This is a classic case of a tool outliving its original design, and the solution is not a better macro, it's a different tool altogether. The problem described here is frustratingly common: a shared spreadsheet that was never meant to be a multi-user form is now being asked to behave like one, and the workarounds are failing because the underlying assumptions have changed. The admin in this story has done the right troubleshooting, identifying that VBA won't run in the browser, testing SharePoint sharing, even finding that autosave destroys the form's purpose, but the real issue is that the form itself is the wrong container for the job.
What this means in practical terms is that every minute spent trying to hack a spreadsheet into a clean-slate form is a minute that could be spent building something that actually works for the E1 license reality. The web-based Excel is a capable tool for editing data, but it is not a form engine. It cannot clear itself on open, it cannot prevent previous data from persisting, and it cannot give each user a fresh instance without manual duplication. The admin's realization that VBA only runs in desktop Excel is the key insight: the organization has already migrated away from desktop Office, so the spreadsheet's only remaining automation path is gone. Keeping the spreadsheet is now a source of friction, not productivity.
The honest answer is that this use case calls for Microsoft Forms, Power Apps, or a simple SharePoint list with a custom form. These tools are designed for exactly this scenario: one user fills in data, the next user sees a blank form, and the responses are stored in a central place without overwriting or cluttering the original template. The admin's organization already pays for the E1 license, which includes Forms and SharePoint list capabilities. There is no additional cost, no new software to deploy, and no VBA to maintain. The transition would require setting up the form fields once and updating the intranet link, but that is a few hours of configuration versus an ongoing cycle of user confusion and data loss.
The spreadsheet served its purpose when everyone had desktop Excel and could run macros locally. That era is over, and clinging to the old workflow is what creates the frustration. The admin should stop trying to make the spreadsheet behave like a form and instead adopt the form tool that Microsoft already provides. It will save time, eliminate data corruption, and let users focus on submitting their reimbursement, not on wrestling with a file that remembers everyone else's receipts.