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How to Fix Excel SharePoint Co-Authoring Conflicts During Power Query Refresh
Question details
Users experience synchronization conflicts and upload errors in a shared Excel workbook on SharePoint when a collaborator triggers a Power Query refresh.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel, SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A team is collaborating on a shared Excel workbook stored in SharePoint. One user refreshes the Power Query data connection while others have the file open in the desktop app.
- Observed behavior
- A synchronization conflict error affects all users who have the file open, except the specific user who is performing the data refresh.
Ask all collaborators to save their current work and verify that everyone editing the document has the latest version of the Excel desktop application installed.
Synchronize SharePoint Library and Open via OneDrive Client
Syncing the SharePoint document library to your local machine using OneDrive provides a more stable synchronization environment for co-authoring compared to opening directly from a browser or Teams.
Opening files directly from the SharePoint web interface or Microsoft Teams can sometimes lead to caching issues that interfere with complex background tasks like Power Query refreshes. Using the native OneDrive sync client helps stabilize file locking and merging processes.
Ensure that all users currently collaborating on the file save their changes and close the Excel application completely.
Open your web browser, log in to your Microsoft 365 account, and navigate to the specific SharePoint document library where the Excel workbook is stored.
Click the 'Sync' button located on the top toolbar of the SharePoint library. Follow the prompts to open Microsoft OneDrive and allow it to set up the synchronization on your local computer.
Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac), locate the newly created SharePoint sync folder, and double-click the Excel workbook to open it directly from the local synchronized path.
Once the file is open for multiple users via the synced folder, go to the 'Data' tab and click 'Refresh All' to verify if the co-authoring conflict is resolved.
Identify and Remove Unsupported Co-authoring Features
Certain advanced Excel features or specific Power Query configurations are not fully supported in simultaneous co-authoring environments and must be removed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Power Query Refresh All cause a co-authoring conflict in Excel?
When a user triggers 'Refresh All' in a shared workbook, Excel attempts to update the data model and background queries. If other users are simultaneously editing or if the workbook contains features unsupported for co-authoring, Excel cannot merge the background data changes with live user edits, resulting in a synchronization conflict.
Does everyone need the same Excel version for SharePoint co-authoring to work smoothly?
Yes, it is highly recommended. Different versions of Excel may handle data connections, Power Query, and background synchronization differently. Having all users on the latest, identical version minimizes compatibility issues and merge errors.
Can I refresh Power Query data in Excel for the Web to avoid these conflicts?
Excel for the Web has limited support for refreshing certain types of Power Query connections. If your data source is unsupported in the browser version, users must open the file in the desktop application to refresh the data, which is where desktop sync conflicts typically occur.
