Can not open file excel

When working with Excel spreadsheets, most people are either short on time or have a deadline to meet.

And it could be a nightmare if, at that point in time, Microsoft Excel decides not to open (arghhhhh!).

Unfortunately, this unexpected behavior is quite common where Excel refuses to open one of your important Excel files, or fails to open the Excel application altogether.

So, if you are suffering from the ‘Microsoft-Excel-won’t-open’ syndrome, this article is just what you need.

In this tutorial, I will cover the reasons why Excel refuses to open and the possible solutions that can help you in this situation.

So let’s get started!

Possible Reasons Why Microsoft Excel Won’t Open

Since Excel is a tool that has to work seamlessly with other applications and operating systems, there are many things that can go wrong with it.

And of course, there is always a possibility that the Excel application in itself is the problem.

Below are some possible reasons due to which Microsoft Excel won’t open on your system:

1. There is a problematic add-in that is not allowing you to open Excel files. If this is the case, most likely you will be able to open the Excel applications, but not a specific Excel file (or a new Excel file)
2. There is a possibility that your Excel application is corrupt and needs to be repaired before you can start opening Excel files again
3. Your Excel application is not able to communicate with other applications and the operating system. This has a simple fix where you can simply enable the setting and your files would start working again (covered later in this tutorial)
4. The file Association is broken which means that when you try and open an Excel file, it doesn’t know what software to use to open the file. This again has an easy fix, where you can simply reset the file associations. A lot of people who have upgraded their Excel or operating system often face this issue
5. The file that you want to open is corrupt. This often happens when someone else shares the file with you or when you copy the file to a network drive or an external drive and transfer it to your system. There’s not much you can do in this case, except to make sure that you create backups of your files in the future

How to Fix Excel Files Not Opening

Now, let’s have a look at some of the methods that you can use to fix the issue of Excel files not opening.

I’m listing these fixes in an order in which these are most likely to work.

Uncheck the Ignore DDE box

The most common and easiest fix is to make sure that the correct setting is enabled for the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE).

DDE is how Excel interacts with other applications.

By default, the DDE setting is disabled, but in case it gets enabled by any chance, then it could lead to your Excel files not opening on your system.

When this happens, you will be able to open your Excel application from the start menu, but you won’t be able to open individual Excel files.

Below are the steps to fix this DDE issue:

1. Open the Excel file from the Start menu
2. Click the File Tab
3. Click on Options
4. In the Excel Options dialog box that opens up, click on the ‘Advanced’ option on the left pane
5. Scroll down to the General section
6. Make sure the ‘Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)’ setting is disabled.
7. Close the Excel Options dialog box

If this setting was enabled earlier and you have disabled it using the above steps, this was most likely the issue and it should get sorted now.

In case this method doesn’t work, keep reading!

Turn OFF Add-ins

A lot of people use third-party add-ins in Excel that allow them to enhance the functionality and be able to use many features that are not there in Excel by default.

One of the add-ins that I used to use in my full-time day job days was ‘ThinkCell’, which allowed us to create beautiful charts that were not possible with Excel itself.

And sometimes these add-ins end up being the problem where you not able to open your Excel files.

It has an easy fix – disabling the add-in.

Below the steps that you can use to disable an add-in in Excel:

1. Open the Excel file from the Start menu
2. Click the File Tab
3. Click on Options
4. In the Excel Options dialog box, click on the Add-ins option in the left-pane
5. At the bottom of the dialog box, click on the Manage drop-down
6. Click on COM Add-ins
7. Click on Go
8. In the COM Add-ins dialog box that opens, disable all the add-ins
9. Click Ok

Now try and open an Excel file that wasn’t opening earlier. If the item was the issue, the file should open now.

Many a time, it’s a one-off issue and the add-in will work perfectly even if you enable it now. In case you enable the add-in and you still face the same problem, you can be sure that the add-in is corrupt I need to be permanently disabled.

Repair Microsoft Office

Another possible reason that causes Excel files to not open could be that your Microsoft Office application is corrupt and need to be repaired or reinstalled.

But since reinstalling is a little more work, let’s try the repair option first.

Follow the steps below to repair the Microsoft Office application on your system:

1. Hold the Windows key and press the R key. This will open the ‘Run’ dialog box
2. Enter the following text in the run box – ‘appwiz.cpl’. This will open the programs and features dialog box
3. Locate Microsoft Office in the list
4. Right-click on the Microsoft Office option and click on Change (in case you see the repair option right here, click on it)
5. In the dialog box that shows up, click on the Quick Repair option
6. Click on the Repair button

Follow through with the steps that show up and within a few minutes, it will repair your Microsoft Office application.

