This user's request is a textbook example of why traditional spreadsheets are failing modern workflows. They need a file that automatically locks itself after 180 days, shows a message directing colleagues to the latest version, and works across desktop and online SharePoint without macros. That's a reasonable, practical need. And the only honest answer is that Excel cannot deliver it cleanly.
The user already knows macros won't work in the browser. They also know that any VBA-based expiry system is fragile, easily bypassed, and unsupported in the collaborative environments most teams rely on today. They are essentially asking for a feature that Excel never designed for. The workarounds, manual date checks, conditional formatting, third-party add-ins, all fail the moment someone opens the file in a different view or disables scripts. This isn't a user problem. It's a tool limitation.
What this user truly needs is a spreadsheet that understands time as a native property of the data itself. An AI-native system can attach an expiry condition directly to the file's metadata, not to a fragile script. When 180 days pass, the file simply locks all sheets, displays the contact message, and becomes read-only, whether opened on a desktop, a browser, or a phone. No macros. No permissions gymnastics. No "works on my machine" surprises. The logic lives in the platform, not in the file.
This is where the conversation should shift. Instead of asking "how do I hack Excel to expire," users should ask "why does my spreadsheet need manual expiry at all?" In a modern data environment, version control, access expiry, and lockdown rules should be built into the tool, not jury-rigged after the fact. The user's request is a sign that they are ready for something better. They just haven't discovered it yet. Our opinion is plain: stop fighting Excel's limits and start exploring tools that treat data governance as a first-class feature, not an afterthought.