Links to Shared Documents Not Opening Through Outlook on Mobile (Android)

Savanna 0 Reputation points
2026-10-15T03:49:46.7466667+00:00

I'm just so frustrated with this and I want to know if there's some kind of fix or if it's a bug I'll just have to deal with.

I frequently collaborate on personal writing projects with my friends. We share files and have had no trouble with this exchange up until now and have been using this feature regularly for years now. Recently, for reasons I cannot begin to fathom, if I attempt to open the link provided to me in an email and I am on my phone (Android), it will direct me to a "sign in to work or school account" screen. Only on my phone. I can open the link in the same outlook email on my desktop with zero issue. And it's ONLY the email link that does this. The push notification from the word app? Opens right up. The push notification from OneDrive also works. There would be no issue as usually that's an easy work around - HOWEVER, if for some reason the file doesn't load onto my recent files list or if I accidentally clear my notifications before I open the file, I have no other way to access the file except through the email link.

If I'm home, it's annoying but I can just go sign in to my desktop and open the email that way, but if I'm not then I can't access the file until I get home, even if I need to.

I know it's not permissions on the sender's side because I can open the document from the email on my desktop without even a prompt to sign in to my personal account. Is there anything I can do? (PS: apps are all up to date on my phone, I checked)

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Android

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  1. Norah-L 13,140 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-15T08:34:51.06+00:00

    Hello Savanna,

    This sounds more like an Android link-handling or cached sign-in issue than a sharing-permission problem, especially since the same link works on your computer and the app notifications open correctly.

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    1. In Outlook, tap your profile picture, then Settings > Open Links With, and temporarily choose your phone’s default browser instead of Edge. Open the email link again and select your personal Microsoft account if prompted.
    2. Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps > Word > Set as default/Open by default, clear the current defaults, and try the link again. If available, choose Ask every time so you can open it in Word or your browser.
    3. If it still redirects to a work or school sign-in, go to Settings > Apps > Word > Storage, clear the cache, then reopen Word and confirm that your personal account is signed in. Clearing the app data and signing in again is also recommended when Word keeps using the wrong account type.
    4. As a workaround, open OneDrive and check Shared or Shared with me, where files shared with your account should appear.

    Please let me know how it goes after trying these steps, and I'll be glad to continue looking into it with you.

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