How to Remove Shared Access Permissions for Someone in an Excel File

At some point, you may want to revoke another user's access to your Excel file. Excel gives you the option to stop sharing your workbook at any time. You can remove each user's access manually or remove everyone's permissions at once.

In this article, we will show you how to remove sharing permissions on Excel on various devices.

How to Remove Permissions on Excel on PC

The easiest and fastest way to remove or change restricted access in Excel is on the computer. When working on an Excel workbook, you have the option to share it with other users via OneDrive. When you want to restrict someone's permission to access the Excel file, here is what you do:

1. Launch Excel on your desktop.
   
2. Click on the "File" tab in the upper left corner of the screen.
   
3. Choose “Open” then “OneDrive – Personal”.
   
4. Find the Excel workbook and open it.
   
   Notes: The workbook you opened in Excel should have the word "[Shared]" in its title.
5. Go to the "Share" button in the upper right corner of Excel, or click the "File" tab in the top menu and switch to "Share" in the left sidebar.
   
6. Find the user whose shared access you want to remove in the right pane.
   
7. Right-click on the user and select "Delete User" from the drop-down menu.
   
8. Switch to the "Review" tab at the top of the screen.
   
9. Click the "Share Workbook (Inheritance)" button. This will open a new window.
   
10. Uncheck the "Allow edits by multiple users at the same time" box.
11. Select "OK".
    

Now that you have followed these steps, anyone who has permission to access your Excel file will be deleted. Another way to remove restricted access on Excel is to select the "Change Permission" option on the yellow bar at the top of the workbook. Note that you can only restrict access to an Excel file if you are the one who created it.

Keep in mind that these methods do not apply to the latest version of Excel, where the "Share Workbook" feature is not available in the "Review" tab. Instead, Microsoft introduced a new sharing feature called co-authoring.

If you're using Excel 365 and want to restore the sharing features to the Quick Access Toolbar, follow the steps below:

1. Go to "File" in the upper left corner of the screen and select "Options".
   
2. Choose "Quick Access Toolbar" from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Under "Choose commands from", choose "All commands".
   
4. Find "Share Workbook (Legacy)" in the list and click the "Add" button on the side.
   
5. Repeat the same steps for "Track changes (legacy)", "Protect sharing (legacy)", and "Compare and merge workbooks".
6. Select "OK".
   

Now that you have the "Share Workbook" feature, you can give other people access to your Excel workbooks and delete them as well. If you are using the latest version of Excel, it is recommended to use the co-authoring feature rather than the sharing feature, as it is much easier and convenient to use.

How to remove authorization on Excel 365 via browser

If you prefer to use the online version of Excel 365, you can always remove permissions through OneDrive.

1. Go to OneDrive on your browser.
   
2. Log in to your OneDrive account.
   
3. Click on the Excel file or folder you want to stop sharing.
   
4. Go to the "i" icon in the upper right corner of the browser.
   
   Notes: The “i” information button will only appear once you have selected one or more documents.
5. Go to "Manage Access" in the "Details" bar.
   
6. Find the user whose shared access you want to remove.
   
7. Click the down arrow next to their name and select "Stop Sharing".
   
8. Confirm that you want to delete them.
   

When you navigate to the “Manage Access” section, you will be able to see three types of icons: for people, links, and emails. These mean if you have shared your Excel files with other OneDrive users, via links or emails. In addition to removing shared access to Excel files, you can also set passwords and link expirations. All of this can be done with the “Edit Link Page” function.

How to Remove Permissions in Excel on an iPhone

You also have the option to remove or edit shared access on Excel on the mobile app. Here's how to do it on an iPhone:

1. Open the Excel app on your iPhone.
   
2. Select "Open" in the lower right corner of the application.
   
3. Switch to the “One Drive – Personal” option.
4. Locate the shared document and tap on it.
   
5. Select the share icon in the upper right corner of the document.
6. Choose "Shared with" from the drop-down menu.
   
7. Find the person you want to remove and tap their name.
   
8. Select “Remove”.
   

That's all we can say about it. If you want to remove multiple users at once, you will need to repeat this process for each user. Make sure you have an internet connection when you remove other users' shared access in Excel. To do this, you must also be signed in to your Microsoft account.

How to Remove Permissions in Excel on Android Device

If you are an Android user, the process of removing or changing shared access to Excel files is more or less similar. Here's how it's done:

1. Open the Excel app on your Android.
   
2. Switch to "Open other workbooks" in the right sidebar.
   
   Notes: If you are immediately directed to another document (the last one you viewed), you must first press the "File" tab. Next, navigate to the "Open" section in the sidebar.
3. Select “OneDrive – Personal” from the list of options.
   
4. Find the shared document to which you want to restrict access.
   
5. Proceed to the "Share" icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
   
6. Tap “Manage” then navigate to “Edit”.
   
7. Find the person you want to remove and tap the drop-down arrow.
   
8. Select "Stop Sharing".
   

This will immediately remove the user from the shared document.

How to Remove Permissions to Excel on an iPad

Some Excel users prefer to work on an iPad because it has a larger screen and is more accessible. If you want to remove other users' shared access in Excel on an iPad, here's what you need to do:

1. Run the Excel application on your iPad.
2. Navigate to the "Open" tab in the lower left corner.
3. Choose “OneDrive – Personal”.
4. Find the document whose shared access you want to remove.
5. Go to the person icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
6. Switch to "Shared with".
7. Find the user you want to remove from this file.
8. Tap on their username and select "Delete".

You have successfully removed someone's shared access in Excel on your iPad. Once you've stopped sharing your file, you can edit it however you want.

Restore ownership of your file in Excel

Sharing your Excel workbooks with other users can be extremely useful when you need to work together on a project. However, when you no longer need your colleagues' input, or when you're just done, you can revoke their access to the file. While you can use a variety of devices to do this, if you're using Excel on your desktop, you'll be able to remove shared access from individual users, as well as the entire team at once.

Have you ever deleted someone's shared access in an Excel file before? What device did you use? Let us know in the comments section below.