Xlsx files not opening 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

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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See Also

Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Excel for Windows

The file format of an Excel worksheet is .xlsx or .xls. Whenever the user opens any file, it is opened with the same extension. However, some users may encounter an error when trying to open or edit an Excel file in Office 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 365. The error message displayed reads «Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not valid«.

This article will provide you with comprehensive solutions to resolve the «Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid» error. You can change the file extension, use the Office repair utility, or use one of the best file repair software to repair Excel files. 

Excel Cannot Open The File Issue Overview

Sometimes, when you try to open or edit an Excel file in Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, or 365, you may encounter the following problem:

«Excel cannot open the file ‘filename.xlsx’ 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.»

It usually indicates the file is not compatible with the Excel version of the file that has come corrupt or damaged. Here, we will show you all the possible solutions, and you can try these until your issue is fixed. Before you follow the solutions, check if Excel is working normally.

Step 1. Press Windows+R keys, type excel.exe /safe, and click «OK». Loading Excel without templates and add-ins allows you to see if the program works as it should or if it is corrupted.

Step 2. If Excel opens normally, check for any add-ins that are causing problems in Excel. Disable the add-ins and click on the «OK» button. Then, restart Excel to check if the problem is fixed. If not, move on to the fixes below.

We have full solutions to help you solve Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not valid issue in this post. In the beginning, you can watch a video tutorial to troubleshoot. The key moments in this video are as follows:

• 00:26 Ensure you have enough permissions
• 01:03 Enable Safe Mode
• 01:26 Open Excel in Safe Mode
• 01:43 Repair and recover the Excel

How to Fix Excel Cannot Open the File Because the Extension Is Not Valid on Windows 10/8/7

There are three useful solutions in total here to solve the Excel cannot open file problem. 

Fix 1. Use EaseUS File Repair Tool

If the «Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not valid» problem is caused by file corruption and not by file compatibility, you need a professional file repair program to help you fix the problem. 

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an all-in-one tool that can help recover deleted files and repair corrupt files easily and efficiently.

Go ahead and download the EaseUS MS Office document repair tool, then follow the step-by-step guides below to repair damaged Excel files in three steps:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and then scan disk with corrupted documents. This software enables you to fix damaged Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF files in same steps. 

Step 2. EaseUS data recovery and repair tool will scan for all lost and corrupted files. You can find the target files by file type or type the file name in the search box. 

Step 3. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can repair your damaged documents automatically. After file preview, you can click «Recover» to save the repaired Word, Excel, and PDF document files to a safe location.

Fix 2. Change the Excel File Extension to Fix Excel Cannot Open the File

Many times, this error occurs due to the incompatible file extension of the Excel file. MS Excel saves Excel workbooks as XLSX or XLS files by default. Excel 2003 and earlier versions save files as XLS, whereas Excel 2007 and later versions like Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, and 2019 save files in XLSX file format. You can change the default file format for the corresponding Excel version to any other file format supported by MS Excel.

Step 1. Open Microsoft Excel and go to the «File» tab.

Step 2. Click «Export» and choose «Change File Type».

Step 3. Change the file extension to any other file format that MS Excel supports and click «Save As» (Excel not saving changes? Quick tips are here). Then, Check whether Excel can open your file or not. 

Fix 3. Open Excel File Using the Open and Repair Feature

The «Open and Repair» is a built-in easy-to-use MS Excel utility that allows you to correct the «Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid» error.

Step 1. Start Office Excel. On the File menu or the Microsoft Office button, click «Open».

Step 2. In the Open dialog box, click to select the inaccessible Excel file.

Step 3. Click the down arrow on the Open button, and then click «Open and Repair». Microsoft Office will then start to check the Excel document and repair problems or corruption it found. 

How to Fix Excel Cannot Open the File Because the File Format or File Extension Is Not Valid on Mac

Some users have reported that they couldn’t open Excel files on Mac. They also receive this error — Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid. If you are faced with this error, you are unable to view or edit your Excel file. Follow the solutions below, and you can troubleshoot the Office problems.

Fix 1. Restart Excel on Mac

Step 1. Quit the Excel application: click «Excel > Quit Excel».

Step 2. Try to open your Excel file on Mac again.

Fix 2. Restart Mac

Go to the «Apple menu > restart».

Fix 3. Change Excel File Format on Mac

Step 1. Click «File» from the menu bar.

Step 2. In the «Export To» pop-out menu, pick «Excel».

Step 3. To adjust the file format between XLSX and XLS, click «Advanced Options» and choose the one you want.

