Excel file cannot be opened because

Last Updated: March 25, 2020

ISSUE

You may receive an unexpected prompt to Grant Access to files when you try to open a file or do «Save as…» or «Save a copy». When this happens, Excel may become unresponsive and you will need to force quit the application to recover.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue has been fixed with version 16.34. Please update to this version or newer to address this issue. For help installing the latest Office updates, please visit Install Office updates.

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Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Excel for Windows

Despite the increasing challenges from competitors like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel remains the most used spreadsheet app. It’s the app of choice in most workplace settings. What’s more, it includes numerous tools that help streamline and ease workflows.

Excel, like every other Microsoft app, occasionally runs into issues. Most of these are mere annoyances and can be solved with one or two program or system reboots. However, the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or extension is not valid” issue has proved to be more bothersome for several users.

If you encounter this message when you try to open a file in Excel (or an Excel file), this guide will be helpful. We explain the possible reasons why the error can occur and three solutions that could work for you.

Excel Cannot Open the File Because the File Format or File Extension Is not Valid

When any user encounters this error in Excel, it’s usually due to one of two reasons:

• The file is corrupted.
• The file extension isn’t supported.

A corrupted file is unlikely to be opened by the parent program. Even if it successfully opens, it’s likely to have multiple errors such as missing data or unreadable portions. Excel and several other programs go the extra mile and simply don’t open corrupted files. It’s up to the user to try and fix the file corruption first or use another document with uncorrupted data.

Sometimes, the corruption is caused by malware that infiltrated the system. This can happen if your system isn’t fully protected when working with Spreadsheets on the web. Unrelated internet activity can cause this as well. After all, some malware types are known to be distributed as macros that can attach to Office documents.

It is better to be prepared for anything. Auslogics Anti-Malware will protect you against online and offline threats, as your main or supplementary antivirus. It’s unobtrusive, lightweight, fast, and frequently updated.

Sometimes, this error could be due to incompatible or unsupported file formats. Versions of Excel since 2007 use Office Open XML as the primary file format but are backward-compatible with the earlier versions of Excel files. A glance at the file extension will tell you straight away whether the program can open that file.

If the file you’re attempting to open is in one of these formats, it won’t open because it’s been corrupted. That’s because the file extension is compatible with Excel:

Excel Workbook. xlsx

Excel Macro-enabled Workbook. xlsm

Excel Binary Workbook. xlsb

Excel Macro-enabled Template. xltm

Excel Add-in. xlam

Spreadsheet. xls

Excel Template. xlt

Excel Macro. xlm

In addition, documents in these non-Excel file extensions can be opened by the program, though functionality might be reduced in some fashion:

XML. Spreadsheet 2003 or XML formatted files. xml

Lotus Spreadsheets. prn

Tab delimited/Unicode text files. txt

Comma-separated values files. csv

Data Interchange Format files. dif

Symbolic Link Format text files. slk

dBase Data Files. dbf

OpenOffice Files. ods

XML Paper Specification Files. xps

Portable Document Format files. pdf

Note that this isn’t an exhaustive list. Excel can open files with other extensions, including html.

How to Fix the “Excel Cannot Open the File Because the File Format or File Extension Is not Valid” Issue on Windows 10

Sometimes, when opening a file in Excel, the program displays this error message instead:

Microsoft Excel

Excel cannot open the file [File Name] because the file format or file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and that the file extension matches the format of the file.

If you encounter this error in any version of Excel since Excel 2007, three options are open to you:

1. Check the file extension and change it if needed.
2. Repair the file with Excel’s inbuilt repair tool.
3. Change group permissions for the file.

Let’s explain each option in more detail.

Solution 1. Check the File Extension

If you’re unable to open the file, it could be due to an unsupported file extension. To be frank, this is very rare nowadays since most spreadsheets use a format Excel can open. However, if you’re trying to open the document on a pre-2007 Excel program, you can have issues with certain files.

There are two scenarios here:

1. The Excel file is not opening in a legacy version of the program.
2. The file is not opening in Excel because of an unsupported format.

In both instances, the solution is the same. Open any Excel file (or just launch the program and open a blank spreadsheet) and click the File tab. Next, click Open > Browse and locate the file you’re trying to open.

Now, look under the file name field and change the file extension. If you’re trying to open an xlsx document in a legacy Excel version, change the extension to xls. If you’re trying to open a document in an unsupported or less common file format, change the extension to xlsx or xls.

Save the change and then try opening the file again. If everything is done right, the file should open now.

Solution 2. Repair the File

When you get the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid” error, it’s likely because the spreadsheet is corrupt. If you manage to open the file anyway, there might be multiple errors and we’re sure you don’t want that. It is better to try repairing the file first and that is exactly what we’re going to do.

1. Open a blank spreadsheet in Excel.
2. Select the File tab and click Open.
3. Hit the Browse button and choose the problematic file.
4. In the file selection window, click the Open drop-down menu and select Open and Repair.

Excel will attempt to repair the file and then open it.

Solution 3. Change Group Permissions

In rare instances, the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid” error happened because the file has special permissions. Removing this permission will allow your Excel program to open it without issues.

