Unable to Delete Web Excel

Ng Ng 5 Reputation points
2026-09-21T05:06:33.8566667+00:00

Hi, good day.

I am unable to find a delete button for my excel spreadsheet, even I went to File > Open > View all files, there wasn't any three dots "..." for me to choose. I also tried Review > Protection > Manage protection > to confirm my Protect Sheet is off. And also sheet is Editing status. Where can I find the delete button in this case?. If the file is unable to delete, will it sit inside the cloud and eats up my storage?

Thanks.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Other
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Answer recommended by moderator
Ng Ng 5 Reputation points
2026-09-21T05:16:30.7633333+00:00

Just found the answer. I need to go to my OneDrive > My Files > hover the mouse to that particular files until the three small icons appear (three dots, share, favorite), then click on the three dots and you see the "DELETE" word.

It is very inconvenient when every time you need to hover over the mouse then the three icons appear, I checked and there wasn't any setting to permanently pin three icons visible at all times for all rows.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-21T05:06:47.0066667+00:00

    If the goal is to delete the Excel file itself from Microsoft 365 on the web, the Delete option is available from the file’s More options (...) menu on the Microsoft 365 home page under Quick access or My Content. If the file is in a shared location such as a SharePoint folder, select Go to file location and complete the deletion there.

    If the file is stored in a SharePoint document library, the delete command is in the library toolbar:

    1. Open the SharePoint document library.
    2. Select the file by clicking the circle/checkmark area, not the file name.
    3. Select Delete on the toolbar.
    4. Confirm Delete.

    If the file is in OneDrive, select the file or folder on the OneDrive website and choose Delete from the top bar or the right-click menu.

    If Delete still does not appear, the supported causes in this scenario are:

    1. The file is not owned by the current account.
    2. The file is currently being edited.
    3. There is no permission to delete that file or folder.
    4. The item is checked out to another user.
    5. A retention policy or retention label is preventing deletion.

    About storage: if the file cannot be deleted, it remains in its storage location. Also, after deleting files from OneDrive and the OneDrive recycle bin, there can be a short delay before storage availability updates.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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