Excel Container
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel stores Microsoft Excel’s sandboxed app data on macOS, helping the app keep its local files, settings, and working data separate.
What is Excel Container?
This folder is the sandbox container used by Microsoft Excel on macOS. It holds app-specific data that Excel uses while opening, editing, saving, and recovering spreadsheets in a Mac user account. Users commonly encounter it when checking Library storage, troubleshooting Office issues, or removing Excel from a Mac. Container data can include local settings, temporary working files, saved state information, and other app data that supports normal spreadsheet workflows. Removing the folder while Excel is installed can reset parts of the app’s local data and may remove unsaved or locally cached information tied to Excel sessions. If Excel is no longer installed or you are intentionally clearing its local data, the folder is usually not needed for everyday system operation.
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Safety overview
Status: Mostly safe
This is user-level app data for Microsoft Excel, not a core macOS system component. Its location matches the standard sandbox container used by Mac App Store or sandboxed Office apps. Deleting it is generally safe for macOS itself, but it can remove Excel’s local container data, including saved state, temporary work files, and other app-specific information. Quit Excel first and make sure any important spreadsheets are saved before removing it.
Recommendation: Keep this folder if you still use Microsoft Excel on this Mac. Remove it only if Excel has been uninstalled, you are troubleshooting corrupted local app data, or you want to clear its local container contents and understand that some app state may be reset afterward.
File path
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel
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