can't create a workbook in OneDrive

Question

can't create a workbook in OneDrive

Perrine Rauzy 0

I have a work/ school account.

We want to create a form in microsoft forms that is sync with excel and has live updates. Whenever we try to see results in excel, we get the same error message 'can't create a workbook in OneDrive right now. Make sure your OneDrive account is available and has enough storage'

we have no storage warning message and I'm not sure what' Make sure your OneDrive account is available' means.

Lin v 1,455 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-15T17:41:56.6633333+00:00

Hi Perrine,Just checking in to see if you've reviewed the proposed answer. Any update would be appreciated.

2 answers

Your answer

Lin v 1,455 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-15T17:41:56.6633333+00:00

Hi Perrine,Just checking in to see if you've reviewed the proposed answer. Any update would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi Perrine,

The error suggests that Microsoft Forms may be having trouble creating the Excel workbook associated with the form.

To help isolate the issue, you may try the following:

1/ Try both Excel opening options

From the form's Responses tab, select Open results in Excel.
If the option is available, also try Open in Excel Desktop.
If you started with one option, try the other.
Additionally, select Download a copy from the form results.

User's image

2/ Check the Excel desktop version (if using Open in Excel Desktop)

Open Excel Desktop.
Go to File > Account.
Note the Version and Build number shown under About Excel.
Compare it with Microsoft's requirement for Open in Excel Desktop support.

User's image

If your version is older, select Update Options > Update Now and then test the feature again.

3/ Test in an InPrivate/Incognito browser window

Sign in to Microsoft Forms using an InPrivate/Incognito browser session.
Open the form and try Open results in Excel again.

If the issue does not occur in InPrivate mode, browser cache, cookies, or an extension may be contributing to the behavior.

4/ Check OneDrive storage

Open OneDrive for work or school in a browser.
Review the storage information shown in the lower-left corner.

User's image

5/ Contact your IT admin

If the issue persists after the above checks, I recommend contacting your IT administrator so they can review your account status, verify that the associated OneDrive/SharePoint site is functioning correctly, and open a Microsoft support case if necessary.

In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

I hope everything gets sorted out soon. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reply.

Perrine Rauzy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T15:41:16.7833333+00:00

Hi Lin,

No one in our team can open results in excel or open in excel desktop I'm afraid!

I have managed to create a new form and link it to excel in my account as well but not from a private group which is where we want to store our forms
Lin v 1,455 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-16T17:57:06.29+00:00

Hi Perrine,

Thank you for the update.

If you've already tried the suggestions above and the issue persists, I recommend asking your IT administrator to open a support ticket with Microsoft to investigate further.

Since the behavior affects multiple users and appears to be limited to the private group scenario, Microsoft may need to investigate the associated Microsoft 365 Group, SharePoint location, or related backend configuration in more detail.

Wishing you a quick resolution to the issue.

Answer 2

That error usually means Forms cannot create or use the Excel workbook that should be stored in OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint Online.

For a form with live Excel updates, the form must be created in one of these places:

OneDrive for work or school
SharePoint Online
Excel for the web
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Forms web part

If the form was created directly in Microsoft Forms on the web and then Open in Excel was used, the workbook may not have a live data connection to the form. In that case, Sync all responses to a new workbook will not appear.

Try this end-to-end check:

Verify the work account is available in OneDrive
- Select the OneDrive cloud icon.
- Open Settings > Account.
- Confirm the work or school account is listed.
- If it is missing, add the work account.
Confirm the form was created from a supported starting point
- Create the form from OneDrive for work or school, SharePoint Online, Excel for the web, or Teams.
- These starting points create an Excel workbook with a live data connection.
Use Excel for the web to create the linked form
- In OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint Online, open or create a workbook in Excel for the web.
- Create the form from there so the workbook is automatically stored in OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint Online.
- This is the recommended path when the older “Forms for Excel” entry is not shown.
If the workbook connection was lost, create a new synced workbook
- In the form, go to the Responses tab.
- Select More options.
- Select Sync all responses to a new workbook.
- The new workbook is stored next to the original workbook and contains the most up-to-date responses.
- This option is available for Office 365 Education and Microsoft 365 Apps for business users signed in with a work or school account.
Check for a SharePoint library setting that blocks sync
- If the workbook is in SharePoint and the library requires content approval, workbook sync will not work.
- If Require content approval for submitted items? is set to Yes, the workbook will not sync.
Refresh the OneDrive and Office sign-in state
- In Word or Excel, go to File > Open and check whether the work or school OneDrive appears.
- If it is missing, use Sign in or Add a Place.
- In File > Account, sign out and sign back in with the work account.
If the work OneDrive still does not appear in Office apps
- Close Office apps.
- Open Credential Manager.
- Remove cached Microsoft 365 business and Office credential entries.
- Reopen the app and sign in again.

What “make sure your OneDrive account is available” means here:

The work or school OneDrive account must be present in the OneDrive app.
The same work account should also be recognized in the Office app.
Forms must be able to save the workbook to OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint Online.

If the account is present, storage is not full, and the error still occurs, the most reliable workaround is to create the form from Excel for the web in OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint Online, then use that linked workbook.

References: