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How to directly preview and edit Excel files without manually downloading them?

Fatma Tuana Karan 0 Reputation points
2025-09-12T11:04:01.3866667+00:00

Hello there;

I'm writing this for my dad. He works with Excel files quite a lot, especially with macros in them, and him and his employees send the same Excel file back and forth via Outlook quite a lot (we all use Office 2016 suite at work).

He told me that before, he was able to directly open (preview?) and edit an Excel file from the e-mail without the whole file downloading to the Files program on iOS and him having to shuffle through the Files app to get it to open on Excel to share it back via e-mail, but now that feature is no longer possible, he has to download the file every time and he has to find it to open it up on Excel and then share it via the Excel app.

I work at IT so I thought I could give it a shot to see if it's some sort of settings change or whatnot, but I really don't use the Office suite on my mobile devices to know what it's exactly about.

Programs used:

Outlook for iOS

Excel for iOS

Microsoft Office 2016

Platforms used:

iPhone (iOS 18.6.2)

Laptop running Windows 11 Pro 24H2

Thank you for reading, have a good day!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | iOS
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  1. Tina L 8,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-09-12T12:13:46.89+00:00

    Hello @Fatma Tuana Karan,  

    Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A forum! 

    For your concern, I will explain detail: 

    • Previously, if you had both the Microsoft 365 app and the standalone Excel app installed on your iPhone, Outlook would typically open Excel attachments using the Microsoft 365 app.

    This allowed for a simple preview experience without needing to fully open the file in Excel. 

    However, according to Microsoft’s official announcement: Changes to file open behavior for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on Outlook iOS 

    Starting October 2024, Outlook for iOS will default to opening files in the standalone Excel app if it’s installed. This change means Outlook will no longer use the Microsoft 365 app to open Excel files, and as a result, the preview feature is no longer available. 

    To be sure, I tested this on iPhones running both iOS 17 and iOS 18.5: 

    (I'm sorry, I don't currently have a device running iOS 18.6.2 to test this directly)

    • When opening an Excel attachment in Outlook, the only option shown is “Open in Excel.” 

    User's image

    • The file opens directly in the Excel app. If signed in, you can edit and send the file using the Send feature in Excel. 

    No preview option appears, unlike the previous experience. 

    For summary: 

    • Currently, there is no way to restore the preview feature in Outlook for iOS if the standalone Excel app is installed. 
    • Microsoft has deliberately changed this behavior to prioritize opening files in dedicated apps like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, rather than using the Microsoft 365 app for in-app previews. 

    I understand this may impact your father's productivity and since this is by design, I highly recommend submitting feedback through the Microsoft 365 Feedback Hub to request the return of the direct preview feature: 

    • Go to Help => Feedback => Send Feedback      
    • Describe your suggestion in detail.      

    User's image

    This allows the development team to understand the needs of real users. Not only Outlook or Excel, but all Microsoft apps are continuously improved to better serve users like you. Your feedback may help us revive or introduce features that make a real difference.      

    Every submission is reviewed, and many product enhancements have come directly from user input. I’ll also submit feedback myself, as it’s clear that many users are experiencing the same issue.     

    I truly appreciate you're understanding and patience as Microsoft continues to evolve the platform.

    If you've already submitted feedback, please share the link here. That way, not only me but others who share the same idea will know how to raise their own feedback and can support yours, helping the development team become aware of it.    

    Waiting for your reply! 

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.     

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