6 Ways to Fix the Error of Can't Open Excel File

This practical guide walks through 6 ways to fix the error of can't open Excel file, explains the main requirements, and highlights common issues that may appear along the way.

I. Causes of errors that cannot open Excel files

The error cannot open Excel 'the file is corrupt and cannot be opened' has many different causes. Here are a few of the most common causes of this error:

1. The old version of Excel cannot open the Excel File of the new version.
2. The file when downloaded was corrupted and could not be opened.
3. Excel is still in automatic calculation mode.
4. The computer is being attacked by a virus, so the Excel software cannot be opened.
5. Wrong file format.

II. How to handle when there is an error that cannot open the Excel file

For each case, the error of not opening the Excel File will be fixed in many different ways. Here are some of the most common fixes you can apply:

1. Install a new version of Excel

Older versions of Excel can only open the .xls format. As for the .xlsx extension, it can only be opened in a new version of Excel. Therefore, if the Excel file you receive is .xlsx, you must download the latest version to your computer. Ideally, you should still update Excel to the correct versions to have full features and not have errors when opening the File.

2. Change the file extension to Excel

In case the error cannot open the Excel File is due to the .xlsx extension but your Excel version belongs to the old version, can not download the new version, please change the File extension. The way to change the tail is also straightforward, you just need to press the F2 button to perform the renaming. Then, when you save the file, rename the extension accordingly.

3. Use the autocorrect feature

In case the cause of the error that cannot open the Excel file is a corrupted file, you can use the autocorrect feature. Details are as follows:

Step 1: Open the file, select Open and select Browse.

Step 2: Find the Excel file that is corrupted and want to recover, select Open and Repair.

Step 3: Next, a dialog box will appear, select Repair to fix. To immediately extract the fastest internal data, choose Extract Data.

4. Turn off automatic calculation mode on Excel

Automatic calculation mode is also a cause of errors that cannot open Excel files. Therefore, you need to turn off this mode by following these steps:

Step 1: Open Excel, select File and select Option.

Step 2: In the Excel Options section, select Formulas, Workbook Calculation to switch to Manual, press Ok to save and disable automatic calculation mode.

Step 3: Click File, Open and Browse to find the corrupted file, check if the file has been opened yet!

5. Disable Protected View

Protected View is a protected view, but it can also harm your computer. Disabling Procted view will fix the error of not opening the Excel file. The detailed steps are as follows:

Step 1: Open Excel, select File and select Options.

Step 2: Select Trust Center and then choose Trust Center Settings.

Step 3: Select Protected View and uncheck all the squares, click Ok.

Step 4: Restart Excel. Next, you can open the previously corrupted Excel file.

6. Software Recovery

If you do the above methods and still have the error that you cannot open the Excel file, you can use Easy Office Recovery software. Download the software to your computer and follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the software, select File and select Open Data file.

Step 2: Select Open File and then specify the path to the error Excel file that cannot be opened.

Step 3: Next, all the data in the File has been displayed. You just need to select File, select Recover data and click Browse, choose a save folder, click Next.

Step 4: When there is a message that Files were successfully recovered, it is completed.

Above, you have learned about errors that cannot open Excel files and instructions on how to fix them in different ways. Try the application right away to be able to open all the files you need to use!