A connection or file is missing

If your employee cannot find a file or use a connected tool, first check whether that access is part of your setup. Being able to open something yourself does not mean your employee can open it.

You are looking for a specific missing piece: the right file, the right account, permission to use it, or a connection that needs attention.

Confirm the source

Open the file or tool yourself. Check its name, location, and version. Make sure you have not shared an older copy or a link to a different workspace.

Look at your handoff information for the agreed sharing route. Your setup may use a shared location, an uploaded file, or a connected tool. Use the route you were given rather than assuming that a file on your own computer is already available.

Ask what is actually missing

Make this request your own

For [job], you need [file or tool]. Please tell me whether you can access it through our agreed setup. If you cannot, identify the specific missing file, information, or permission. Do not use an older version or guess the contents.

If the employee reports access, ask it to identify the file and version it plans to use. Check those details before relying on the result. This is especially useful for documents with similar names.

Match the problem to the next step

• The file was moved or renamed: share its current location through the documented route.
• The wrong version was shared: clearly identify the correct version and which earlier copy it replaces.
• The account cannot open it: ask the person who controls that file or account to check the intended access.
• The connection needs attention: follow your handoff’s reconnection instructions, if provided. Otherwise ask support to confirm the next step.
• The tool was never included: treat it as a request to extend the setup. Do not assume it can be used because it appears in a general example.

Avoid making a private file public to solve an access problem. Do not paste passwords, sign-in codes, or access keys into a work conversation or support message.

Verify with one small job

Once access is corrected, ask for a small result that uses the source, such as a short summary of an agreed section. Check it against the original. This confirms more than a message saying the connection works.

If access is still unclear, ask for help with the tool or file type, the error wording, and whether it worked before. Keep confidential file contents out of the initial message.

You are back on track when: the employee can use the intended source for the agreed job and you have checked a result against it.