Excel is an excellent spreadsheet software application that is extensively used by individuals and businesses alike. People use it to prepare their home budgets with it while commercially it is used for making invoices and even for payroll purposes too. Some of the companies even use it for data manipulation and analysis as well thanks to the many analytical tools that it provides. Considering the importance of this software application, it is no wonder that people get scared when an error message is encountered when opening an MS Excel file. One such error of note is the ‘Excel Cannot Open the File Error’ of MS Excel 2007.
The ‘Excel Cannot Open the File Error’ of MS Excel 2007 is the most common error that is faced by Excel users around the world. The full error message that is displayed on the screen of the users is,
"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."
It can be a very disturbing sight for a user to have this error message flash across his screen. This error is usually seen when an excel workbook that has been sent as an email is opened by the user. Emailed excel spreadsheets aren’t the only ones that throw up this error message, though. Normal excel files can sometimes start displaying this error as well without any prior notice. The following are some of the reasons that might be behind the generation of this error message.
-
Compatibility issues in between the excel file that you are trying to open and the version of the excel software that you are using.
-
The excel file that you are trying to open is either damaged or corrupted.
Part 1: How to Repair the Excel Cannot Open the File Error
Fixes: This error message can be repaired using the following two possible fixes. Once the issue causing the error has been resolved, you will have no trouble opening the excel file that you were trying to open before.
Try Changing the Extension of the Excel Workbook You Wish to Open: If the reason for the error message is a compatibility issue then it would be best to check whether your version of the Excel software supports the xlsx extension or not. See if the ‘xlsx’ extension is present in the ‘File Types’ folder which is located in the ‘Folder Options’ of the ‘Tools’ menu in ‘My Computer. If this isn’t the case then you will have to alter the extension of your excel file to ‘.xls’ from ‘.xlsx’.
Try Using the MS Excel Feature of ‘Open and Repair’: If the reason for the error message is a corrupted excel file then Excel’s ‘Open and Repair’ feature can be used to repair corrupted Excel files. You can find this option in the ‘Open’ dialog box. It is located in the menu that drops down when the arrow next to the ‘Open’ option is pressed. After selecting the corrupted excel file, click on this feature, it will perform the excel file repair and get the file to open without issue.
More Related Articles:
Part 2: How to Repair Corrupt Excel File with Excel Repair Software
If the above-mentioned methods fail to fix the issue then using an excel repair tool remains the only available option. Wondershare Repairit - File Repair for Excel Repair Tool is one of the best excel repair software available in the market at the moment. It is recommended that you make use of this software to repair a corrupted excel file and get it to open normally. The reason why Wondershare Repairit is so good at its job is that it has a myriad of features that enable it to fix any kind of issue being faced by the excel files.
Features of Wondershare Repairit
-
Wondershare Repairit supports common MS office files like DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, PDF file format.
-
Repairit runs by quick scan to repair the loaded files in different file formats at the same time.
-
Even if you have added a wrong file, you can remove it or trash it as you like.
-
The application will inform you when you upload any incompatible format.
-
You can check the whole process of the file repaired, being scanned, or waiting to be repaired.
The following is a step-by-step tutorial that will teach you how to repair corrupted excel files using theWondershare Repairit - File Repair for Excel Repair.
Step 1: Add files on Wondershare Repairit
-
Firstly, launch Wondershare Repairit on your PC and choose "File Repair" to get started.
-
Click on the “Add” button, and browse for corrupted repair excel files. Wondershare Repairit enables you to select multiple documents and upload them at once.
-
The application will notify you when uploading any incompatible format. Once you choose the files, the tool starts uploading them and you can view the progress as you like.
-
If you have chose a wrong file by mistake, just remove it by clicking on the Trash icon.
Step 2: Start the file repairing process
-
Once the documents are uploaded, click on the “Repair” button at the bottom to start repair.
-
Then, Repairit will start scanning the corrupted documents and troubleshooting possible issues of them.
-
You can also check the repairing process for being scanned, waiting to be repaired, or completed.
-
After that, you will be informed about number of files that have been repaired.
-
Also, if the repaired excel file is terribly corrupted and unable to get repaired, Repairit will also notify you about it. You can click on the link on the interface to connect with the expert.
Step 3: Preview and save repaired files
-
Click on the “Preview” button adjacent to the file name and check the repaired file before exporting. If it is correct, then click on "Save" button to save the file to your desired location on PC.
-
If you have uploaded multiple files, just click on "Preview" to check them one by one. Then Click the “Save All” button from the bottom to export all repaired files at once.
-
You will be notified how many files are being exported.
You can update latest anti-virus program regularly to avoid corrupted excel files. Moreover, carefully shut down the system can also help.
This video can help you fix your corrupted excel files with a step-by-step guide.
