Open XLSX File

Can't open XLSX file

Sometimes, when you are opening a previously saved XLSX file in Microsoft Office 2007, 2010, 2013 or 2016, it may suddenly refuse to open and you get the following error:

'Excel cannot open the file ... because the file format or extension is not valid. Check that the file has not been damaged and that the file extension matches the file format.'

This error generally indicates that XLSX file format is partially corrupted or an incorrectly formatted data is present in the file. Below we will give our tips on how to fix this problem and recover the Excel file.

Quick solutions

• Change the Excel file extension: Just copy and paste the file anywhere else, then rename with a new name using .xls as an extension.
• Open the Excel file in safe mode: Simultaneously press Windows + R, type "excel /safe" and click OK to run the Microsoft Office Excel application in safe mode. Sometimes safe mode can be useful to access your data if Excel cannot open the XLSX file due to corruption.
• Open the Excel file with Google Docs: According to some users, using Google Docs to open an excel file is helpful in solving this error.

Advanced solutions

• Open the Excel file using the Open and Repair function Start the Office Excel application. On the File menu or on the Microsoft Office Button, click Open. In the Open dialog box, select the inaccessible file. Click the down arrow on the Open button, then click Open and Repair.
• Recover Excel file from previous version: Right click on the inaccessible excel file and select 'Properties'. Open the 'Previous Version' tab to see a list of all previously stored versions of this file. Choose the correct version and click 'Restore' to get it back. This method can only restore lost files to a previous version, this means that you may lose some changes that you have made in your excel file.