Error message: Decryption failed(null) when attempting to open an Excel document on iPad

I agree 100%. When I first encountered the issue, it was with my brand new iPad Air, running 14.2. I had not yet updated my iPhone XR to 14.2 and the same file, using exactly the same steps opened with no issue. Yesterday, I updated the iPhone to 14.2. You guessed it, I can not open the password protected excel file. Yes, I did get the MicroSoft app suite from the Apple store and the file may be opened, but why should I have to install a competing product to get functionality Apple trashed with the latest IOS update?

There is no way to open it from within Apple Mail, that's what this entire issue is all about. When you said "documents folder", what exactly is that? My work around is opening it from the Apples File app.

Update: I received this from Dropbox;

"We are aware of the issue where, after updating to IOS 14.2.X, Microsoft Office documents that are encrypted with a password are no longer able to be previewed in the Dropbox mobile app.

I have passed this information to our engineers who are currently looking into the issue. I apologize for any inconvenience."

After the update on my iPhone,I tried opening an email that I had with a password protected excel file attached already tried to open before the update and couldn’t open. So I deleted the email and attachment and the saved file in the excel app and resent the email with the attachment and then I was able to open the password protected excel file. Maybe that reset the file.

I have installed the Words app and there I can open the files.

Solution worked as suggested after downloading MS Office app.

The fix still doesn’t make it work to open from the email directly. But if u go to the word app and open from there it opens.

I've had good luck with this. I save the document to Files. Then I go to files and click on it and it opens it in Microsoft office. Next time I want to open it, it opens in MS Office.

you can correct the file by save it with the old Excel or word version

1997-2003. just saved it and the problem is solved. Or waiting for the ios with higer

then14.2

Update to 14.4

Update to the latest version- it finally was fixed when I did that.

Update to 14.4 fixed my problem

Thanks, Bgnmarty: After installing the Microsoft office app it worked when loading the file via this app. (However it does still not work if I try to open it without using the app - not a problem but good to know)

Same issue. As a workaround you can login to O365 on browser and get to the document that way.