afraid the same issue is happening to my zaps since about 4 weeks ago. I guess Zapier Team hasn’t fixed it yet...

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