If a corrupt Microsoft Office application was the issue, it should be fixed with the above steps.

But in case you’re still not able to open Excel files, let’s try more fixes.

Reset Excel File Associations

File Association is what makes sure that when you open an Excel file, it uses the Excel application to open that file.

And sometimes, these file associations go wrong and when you click on an Excel file, it would not know that it needs to use the Excel application to open it.

The fix – resetting file associations

Below are the steps on how you can do this:

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Click on Programs
3. Click on Default Programs
4. Click on ‘Set your default programs’
5. In the Default apps windows that opens, scroll down to the ‘Reset to the Microsoft recommended defaults’ and click on the Reset button.

If a mismatched file association was the issue that was not letting your Excel files open, this would fix it.

Note that since we have reset the default for all the applications on your system, in case you had manually made any changes and specified any specific file extension to be opened with a specific application, that would also be set to the default.

If you don’t want to reset the default for all the applications and only for the Excel files, click on the ‘choose default applications by file type’ option.

In the screen that shows up, locate the Excel files extensions (.xls, .xlsx, .xlsb, .csv, etc.) and set XLS the default application for these.

Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

Hardware graphic acceleration is something that helps your system perform better, especially when using Microsoft Office applications such as MS Excel or MS Word.

But many times, this may also lead to your Excel files not opening or your system or files crashing.

So, if everything else fails, it’s worth trying this method.

Hardware graphic acceleration is enabled by default and disabling it can solve the issue.

Here is how you can do it:

1. Open the Excel applications
2. Click on the File tab
3. Click on Options
4. In the Excel Options dialog box that opens up, click on the Advanced tab in the left pane
5. Scroll down to the ‘Display’ settings
6. Check the – ‘Display hardware graphic acceleration’ option
7. Click OK

If hardware graphic acceleration was the issue, your Excel files should start opening now.

When Everything Fails – Reach out to the Microsoft Support

And finally, there is only so much troubleshooting you can do.

If nothing else has worked for you so far, it’s best to reach out to Microsoft support and see if those guys can help you.

Many times, these issues could also arise from some recent update that Microsoft released which may have inadvertently caused this issue.

You can use the below link to contact Microsoft support:

https://support.microsoft.com/contactus/

Another thing you can try is posting your query on many active Microsoft forums, and the awesome folks of the Internet may come to your rescue.

I know that this is not an ideal solution, but it can help you get feedback and solutions from experts, which is helpful in almost all cases.

So these are the methods that you can use to troubleshoot when your Microsoft files won’t open.

In most cases, it should be sorted by simple setting changes such as disabling third-party add-ins or resetting file associations, and in some rare cases if you’re not able to identify the issue the best thing is to reach out to Microsoft support.

I hope you found this tutorial useful.

Other Excel tutorials you may also like:

• How to Automatically Open Specific Excel File on Startup
• Excel Formulas Not Working: Possible Reasons and How to FIX IT!
• 10 Tricks to Fix Slow Excel Spreadsheets (Speed-up Excel)
• #REF! Error in Excel – How to Fix the Reference Error!
• How to Recover Unsaved Excel Files [All Options + Precautions]
• Arrow Keys not Working in Excel | Moving Pages Instead of Cells
• Excel Tabs/Sheets Not Showing – How to Fix?
• How to Mark an Excel Workbook as Final?

If tweaking the program’s settings fails, run an expert Excel repair tool

by Milan Stanojevic

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he… read more

Updated on November 25, 2022

Reviewed by
Alex Serban

After moving away from the corporate work-style, Alex has found rewards in a lifestyle of constant analysis, team coordination and pestering his colleagues. Holding an MCSA Windows Server… read more

Microsoft Excel users have reported issues with the program with regards to Excel not opening files.

If you’ve had a similar experience, you’ve probably noticed that when you try to double-click on an Excel file or an icon for a workbook, the program starts up but you get a blank white screen instead of the intended file.

Some users have circumvented this issue by using this path File > Open > Workbook. But it’s much easier to just double-click, right?

However, the issue, as described by Microsoft Support, arises from the fact that Excel got a security upgrade such that there are changes in the behavior of certain types of files in the way they open in Excel.

This change, as explained, came with three security updates: KB3115322, KB3115262, and KB3170008.

Unlike the former times when you would try to open HTML or XLA files with an Excel .xls extension, the program would caution over the disconnect between the file and contents but open without Protected View security.

