How to Remove Old SharePoint Sites from Word and Excel

When you open Word or Excel and navigate to the Open or Save As menus, you might see old or deleted SharePoint sites cluttering your workspace. Microsoft Office heavily caches these cloud locations to speed up file access and streamline collaboration. Because of this deep integration with your Microsoft account, simply deleting the site online or losing access permissions does not automatically remove the shortcut from your desktop applications. To permanently clear these ghost locations from your interface, you must force Office to disconnect the service and clear its local registry cache.

Disconnect the SharePoint Service via Account Settings

The safest way to remove an old SharePoint site from Word and Excel is to disconnect the service directly from your Office account settings. This action prevents the applications from attempting to continuously sync with the obsolete location.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word or Excel on your computer.

Step 2: Click on File in the top-left corner of the application window, then select Account from the bottom of the left-hand sidebar.

Step 3: Look at the main panel for the Connected Services section, which is located just under your user and account information.

Step 4: Scroll through the list to locate the specific SharePoint site or OneDrive for Business account you want to remove.

Step 5: Click the Remove button located directly next to the obsolete SharePoint connection.

Step 6: Click Yes in the pop-up dialog box when prompted to confirm the removal of the service.

To verify this method was successful, close all Office applications completely and reopen Word. Navigate to File > Open > Sites to confirm the old SharePoint site is no longer listed in your available locations.

Clear the Office Registry Cache for Stubborn Sites

If the SharePoint site still appears in your Save As or Open menus after disconnecting the service, Office has likely cached the location in the Windows Registry. The desktop applications use this cache to remember enterprise roaming profiles, so you will need to manually delete these registry entries to force a refresh.

Step 1: Press the Windows Key + R simultaneously on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type regedit into the open field and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt to grant administrative privileges.

Step 3: Before making changes, click File > Export in the Registry Editor to save a backup of your current registry to your desktop.

Step 4: Navigate to the following directory path using the left-hand sidebar: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity\Identities. If you are using an older version of Office, look for the 15.0 folder instead of 16.0.

Step 5: Expand the Identities folder. You will see several subkeys containing long alphanumeric strings representing different connected accounts.

Step 6: Click through each subkey and look at the EmailAddress or ProviderId registry values on the right panel to identify which folder corresponds to the old SharePoint or Microsoft 365 account.

Step 7: Right-click the folder that matches the obsolete account and select Delete.

Step 8: Next, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\ServicesManagerCache and delete the identity folders related to the old site located within this cache.

To verify this fix, restart your computer to ensure the registry changes take effect. Open Excel and check the File > Open menu. The stubborn SharePoint locations will be completely purged from your interface.

Clear Pinned Folders from the Recent Items List

Sometimes, an old SharePoint site is not integrated as a connected service, but rather exists as a pinned folder lingering in your Recent list. Removing it requires unpinning the directory path from your immediate view.

Step 1: Open Word or Excel and click File, then select Open.

Step 2: Click on the Recent tab in the middle column.

Step 3: Scroll through your recent folders list to find the old SharePoint location.

Step 4: Right-click the folder. If it has a pin icon indicating it is saved to the top, select Unpin from list.

Step 5: Right-click the folder a second time and select Remove from list.

To verify, navigate away from the Open menu and return to it. The folder path will no longer appear in your recent history.

Managing Local Document Workflows Using WPS Office

Because the presence of old SharePoint sites in Word and Excel is controlled entirely by Microsoft accounts, cloud syncing services, and the Windows Registry, WPS Office cannot change or remove these Microsoft-side settings. However, if you are looking for a comprehensive office suite that does not force mandatory cloud integrations or clutter your workspace with obsolete enterprise syncs, WPS Office provides a streamlined alternative.

WPS Office is designed to handle documents natively on your local drive while allowing you to choose your preferred cloud storage independently. If you want to transition your document workflow away from rigid SharePoint requirements, you can open, edit, and save your existing .docx and .xlsx files directly in WPS Office. The software utilizes a tabbed interface, allowing you to manage multiple text documents and spreadsheets in a single window without navigating through complex cloud directories. By managing files locally, you maintain complete control over your file structure without needing to manually clear out cached registry items whenever a server location changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do deleted SharePoint sites still appear in my Office applications?

Microsoft Office caches cloud storage locations locally to optimize loading speeds and facilitate offline saving. Even after a SharePoint administrator deletes a site or revokes your access, your desktop applications retain the directory path in the Windows Registry and the Connected Services cache until they are manually forced to refresh or cleared by the user.

Will removing a connected service delete my actual files?

No, removing a SharePoint connection from the Office Account settings only removes the shortcut and synchronization link from your desktop application. It does not delete any actual documents stored on the live SharePoint server or your local hard drive.

Can I remove a SharePoint site from Word without affecting Excel?

No, the Connected Services list and the registry cache are shared across the entire Microsoft Office suite. When you remove a SharePoint site from Word, the settings automatically apply globally, and the site is simultaneously removed from Excel, PowerPoint, and other connected desktop applications.

What should I do if I cannot edit the Windows Registry?

If your workplace IT policy restricts access to the Registry Editor, you will be blocked from manually deleting the identities cache. You will need to contact your IT administrator and request that they either push a group policy update to refresh your Office profile or remotely clear the ServicesManagerCache for your specific user account.