Here are the steps to try:

1. Navigate to the location of the problematic file.
2. Right-click the file and select Properties.
3. When the Properties dialog box opens, switch to the Security tab.
4. In the Security tab, click the Edit button to change permissions got for the file.
5. A new Permissions dialog box will open. Locate and click the Add button.
6. Another dialog box will open labeled “Select Users or Groups”. In this box, click the Advanced button.
7. Click the Find Now button.
8. Select Everyone under the search results and then click OK.
9. Click the OK button again to return to the Permissions dialog box. You’ll notice that the Everyone group has been added to the list under “Groups or user names”.
10. Select Everyone in the “Groups or user names” section.
11. Under Permissions for Everyone, tick Allow for all the options.
12. Click Apply and then OK to confirm and save your changes.

After this, the file will no longer be restricted and you should be able to open it in Excel.

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

Overview

Are you also troubling with the workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted error?

If your answer is yes then check out the fixes which I have listed in this blog.  Also catch complete detail about this specific “The Workbook Cannot Be Opened Or Repaired” error.

Microsoft Excel is an electronic spreadsheet application used to manipulate, organize crucial data.

This is used by individuals as well as professionals to perform various tasks. Excel is used for business analysis; data analysis because this application is having financial and statistical functions, stores data systematically creates charts for business presentation, creates invoices, and much more.

Despite its various uses, there are many cases due to which the Excel workbook gets corrupted, and as a result, users start getting the file is corrupt and cannot be opened the message.

An Excel workbook is prone to corruption because of various reasons. Corruption can cause issues like loss of data and inaccessibility of data to the Excel users. Well, this is a quite miserable situation, but luckily there are ways that help to repair corrupt Excel workbook.

Here in this article, we are describing the entire information on how to fix Excel cannot be opened and repaired error. but before that let’s check how this error looks like or what message it shows.

Error Detail:

Declaration: the workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted

Error screenshot: 

Before moving further let’s know the reasons for getting this workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted error.

Why Does My Excel Showing The Workbook Cannot Be Opened Or Repaired Error?

The following are the root causes behind the occurrence of this workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted error. It’s important to know for fixing up this error correctly and to avoid from happening again in the future.

• Unexpected System Shutdown: In some cases, the unexpected system shutdown or the sudden power failure can make the excel file corrupted and cannot be opened
• Virus: This is the common cause behind the Excel file corruption. The virus in the system not only corrupts the device but also the files and applications stored in it. So, scan your device with the updated antivirus to prevent excel file corruption in the future.
• Hard disk failure: The hard disk failure and the bad sectors can corrupt the Excel file and the entire information becomes inaccessible.
• Bigger Size Excel Files: In single Excel access to data storage can corrupt the Excel file. Do not store the excess of information on an Excel file to avoid corruption issues.
• Defects in Excel Application: Excel file is a widely used application and in some cases, it gets corrupted due to minor issues or mishandling of the excel file. And as a result, when the user tried to edit the file or open the workbook, it starts showing the file is corrupt and cannot be opened. So, be careful while handling the Excel workbook.

These are the common reasons due to which the Excel file gets corrupted. And when the user tries to open the corrupted workbook it automatically starts File Recovery mode and tries to reopen and repair Excel file.

If your Excel application won’t start in File Recovery modes automatically then try to fix the following fixes to resolve the workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted error.

Manual Methods To Fix The Workbook Cannot Be Opened Or Repaired

Try the below fixes to resolve this workbook cannot be opened or repaired error manually on your own.

Fix 1: Open and Repair

This is the best way to fix corrupted Excel workbooks.

It is an inbuilt utility available in the Excel application to repair Excel workbook.

So here know how to make use of it:

• Start Microsoft Excel and in the File menu click on “Open”
• And select corrupted Excel file
• From the list of the “Open” tab > select “Open and Repair”

• Click on the “Repair” button.

This will repair the corrupt excel file however, if the file is severely damaged then this fails to fix it.

Fix 2. Data Extraction

If the inbuilt utility is unable to repair the file, then try to retrieve data by extracting it. Make use of the Macros to utilize this.

Here follow the steps, for data extraction:

• On the File menu, > click on the “Open” tab
• Select the corrupt file
• And from the list of the “Open” tab, > select “Open and Repair” option.

• Click on the “Extract” button to extract the data from the corrupt file.

Fix 3. Utilize Microsoft Office Tools

Make use of the Microsoft Office Tool to fix the Excel file issues.

• From the start menu > select All Programs.
• Select Microsoft Office> Microsoft Office Tools.

• And choose Microsoft Office Application Recovery.

• In the resulting dialog box > choose Microsoft Office Excel.
• Click on Recover Application, this might take a couple of minutes.
• Respond to the Send Report To Microsoft prompt.

The recovery tool closes the Excel file and starts it again with the list of the recovered workbook.

Check whether the error the workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted error resolved or not.

Automatic Solution To Fix Workbook Cannot Be Opened Or Repaired Error:

If you are still unable to fix the workbook cannot be opened or repaired error even after following the above-given fixes then it’s a sign that your Excel workbook is got corrupted. So, make use of the professional recommended MS Excel Repair Tool. This is the best tool to fix any sort of issues, corruption, errors in Excel workbooks.

With the help of this tool, you can easily restore all corrupt Excel files including the charts, worksheet properties cell comments, and other important data. This is a unique tool to repair multiple excel files at one repair cycle and recovers the entire data in a preferred location.

* Free version of the product only previews recoverable data.

Steps to Utilize MS Excel Repair Tool:

Final Verdict:

I tried my best to provide ample information about the workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted issue.

Make use of the given methods and check if the issue is solved or not.

In case you have any additional workarounds that proved successful or questions concerning the ones presented, do tell us in the comments.

Good Luck….!