After these updates, the program will not open workbooks but will show a blank screen instead.

It doesn’t even warn you that it did not open the file.

What do I do if Excel doesn’t open files?

In this article

• What do I do if Excel doesn’t open files?
• 1. Uncheck the ignore DDE option
• Fix Excel file not opening by unchecking the ignore DDE box
• 2. Reset file associations to fix Excel file not opening
• 3. Fix Excel file not opening by repairing the program
• 4. Turn off add-ins to fix the Excel file not opening error
• 5. Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration if Excel won’t open files

Excel file not opening cases are more common than you think. Even more common is for the issue to happen because the files you may be trying to open are incompatible with the Protected View feature.

Don’t worry, we have prepared some quick-fix solutions you can use to resolve Excel file not opening issues, and keep on using the easy way to access your workbooks by double-clicking them.

1. Uncheck the ignore DDE option

Fix Excel file not opening by unchecking the ignore DDE box

One of the reasons your Excel program is not opening files may be caused by the Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) option selected.

The function of the DDE is to send a message to the program once you double-click, which then instructs it to open the file or workbook you have double-clicked to open.

1. Open Microsoft Excel.

2. Go to File in the top left corner of the screen.

3. Click on Options.

4. Select Advanced from the menu.

5. Navigate to the General tab.

6. Uncheck the Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) box.

7. Click Ok to apply and save the changes.

8. Check if you can open the desired Excel file.

Note: if you select Ignore, Excel ignores all DDE instructions sent from other programs to itself, thus it will not open the workbook you have double-clicked.

You can fix this issue and open hundreds of other file formats with a single application.

File Viewer Plus is a universal file viewer for Windows that can open and display over 300 different file types, with support for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, and Project files.

Then if you want to resolve this issue using useful Windows file viewer software, have a try now with File Viewer 4 Plus.

You can download it for free from the official website or buy it at an affordable price.

2. Reset file associations to fix Excel file not opening

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. Click Programs then click Default Programs.
4. Under Default Programs, click the Set your default programs. A search process will begin to find your default programs.
5. From the list of default programs, choose Excel.
6. Now, click on Choose default for this program.
7. The Set Program Associations screen will open up. Click Select All.
8. Click Save which sets off the saving process and OK.

You’ll need to reset the Excel file associations to default settings, and here above are the steps to follow.

3. Fix Excel file not opening by repairing the program

1. Right-click the Start button and select Control Panel.
2. Click Programs and select Uninstall Programs.
3. Now, click Microsoft Office and select Change.
4. Finally, click Online Repair, then select Repair.

Sometimes the only other solution would be to repair your Microsoft Office programs. Here’s how to go about this.

Once you do the above, reboot your computer.

4. Turn off add-ins to fix the Excel file not opening error

There are two types of add-ins that can cause the Excel program not to open files. These are:

• Excel add-in
• COM add-in

These add-ins need to be turned off one after the other if you have to test, disable and isolate the issue, and here’s how to go about it:

1. Open Excel program
2. If it opens a new workbook, go to File.
3. Click on Options and select Add-Ins from the left pane.
4. Locate Manage at the bottom of the open screen.
5. On the drop-down, select COM Add-ins and click Go.
6. From the open box, clear one of the add-ins on the list and click OK.

Once all these steps are followed, restart the Excel program by double-clicking on a file or icon of the workbook you want to open.

Note: in case the problem recurs, repeat the first seven steps, then choose a different add-in to clear, and try this as you go along.

If it opens, then you’ll know the add-in you selected last is the one causing the issue. Then, you can find an update or newer version of the add-in from the manufacturer’s website, or turn it off if unavailable.

Read more about this topic

• 0x80020010 Windows Update Error: 4 Ways to Fix It
• AMDRSServ.exe: What Is It & How to Fix It in 7 Easy Steps
• The 2023 April Patch Tuesday comes with fixes for 97 CVEs

5. Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration if Excel won’t open files

1. Open the Excel program and go to File.
2. Now, click Options and select Advanced.
3. Find the Display tab. Then, locate and check the Disable hardware graphics acceleration box.
4. Click OK and you should be done.

Follow these steps to disable hardware graphics acceleration and let us know if you managed to fix the Excel file not opening issue by doing so.

If none of the above solutions worked, then contact Microsoft Support for further options.

Did any of these solutions work for you? Share with us in the comments section.

