Configuring Microsoft Excel

Learn how to set up and manage Microsoft Excel files in OneDrive or SharePoint as destinations for your data exports with SyncRange.

Overview

Microsoft Excel is an export destination alongside Google Sheets and BigQuery. Data is written directly to Excel workbooks stored in your OneDrive or a SharePoint document library, with each export tab mapping to a worksheet in the file.

Prerequisites

Before you can configure Microsoft Excel as a destination, make sure you have:

Connected your Microsoft account (see Connecting Your Microsoft Account)
When you add an Excel file, SyncRange will ask for permission to read and write Excel files in your Microsoft account (this happens automatically during setup)
For SharePoint destinations, SyncRange will also ask for permission to browse SharePoint sites and list Teams sites. Many organizations require an admin to approve these permissions. See What your Microsoft admin may need to configure.

What your Microsoft admin may need to configure

OneDrive Excel usually works after the user grants access. SharePoint site lists often need an Entra ID (Azure AD) admin step in work or school tenants.

Permissions SyncRange requests

When someone adds an Excel destination, SyncRange requests these Microsoft Graph delegated permissions:

Files.ReadWrite.All: create and update .xlsx files in OneDrive and SharePoint libraries the user can access
Sites.Read.All: find SharePoint sites and document libraries the user can access (required for SharePoint)
Team.ReadBasic.All: list Teams the user belongs to so SyncRange can show those team SharePoint sites (recommended for SharePoint)

Users can consent themselves in some tenants. In many organizations, an admin must approve these permissions for SyncRange before SharePoint browsing works.

Grant admin consent in Microsoft Entra

Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as a Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator
Go to Identity → Applications → Enterprise applications
Search for SyncRange and open it
Open Permissions (or Security → Permissions)
Review the requested Microsoft Graph permissions, then click Grant admin consent for [your organization]
Confirm that Sites.Read.All and Team.ReadBasic.All show as granted for the organization

If SyncRange does not appear under Enterprise applications yet, have a user attempt SharePoint access in SyncRange first (so the app is registered in the tenant), then return to Entra and grant admin consent.

After admin consent

In SyncRange, open Microsoft and choose SharePoint again (or reconnect SharePoint access if prompted)
Search for the site by name, open it, then choose the Documents library

What admins do not need to configure

Users do not need to “follow” SharePoint sites for SyncRange. Microsoft’s followed-sites list is often blocked even when permissions are correct.
Admins do not need to paste site URLs into SyncRange. Site discovery uses Microsoft Graph site search and Teams membership.
Application (app-only) SharePoint permissions are not required for the Excel picker. SyncRange uses the signed-in user’s access.

Adding an Excel Destination

You can create a new workbook or connect an existing .xlsx file. Files can live in OneDrive or in a SharePoint document library.

Go to the Microsoft Integration dashboard
In the Excel (OneDrive & SharePoint) section, click "Add Excel File"
If prompted, allow SyncRange to access your Excel files
Choose OneDrive or SharePoint as the storage location

OneDrive

Use personal OneDrive files. After you choose OneDrive you can:

Create a new file: enter a name and click "Create file". The workbook is created in the current folder (OneDrive root unless you opened a subfolder) and connected as a destination.
Browse folders: open folders to navigate, then click "Connect" next to an existing .xlsx file.
Search all files: switch to search to find .xlsx files by name across OneDrive (including recently used files), then Connect the one you want.

SharePoint

Use a team site document library:

Choose SharePoint as the storage location
If prompted, grant permission to browse SharePoint sites (and Teams sites). If consent is blocked, ask an admin to follow admin consent steps.
Search for and select the SharePoint site by name
Select the document library (often named Documents)
In that library, create a new .xlsx file in the current folder, or browse folders and click "Connect" on an existing workbook. Use "Search all files" if you want to find a file by name without navigating folders.

Folder browsing is the default view. Use the breadcrumbs at the top of the list to move up to a parent folder or back to the library root. Lists are sorted by name (folders first, then Excel files).

Note

Only .xlsx files are shown in browse and search. Files shared with you from other accounts may not appear. SharePoint sites you cannot access will not appear in search.

How Data is Written

Microsoft Excel destinations work similarly to Google Sheets:

Worksheets

Each export tab creates or updates a separate worksheet within your Excel file. Worksheet names are automatically generated based on the export configuration (e.g., "bing_ads_campaign").

Data Modes

Replace: Each export run clears the worksheet and replaces all data with fresh results
Append: Each export run adds new rows below existing data without removing previous entries

Managing Excel Destinations

Viewing Connected Files

All connected Excel files are listed in the Excel (OneDrive & SharePoint) section of the Microsoft Integration dashboard. Each file shows whether it is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. You can click on a file name to open it directly in Excel Online.

Removing a Destination

To remove an Excel file from your destinations:

Find the file in the Excel section of the dashboard
Click the remove (X) button next to the file name

Important

Removing a destination will not delete the file from OneDrive or SharePoint, but any exporters using this file will stop working. Update those exporters to use a different destination.

Best Practices

File Organization: Use separate Excel files for different data types (e.g., one for advertising data, another for analytics)
File Size: Excel files support up to ~1 million rows per worksheet. For very large datasets, consider using multiple files or BigQuery
Naming: Use clear, descriptive file names to easily identify their purpose
Sharing: Share OneDrive or SharePoint Excel files with team members who need access to the exported data. SharePoint libraries are often the better fit when several people need the same workbook.

Troubleshooting

Export Errors

If exports to your Excel file are failing:

Check that your Microsoft account is still connected and not marked as "Needs Reconnect"
Verify that the Excel file still exists in OneDrive or the SharePoint library
Make sure you completed the Excel access step when adding the file
Check the export logs for specific error messages

SharePoint sites missing or empty

If the site list is empty, or a library shows no folders you expect:

Search by the site name (not only the tenant home page)
Ask a Microsoft Entra admin to grant admin consent for SyncRange on Sites.Read.All and Team.ReadBasic.All, then reconnect SharePoint in SyncRange. See What your Microsoft admin may need to configure.
Confirm the signed-in Microsoft account can open that site and Documents library in a browser

File not appearing

If your Excel file doesn't appear when selecting a destination:

Make sure the file has a .xlsx extension
For OneDrive: check that the file is in your personal OneDrive
For SharePoint: choose SharePoint when adding the file, pick the site and document library, then browse folders or use Search all files
Try adding the Excel file again from the Microsoft Integration dashboard