Problem in MS Excel and M365 license

The “Access Denied” message is a OneDrive or SharePoint permission problem—not a workbook password prompt—so open the file with the account that owns or was granted access to it, then repair Excel activation separately.

Restore access in Excel for the web

1. Check which Microsoft account is signed in
   • In Microsoft 365 for the web, select the profile picture in the upper-right corner.
   • Verify that this is the account that owns the file or received its sharing invitation.
   • If it is not, sign out and sign in with the correct personal, work, or school account.
2. Open the file from its actual location
   • Open OneDrive and locate the workbook under My files if it belongs to you, or Shared if someone else shared it.
   • Do not reuse an old sharing link until its permissions have been checked.
3. If another person owns the file, ask that owner to:
   1. Select the file in OneDrive or SharePoint.
   2. Select Details in the upper-right corner.
   3. Under Has access, select Manage access.
   4. Confirm that your correct account has direct access or is included in a valid sharing link.
   5. Grant Can edit or the required access level and send a new link.
   File owners can inspect and change direct access and sharing links through Manage access.^1^
4. If you own the file but still receive Access Denied
   • Make sure it appears under My files, not merely under Shared.
   • Select the file → Details/Information → Manage access.
   • Review its location and permissions. A file moved between shared folders inherits the destination folder’s permissions, which can remove previously available access.^2^
   • If necessary, create a new sharing link with the required permissions. An existing link cannot be changed directly from view to edit; it must be deleted and recreated.^1^

If this is a company or school file, permissions may be inherited from its SharePoint folder or site. In that case, the file owner or Microsoft 365 administrator must grant access at the relevant folder/site level.

Repair desktop Excel activation

A valid subscription does not activate Excel unless the desktop application is signed in with the Microsoft account associated with that subscription.

1. Visit Services & subscriptions using the link in Microsoft’s activation guide and verify that Microsoft 365 is listed under the signed-in account.
2. Open Excel and go to File → Account.
3. Sign out of accounts that do not own the subscription, close Excel, reopen it, and sign in with the licensed account.
4. On Windows, check Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features for multiple Office installations. Remove versions you no longer use, restart Windows, and reopen Excel. Multiple installations can conflict with activation.^3^
5. If activation still fails on Windows 10 or later, run the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter in the Get Help app on the same computer, then restart when prompted.^4^

If neither issue is resolved, provide the exact Excel activation error/code, whether the file is in personal OneDrive or organizational SharePoint, and whether you are the file owner. Those details distinguish an account mismatch from inherited or organization-controlled access.

References

1. Manage sharing and permissions in OneDrive and SharePoint
2. [Personal](https://support.microsoft.com/onedrive/add-shortcuts-to-shared-folders-in-onedrive#moving-shared-files-and-shared-folders-in-your-onedrive)
3. Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office | Microsoft Support
4. Microsoft 365 troubleshooters | Microsoft Support