Symptoms

When you double-click a Microsoft Excel file type (.xls), Excel starts as expected, but then you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:

C:filename.xls’ could not be found. Check the spelling of the file name, and verify that the file location is correct. If you are trying to open the file from your list of most recently used files on the File menu, make sure that the file has not been renamed, moved, or deleted.

When you click OK on the error message, the message reappears. After you repeatedly click OK, the file opens.

Cause

This behavior can occur if the Open action entry for this file type ends in %1.

If the Open action of the file type is edited and the line is restored before you press OK, a %1 is added to the registry key.

If you intentionally add a %1 to the Open action entry for this file type, a %1 is added to the registry key. If you subsequently delete the %1 from the Open action entry, the registry key remains unchanged and must be manually edited.

Additionally, this issue can occur when you manually change the file association of .xls files, or in some circumstances, when you are running multiple versions of Excel on the same computer.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, install the latest cumulative updates for Office Excel. You can find the latest cumulative updates by following the following link:

953878 Cumulative updates are available from the Microsoft Office team to deliver hotfixes for reported problems

Workaround

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
To work around this issue, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.

3. Open the following registry key:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.Sheet.8shellOpencommand

4. In the right pane, click (Default).

5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.

6. Remove the %1 from the end of the Value data string so that the data string reads as follows:

   «C:PROGRAM FILESMICROSOFT OFFICEOFFICEEXCEL.EXE» /e (including the quotation marks)

7. Click OK, and then close Registry Editor.

More Information

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

To change the Open action of a file type, follow these steps:

1. Start the Microsoft Windows Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.

3. Click the File Types tab.

4. Click the file type that you want (that is, Microsoft Excel Worksheet) in the Registered file types list.

5. Click Advanced.

6. Under Actions, click Open, and then click Edit.

7. Make the changes that you want, and then click OK.

8. Note: For additional file types, you may also need to review these registry locations: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.Sheet.12shellOpencommandHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.SheetBinaryMacroEnabled.12shellOpencommandHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.SheetMacroEnabled.12shellOpencommandHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.Template.8shellOpencommand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.TemplateMacroEnabledshellOpencommandHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.TemplateshellOpencommand

The default file format of an Excel worksheet is XLSX and whenever the user opens any file, then it is opened with the same extension. Sometimes, when the user ties to open the sheet, then an unwanted error stops the file from opening. The error does not recognize the extension of file. It says, ‘Excel cannot open the file ‘(filename)’.xlsx because the file format for the file extension is not valid.’

There is always a number associated with such errors, to find that number press “Ctrl+Shift+I” and you’ll find “101590” at the lower-right corner of this message. There could be the following reasons behind this error;

• The Excel file is corrupt or
• The Excel file is not compatible with the version of MS Excel you’re using.

There are various Excel errors and ways to fix them, and this error can also be fixed easily. In this article, we have mentioned some of the useful methods to solve this error.

1. Change the Extension of The Worksheet
   Many times, this error occurs due to the unsupported file extension of your file. So, make sure that MS Excel in your system supports the .xlsx extension. To check the support of .xlsx extension; 
   • open MS Excel and go to “File.”
   • Now, select “Export” and choose “Change File Type.”



• Check whether it is showing the option of .xlsx or not. If not, then change the extension of the file. To change the extension, go to my computer and browse “Tools.” Now, choose the “View” tab and enable “File Name Extension.”



• After enabling the “File Name Extension,” you can change the extension of any file.
2. Using “Open and Repair” Feature of MS Excel
   The “Open and Repair” feature of Excel allows you to repair the corrupted excel files. To repair a .xlsx file with this feature;
   • Open MS Excel and Go to “File” Menu.
   • Now, select the “Open” tab and click on “Browse.”
   • Choose the file which you want to open, but instead of opening the file directly, choose “Open and Repair” option from the below right side of the opened window:

From this feature, you can easily repair and open the corrupted .xlsx files.

1. Excel Repair Software
   If none of the above methods helps in solving the problem, then try using Excel Repair software. This tool can help you repair corrupt excel files and make your worksheet accessible immediately. This utility offers some great features to solve your query, such as;
   • Repairing of both .xls and .xlsx file formats.
   • No file size limitation.
   • Compatibility with all versions of Excel – including MS Excel 2016.
   • Preview of recovered files before saving.
   • Quick and easy to use.

   For better understanding, let’s have a look at the working process of this tool.