How to Recover Excel File When the File Format or File Extension Is Not Valid

If your unsaved Excel file cannot be opened because the file format or file extension is not valid, how would you recover unsaved Excel files?  In this case, try the two ways below. 

1. Restore Unsaved Excel Wordbook from Previous Versions

This method only restores lost files to a previous version. It means that you might lose some changes you may have made to the document.

Step 1. Right-click the inaccessible Excel file and choose «Properties».

Step 2. Open the «Previous Version» tab to list all the previously stored versions of the Excel file.

Step 3. Choose the most recent version and click «Restore» to retrieve the spreadsheet.

2. Restore Unsaved Excel File Using AutoRecover

This method only works if you have turned on the AutoSave feature in Microsoft Excel. This feature is also helpful for recovering unsaved Word documents. 

Step 1. Open Office Excel and head into the «File» tab > click «Info».

Step 2. Besides Manage Versions, you’ll see all autosaved versions of your file.

Step 3. Open the file in Excel and click «Restore». 

Step 4. Save the file with a new file name and set the extension as .xlsx.

Important Tips: How to Prevent Excel Files from Getting Loss

There are many ways to prevent data loss. If you have lost important Excel files due to accidental deletion, hard drive formatting, or virus attacks, you can use the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard tool to retrieve lost data. Another crucial point to avoid data loss is backing up your Excel file on a regular basis.

1. Recover Deleted or Lost Excel Files with File Recovery Software

In addition to restoring unsaved Excel caused by Excel crashes when saving or other reasons, many users may want to recover lost excel spreadsheets caused by accidental deletion, OS crash, hard drive damage/corruption, or lost partition. In these cases, you have to resort to a professional file recovery tool for help. And, EaseUS file recovery software is worth trying. It allows you to recover deleted DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, PPT/PPTX, PDF, CWK, HTML/HTM, INDD, EPS, etc. with a few clicks.

Give it a try to get your lost Excel back immediately:

Step 1. Select location and click «Scan»

Choose the drive or a specific folder on Desktop or somewhere else where you lost the excel files, and click the «Scan» button.

Step 2. Locate your excel files

To quickly find the Excel files from the scan results, click the «Documents» option in the left panel. Choose «Excel», and click «Preview» to check if the Excel files are the wanted ones.

Step 3. Recover Excel files

Finally, select the desired Excel files and click the «Recover» button. Then, select a folder to save the Excel files to another location.

2. Back Up Excel File Automatically

If you modify and change your worksheet frequently, turning on the AutoSave feature is a good idea. Or, you can manually copy and backup your file to another safe location in case of accident.

Final Words

«Excel cannot open the file ‘(filename)’ .xlsx because the file format for file extension is not valid» is a normal error that you can face while opening an Excel file. With the help of the above methods, this error can easily be resolved without data loss.

If Excel cannot open the file problem is due to file corruption, the EaseUS file repair tool can help you fix and recover the Excel file with a few clicks pretty quickly. It is good at repairing photos, videos, documents, and other files on the hard drive, SD card, memory card, or any other storage medium. No matter whether they are lost or exist on your devices. It’s worth a shot.

The following four frequently asked questions are extremely relevant to the «Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid» error. If you also have any of these problems, you can find the methods here.

1. How do I fix the file format or file extension is not valid?

You can try to fix the «Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid» error by changing the file extension:

Step 1. Open your Excel file. On the taskbar, select «File» and then choose «Options» > «Export» > «Change File Type».

Step 2. You can directly change the file extension depending on the version of Excel installed.  Click «Save As». Then, check if the error «Excel cannot open the file» is resolved or not.

2. How do I recover an Excel file format or file extension that is not valid?

You can restore the Excel file format, or the file extension is not valid from previous versions.

Select the damaged file. Right-click it and click «Properties» > «Previous Version». A list of previous versions will appear; you need to select the option you are interested in and click «Restore» to recover. Previous versions come from File History or restore points.

3. What does file extension not valid mean?

«Excel cannot open the file ‘(filename)‘ .xlsx because the file format for file extension is not valid» is a common error that many users may encounter while opening a .xlsx file, especially when opening a spreadsheet received through an email. The possible reasons for this issue might be:

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

4. Why can’t I open an XLSX file?

When the Excel file is corrupted, not compatible with the Excel version, infected by the virus, or received by email, these are the common causes of the «Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid» problem. If any of these problems appear, you can’t open your XLSX file. 

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Most of the time users often face a common issue i.e Excel Cannot Open the File ‘file.xlsx’ while opening a file in Excel. Generally when email receives an excel sheet and after opening it, users are unable to access it properly due to this error. 

