Hello Nathan_R,

This is Jason Burnside from Microsoft Office365 SharePoint Support.

Thanks for coming to the communities with your concerns about creating a new document using the Office Web Apps.

Go into your Manage Add-Ons to disable the SharePoint OpenDocuments Class which should enable you to create the document in the browser using the Office Web Apps.

To create an Excel document using the Office Web Apps, please follow these instructions:

1)      Click on Libraries

2)      Click Create

3)      Choose Document Library

4)      Click More Options

5)      Choose Excel for default from the dropdown

Please let me know if this resolves your issue.

I will continue to monitor this thread if you have any additional questions.

Jason Burnside MSFT Support

To create an Excel document using the Office Web Apps, please follow these instructions:

1)      Click on Libraries

2)      Click Create

3)      Choose Document Library

4)      Click More Options

5)      Choose Excel for default from the dropdown

 

Please let me know if this resolves your issue.

Thats exactly what I was looking for, thank you!

Do you happen to know of a way to make these changes in every library of a team site simultaneously?

Hello Nathan_R,

Unfortunately, you are not able to make the mass change to existing libraries however you may save the library as a template and use the template to create libraries with the existing content types.

I will continue to monitor this thread for further posts or questions.

Hi there,

This is just the thread i was looking for, however I cannot carry out the suggested fix on the Test Document Library that I have.

Where you say...

5)      Scroll down to Content Types

6)      Click the Add from existing site content types link

7)      Scroll down to Excel, click Excel, click add, click OK

Excel isn't an option - I get a list of general items including:

Audio

Basic Page

Dublin Core Columns

Form

Image

Link to a Document

-and so on.

No Excel or other familiar Office types.

Can you advise how i should fix this?

Thanks,

Martin.

Hello Martinshiels,

This is Jason Burnside from Microsoft Office365 SharePoint Support.

Thanks for coming to the communities with your concerns about using site content types.

The instructions from the above post work for the Professional and Small Business (P1) accounts.

Do you have an Enterprise account? If so, you may create a sub-site with an Express Team Site template or create the Content Types so they may be added and used in a Library’s New Document dropdown.

To create a document content type in Enterprise, please follow these instructions:

1)      Go to the Site Collection that you want to use the content type on

2)      Click on Site Actions

3)      Click on Site Settings

4)      Under Galleries, click Site Content Types

5)      Click Create

6)      Give the Content Type a name, For the Parent Content Type: Document Content Types, Documents, For Put this site content type into: Document Content Types

7)      Click OK

8)      Under Settings, click Advanced Settings

9)      Select Upload, Upload a file that is the file type you would like

10)   Select No for the next two options

11)   Click OK

12)   Click on the Library that you would like to use the content type for

13)   Under the Library Tools, click on the Library tab

14)   Click Library Settings

15)   Under General Settings, click Advanced Settings

16)   Make sure that “Yes” is selected for Allow management of content types, the other options should be able to stay at the defaults

17)   Click Add from existing site content types

18)   Select the newly created content type, click Add

19)   Click OK

You should now be able to create a document from the Library you just added the content type to.

I will continue to monitor this thread for further posts or any additional questions.

Hello Martinshiels,

Did you have any further questions?

I will continue to monitor this thread for further posts or questions.

Hi there Jason,

Thanks for the help - I spotted the answer about the same time you posted this!

Indeed we are on Enterprise - this was the article I found:

office.microsoft.com/.../add-multiple-office-templates-to-a-document-library-HA102409514.aspx

Thanks,

Martin

Hi Jason! I stumbled onto this thread in search of the same answer. I have a P1 account, but Excel is not listed in the options for me to add.  Attached is a screenshot of what I see. 

I verified that we have a P1 account, so I'm confused why the Excel option and others aren't showing up. Any ideas?

Jason:

I figured out how to add new Content Types by uploading Excel and PowerPoint templates, and have now added them to the Library and it seems to be working properly. I'd love some confirmation on if that was the proper way to go about it, and am curious about why basics like Excel and PowerPoint wouldn't exist in the default options?

I also need to add a OneNote option, does this work in the same manner?

Surely this should be made easier? I can create a new document of any allowed type immediately and  in 1 click in Google Drive, yet in 365 (made by MSFT), which touts "work with documents you're familiar with" (document formats also made by MSFT)  it takes 19 STEPS to be able to create a new document? AND I have to change something in the browser (which incidentally is made by MSFT too)?

You can do better than this, MSFT!

And when I try to add a new template/content type I get this:

Error

The content type "Office Data Connection File" at "/" is read only.
The content type "Universal Data Connection File" at "/" is read only.
The content type "Unknown Document Type" at "/" is read only.
The content type "Unknown Document Type" at "/Documents" is read only.

Troubleshoot issues with Microsoft SharePoint Foundation.

Correlation ID: f7e00729-ca33-4408-995a-94b530011d89

Date and Time: 7/5/2012 8:42:53 PM

Hello Miklosch and Mchv2.0,

I apologize for any inconvenience and I understand your frustration with this issue.

Miklosch – You should be able to create the OneNote template in the same manner and this is the proper way to accomplish this task. You may also check out the following link regarding this issue:

Add multiple Office templates to a document library

Mchv2.0 – Are you attempting to change the core content type when you receive this error?

I will continue to monitor this thread if you have any additional questions.

Hello Miklosh and Mchv2.0,

Did you have any further questions?

I will continue to monitor this thread if you have any additional questions.