Using Excel Repair is very simple. The user-interface of this tool is specially designed keeping the usability of users in mind. Follow these steps to use the tool:

1. Download Excel recovery and launch it on your system



2. A window will appear on the screen, now “Browse” the Excel file which you want to repair with this tool and click “Repair” like this:



3. The repairing process will take a few seconds (depending on the file size). Once the file is repaired, you’ll be able to see all its content, like this:



4. You can save the file at the desired location on the computer. Just click the “Save” button and select the location where you want to save it.

This way you can easily access the data of your corrupted .xlsx file.

Final Words

“Excel cannot open the file ‘(filename)’.xlsx because the file format for file extension is not valid” is a common error that any user can face while opening a .xlsx file. With the help of the above methods, this error can easily be resolved without affecting the integrity of the file.

Watch the Complete Video to Repair Corrupt Excel Files

Are you the one facing the Excel Cannot Open the file error, because the Excel file format or file extension is not valid?

Well many Excel users like you caught complaining about this error while trying to edit or open their Excel files in Office 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019.

Here in this article, we are going to describe some very effective methods to fix Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not valid error easily.

Before explaining anything I want you to take a look over the error message:

“Excel cannot open the file ‘filename.xlsx’ because the file format for the file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and that the file extension matches the format of the file.”

Error Screenshot:

After reading the complete error message you can easily identify that either the Excel file is got corrupted or maybe the Excel file format or file extension is not valid.

So this means, Excel cannot open the file ‘(filename)’.xlsx’ error can either be resolved by solving the corruption issue or  Excel file format or file extension issue.

Best Software To Resolve Excel Cannot Open The File Issue:

As I said, this error can be fixed by resolving the corruption issue. So to resolve Excel file corruption I want to recommend you all to go with the experts recommended solution.

If you are eligible to perform manual methods to fix Excel file corruption then you can try the solution listed here: 13 Best Ways To Repair Corrupted Excel File Effectively.

But if you don’t want to follow such lengthy procedures then use the MS Excel Repair Tool to fix Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not valid error automatically. This tool is designed with an advanced algorithm to fix any sort of corruption, errors, damages in the Excel file, and recovers data. It can easily restore entire Excel data includes cell comments, charts, worksheet properties, and other related data. The corrupt Excel file can be restored to a new blank Excel file.

* Free version of the product only previews recoverable data.

This is a unique tool to repair multiple files at one time and restore them even without modifying original formatting. It is easy to use, even a novice user can use it.

Steps To Utilize MS Excel Repair Tool:

Why I Am Getting This Excel Cannot Open The File Error?

• The file is not compatible with the version of Excel that is used.
• If the Excel file gets corrupted
• Or else the error is often seen with the emailed Excel files – especially forwards of forwards.
• If an Excel file is being edited by multiple people running different Excel versions.

Well, these are some of the reasons due to which you encounter Excel cannot open the file ‘(filename)’.xlsx’ because the file format or extension is not valid error.

So to get rid of this Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid here follows the manual as well as the automatic solution.

How To Fix Excel Cannot Open The File Error?

1. Change The Excel Sheet File Extension:

In some cases, it is found that users are getting the error due to the unsupported file extensions of the file, so it is worth trying to alter the Excel sheet file extension. Follow the steps to do so:

Method 1:

• Verify the support of xlsx extension and then go to ‘My Computer’.
• After that browse Tools > Folder Options > File Types.
• Now, check the ‘xlsx’ extension is included there or not. If in case not, then rename the file and change ‘.xlsx’ to ‘.xls’.

Method 2:

• Launch your Excel application
• Hit the File tab from the menu.
• After that choose the Export option from the listed menu list.

• From the export section, choose the Change File Type.
• Hit Workbook (*.xlsx) option present within the Change File Type.

After completing all this, once again open your Excel application to check whether the Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not valid error is gone or not.

Hope this will help you to resolve the Excel Cannot open the file error but if not then make use of the second manual solution.

2. Utilize The Open And Repair Utility

You can make use of the inbuilt open and repair utility to fix Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not valid error, follow the steps to make use of it:

• First, click on “Open” in the File Menu.
• From the list, select the Excel file which is showing the Excel cannot open the file error.
• Next from the drop-down list of the “Open” tab > select “Open and Repair”

• And finally, click on the“repair” button to repair the excel file.

However, it is found that it is unable to solve the severely damaged file and errors, so in this case, make use of the automatic solution.

Conclusion:

We have tried our best to provide an ample solution to fix Excel cannot open the file .xlsx in Excel 2007 or 2013. Hope that by following the given solution you are able to fix Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid error and start accessing the Excel file.

That’s it!!!