MS Excel is a mostly used app by users for corporate as well as personal use for managing their daily work reports, financial data, and other tasks. The error signifies that the file is not compatible with Excel in Office 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 or the file data has become corrupt or damaged. In this article, we will discuss all the possible solutions to fix this error easily.

What factors are responsible for “Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not a valid mac”?

The causes of the Excel error are discussed below:

• Compatibility Issue:- This is the most common issue, maybe your excel file is not compatible or accessed with any version of Excel.
• Corrupted or Damaged Files:– If you cannot access the file in any version of MS Excel and other Operating Systems then corruption may be the issue. 
• Download issue:- Incomplete download and error while downloading the Excel file may cause corruption and ultimately you cannot access the file. 
• Improper Program Closing:– Improper closing of Excel application may cause errors in your Excel file and makes it inaccessible.
• Faulty Storage Devices:- If your Excel file becomes inaccessible so quickly then you should use the storage device. It may be possible that there are some bad sectors present in the storage device. 
• Power Failure:- A Sudden power failure may lead to abrupt closing of Excel program and makes file inaccessible.
• If an Excel file sheet is being edited by different version of Excel

These are some of the issues which makes your Excel file inaccessible. Next, we will discuss the different approaches to recover corrupted Excel files online. 

Different Methods for “Excel Cannot Open the File ‘file.xlsx’” Error are:

The different methods to fix the error are:

Method 1: By changing the extension of the Worksheet

The issue occurs due to the unsupported file extension of the sent file. So, make sure that Microsoft Excel in your PC/Laptop supports the .xlsx extension. To analyze the support of .xlsx extension file steps given below:

• Turn On MS Excel and go to the “File menu option.”
• Then, go to file extension change option
• Analyze whether it is showing the .xlsx extension or not. If not, then use .xlsx as the extension of the file. For this change, move to my computer and browse the “Tool option.” 
• When the file extension gets changed, may it free from all the error

Method 2: Use Open & Repair option in MS Excel

This feature of MS Excel is being used to Repair corrupt files are:

• Turn On Microsoft Excel & Go to the “File” menu.
• Choose the “Open” tab option & press on “Browse.”
• Select the file to open and select the “Open and Repair” option icon.

From this Open & Repair Excel file feature, you can effortlessly repair and access the corrupted .xlsx files.

Method 3: Opening the file in safe mode & Disable Add-ins

If the Excel file does not open, run it in safe mode to see if it can be opened successfully. This approach also checks if there are any issues in Microsoft Excel.

• Enter the Windows+R button, type excel.exe /safe, & press “OK”. Loading Excel files without add-ins and templates allows users to see if the program runs as it should or if it is damaged.
• If Excel file access normally, scan for any add-ins that are causing issues in the file. Disabling the add-ins & press ok.
• Restarting the Excel sheet to check if the issues get resolved. 

Method 4: Restoring unsaved Excel File through the Previous Version

This approach can only recover lost sheet files to a previous version. That means the user may lose some change made to the document.

• Press the inaccessible Excel document and select “Properties”.
• Turn on the “Previous Version” app to list all the previously stored files of Excel.
• Select the correct version & press “Restore” to recover the document.

This manual steps for fixing a corrupt Excel file. But all these manual processes consume lots of time and not enough for fixing all the corrupt excel file issues. It also requires advanced knowledge to function some of the steps. Here we need Excel Recovery Software that supports corrupt excel data files saved with both .xls or .xlsx extensions and recovers all possible data from them. 

Therefore, you can go with the direct professional approach which helps you to recover all possible Excel sheet data. This utility is very accurate in maintaining the original data. Use the Excel Recovery Tool to Backup & repair all excel data. The GUI of this Excel recovery utility is also very user friendly and compatible with all available windows. It also supports recovery from the single or multiple files simultaneously.

Some Salient Features of the Professional Tool:

Useful features of the tool discussed below:

• Easy recovery from corrupt XLSX & XLS files.
• Support single as well as multiple files recovery simultaneously
• Maximum recovery from damaged Excel files in minimum time
• Grid selection and Auto-search facility during excel  recovery procedure
• User is allowed to save media of XLSX file recovery

These are some salient features of the professional tool which can be used for the recovery & restoration procedure of Corrupt or damaged Excel file documents.

Conclusion:

This article discussed the “Excel Cannot Open the File ‘file.xlsx’” error. Here, we gave an idea with many alternate manual troubleshooting steps to fix the issue easily. But if users don’t want to make use of such manual steps then a direct solution is also given here. Use any method as per your convenience and fix the issue effortlessly. You should use the Excel repair tool for a fast, easy, and reliable recovery.