How to fix freezing on saving excel files on iPad

Peter Murray 0 Reputation points
2026-09-18T05:44:21.99+00:00

When I try to save excel files on iPad the save does not work. This has occurred since around September 15 or 16 2026.

I read some information and tried all the various proposals including turning iPad on and off, deleting and restarting excel, moving files to onedrive, clearing excel settings including sign in credentials.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | iOS
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  1. Peter Murray 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-19T21:30:11.78+00:00

    Thanks Xavier but unfortunately it still has not fixed it. The issues have arisen since last excel update from 15 September if that is of any use.

    I did create a blank workbook with little data and that did save but when I used an unrelated existing workbook it did not save.

    Available storage is 39 GB.

    Excel version is 2.113.5

    iPadOS 27

    The freeze appears to impact all workbooks

    Excel does not display any of those messages but does show a message “On this device you can view or delete data linked from other workbooks, but not create or edit links”

    Kind regards

    Pete

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  2. Xavier-D 13,105 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-19T02:59:38.4+00:00

    Hello Peter Murray,

    Thank you for confirming what you have already tried.

    Since restarting the iPad, reinstalling Excel, resetting its settings and credentials, and changing the storage location did not help, here what you can try next.

    First, please protect any changes that are still visible in the workbook. If possible, copy the affected sheets or data into a new blank workbook, or use Excel for the web or Excel on another device to continue working with the cloud copy.

    To determine whether this is a workbook-specific problem or an Excel for iPad problem, please test the following:

    1. Create a completely new blank workbook in Excel on the iPad.
    2. Enter a small amount of data and check whether it saves.
    3. Test one other existing workbook that was not created from the affected file.
    4. Check that the iPad has sufficient free storage under Settings > General > iPad Storage.

    Please also provide:

    • The Excel app version shown in Settings > Excel.
    • The iPadOS version shown in Settings > General > About.
    • Whether the freeze affects every workbook or only certain files.
    • Whether the new blank workbook can be saved locally and to OneDrive.
    • Whether Excel displays any message such as Uploading, Upload failed, or Read-only.

    Please avoid repeatedly force-closing Excel while unsaved changes remain visible, as this could result in those changes being lost.

    Feel free reply back to this post and update me on this issue, I'll be happy to help.

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