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Fix Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” Error [6 Methods]

In this guide, we will show you six different methods to fix the Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” error. When it comes to online word processor software, the offering from the Search Engine giants is right there at the top of the pecking order. The live collaborative and editing functionality, baked in with a plethora of useful editing features, and the fact that it is completely free to use are just some of the reasons why it is gaining an upper hand when compared with its counterpart MS Word.

However, there is just one area that it needs to address and those are the few issues that it occasionally gets bugged with. As of now, there has been an addition of another unfortunate entry to this list. Many users are reportedly getting the “Your Access Has Expired” error message when trying to access Google Docs. Just by the looks of it, the error seems to stem out from the fact that the duration of the permission that the owner has granted you for accessing that file has expired. But this is where things begin to get interesting.

The file in which users are getting this error is their own, in other words, they are themselves the owner of these files! So Google seems to be preventing the owners from accessing their own files. While this issue is no doubt quite infuriating and troublesome, to say the least. Fortunately, there do exist some workarounds that are known to rectify this issue. And this guide shall make you aware of just that. So without further ado, let’s get started with the steps to fix the Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” error.

Fix Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” Error [6 Methods]

fix Google Docs Your Access Has Expired error

The accompanying error message to this issue is along the following lines:

“Your Access Has Expired – Reload this document to gain access. If you still don’t have access, contact the document owner”.

Some users have also reported the following error message:

“You no longer have permission to access this document, so your changes can’t be saved. If you believe this is an error, contact the document owner. If your access is restored, you will be able to continue working”.

Well, no matter which of the two  errors are you getting, the below-mentioned workarounds should be able to rectify this issue. So on that note, let’s get started.

Fix 1: Add Google Docs to AdBlocker Whitelist

First and foremost, you should disable the installed adblocker extension on your browser. There have been numerous instances when the ad blocker tends to block certain Java Scrips from properly loading. And the associated website would be on the receiving end. Therefore, you should take two different approaches in this reagrd- either completely disable the ad-blocker extension or simply stop it from functioning on the Google Docs site.

Fix Google Docs Your Access Has Expired Error

As of now, let’s proceed ahead with the less aggressive approach and just add Docs to the ad blocker’s whitelist. To do so, head over to the Docs website and then click on the Ad Blocker Extension icon. From the menu that appears, select the appropriate option that allows you to disable adblocker on Docs. Once that is done, reopen Google Docs in a new tab and then check if it is able to fix the Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” error.

Fix 2: Access Docs via Direct Links

You could also use the direct below links to open the Google Docs/Spreadsheet/Presentation. It is the method suggested by a Google Product Expert Alumni and seems to have worked out for some users.

  • Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/
  • Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/
  • Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/u/0/

So try accessing the site via the above URL and check if it is able to fix the Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” error. [TIP: the 0 in the above URLs stands for your primary Google Account].

Fix 3: Browse in Incognito Mode

In some instances, the add-ons or installed extensions could conflict with the proper loading of the site. The best way to check for the same is to open a new Incognito/Private browsing window (via Ctrl+Shift+N shortcut key combinations). Doing so will disable all the extensions and if you are then able to access Docs without any problem, then the issue is indeed with an extension.

Fix Google Docs Your Access Has Expired Error

So come back to the normal browsing window and then head over to the browser’s extension page. [Chrome: chrome://extensions Edge: edge://extensions]. Now disable all the extensions and then re-enable them one a a time. Once you are able to re-create the issue, consider removing the last installed extension. This in turn should fix the Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” error.

Fix Google Docs Your Access Has Expired Error

Fix 4: Access Docs via Smartphone

Some users were able to achieve success after accessing their document from their smartphone. So pick up your device and launch the Docs app. Now try loading the concerned document and see if the underlying issue is fixed or not.

Fix 5: Delete Browser Data

In some instances, a corrupt browser data (such as the stored website data and cookies) might get corrupted or outdated. When that happens, it could lead to a few issues in loading the sites. Therefore, you should consider deleting these data right away so that the browser is able to re-create the fresh ones from start. So follow along for the instructions:

Fix Google Docs Your Access Has Expired Error

  1. Launch the browser and then head over to its Cookies and Cache section.
  2. If you are using Chrome, then you could use the following address:
    chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
  3. For Edge, the below URL will come in handy
    edge://settings/clearBrowserData
  4. Now checkmark Cookies and hit the Delete/Clear Now button.
  5. Once done, restart the browser and then reload the Docs page. Verify if it is able to fix the Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired”. error.

Fix 6: Switch to Different Browser

You could also try accessing Google Docs using any other Chromium/non-Chromium browsers. These include the likes of Opera, Firefox, Vivaldi, Firefox, Tor, etc. See if this works out in your favor or not.

Conclusion

So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the Google Docs “Your Access Has Expired” error.  We have shared six different methods for the same. Do let us know in the comments section which one spelled out success for you.


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  • Ah I have tried all of these and am still having trouble – it works from my smartphone but it’s hardly ideal when working in sheets! help lol