[Fixed] Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid

Overview of issues where Excel can't open a file

Excel sheets are saved with the file format .xlsx or .xls. Any user opening any file will be using the same extension. However, some users might encounter errors when they try to open or edit Excel files using Office 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 365. The error message reads, "Excel cannot open the file because the file extension is invalid."

This article will provide comprehensive solutions to fix the error of Excel unable to open a file.

How to Fix 'Excel Cannot Open the File Because the File Extension is Invalid' on Windows [5 Solutions]

Here, we'll show you all possible solutions that you can try until the issue is resolved. There are three practical solutions to fix the Excel unable to open file problem.

Solution 1: Use a File Repair Tool

If the "Excel cannot open the file because the file extension is invalid" issue is due to a corrupted Excel file rather than a compatibility issue, you'll need a professional file repair tool to assist with the problem. Fixo Document Repair is an all-in-one solution for easily and efficiently repairing corrupted files. You can download the software right away and try the trial version.

This handy tool can help resolve issues with multiple corrupted files. You can learn more about the Fixo tool by checking the following information:

• It is one of the best Excel repair tools that can help you quickly fix corrupted Excel files.
• It also serves as an excellent Word repair tool, addressing issues like Word not opening or displaying blank pages.
• It excels in handling PDF problems, such as opening 0kb PDF files and repairing damaged PDF documents.

After downloading the Fixo Repair Tool, follow this step-by-step guide to fix your corrupted Excel file in three steps:

Step 1. Double-click to launch the Fixo Document Repair tool. Choose "File Repair," then add the unopenable Excel file that needs to be fixed.

Step 2. After selecting all the Excel files you want to repair, click "Repair All" to initiate the repair process.

Step 3. Preview the repaired Excel files and then click "Save All" to save them to the default folder.

Fixo is easy and safe to use. Click on the share buttons below to let more readers know about Fixo!

Before trying a system solution, check whether Excel is working correctly.

The first step is to press Windows+R, type in excel.exe /safe, and click “OK.” This will launch Excel without loading templates and add-ins, allowing you to check if the program runs fine or is corrupted.

Step 2. If Excel opens fine, check for add-ins causing the issue. Disable the add-ins and click 'OK.' Restart Excel to see if the problem is resolved. If not, proceed with the following methods. You can use this method quickly to resolve issues when your Excel is running slow.

We have a full suite of solutions to help you with your Excel issues. In this particular post, since the extension not being valid is the issue, the file won't open. To start with, you can watch a video tutorial on how to fix a corrupted Word/Excel file. The key moments are as follows:

1. 00:14 Method 1: Insert into a New Word Document
2. 00:38 Method 2: Use "Open and Repair"
3. 00:55 Method 3: Restore Default Settings
4. 01:30 Method 4: Utilize the Fixo Document Repair Tool

 

Solution 2: Change the Excel File Extension to Fix the Issue of Excel Not Opening the File

In many cases, this issue occurs due to an incompatible file extension of the Excel file. By default, MS Excel saves Excel workbooks as XLSX or XLS files. Excel 2003 and earlier versions save files in the XLS format, whereas Excel 2007 and later versions, such as Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, and 2019, save files in the XLSX file format. You can change the default file format of the respective Excel version to another file format supported by MS Excel.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Excel and click the "File" tab.

Step 2: Click “Export” and choose “Change File Type.”

Step 3. Change the file extension to any other format that you know Excel supports, and then click “Save As.” If you're experiencing issues with Excel not saving changes, check out this quick tip. Next, see if Excel can open your file.

Fix 3: Get Access Permissions to the Excel File

If you don't have access to an Excel file, it might be because you aren't an administrator of those files. This means you don't have the read/write permissions for them. We'll show you how to change file permissions in the Windows operating system:

Step 1. Navigate to the folder containing the Excel file whose extension you need to change, right-click on it, and select “Properties.”

Step 2: Click the "Security" tab, and then choose "Edit."

Click the “Security” tab, then click “Edit.”

Step 3. Select the account you're using, and then click “Add.” A new window will open; click “Advanced.”

4. Tap “Search Now,” then tap “Everyone” in the search results. Then, tap “OK.”

Step 5. Click OK again to return to the Permissions window.

Step 6: Click on the “Everyone” group and check all the Allow boxes beneath it. Click “OK” to save your changes.

Fix 4: Open the Excel file using the “Open and Repair” feature

“Open and Repair” is an inbuilt MS Excel utility that can easily fix the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid” error.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Office Excel. Click the "File" menu or the "Microsoft Office" button, and then click "Open."

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

Step 3: Click the downward-pointing arrow next to the “Open” button, and then click “Open and Repair.” Microsoft Office will then scan the Excel document and fix any issues or corrupted content it finds.

You can also try the steps in these articles to open and repair a Word document:

Please provide the English content you would like translated, and I will do my best to translate it into Chinese.

10 Word Repair Solutions: How to Open and Fix Corrupted Word 2016/2019 Documents

Do you know how to fix unopenable or unreadable Word .doc or .docx files? Learn more on this page. Read More >>

Fix 5: Use the 'Recover Unsaved Workbooks' Option

If you're trying to open an unsaved Excel workbook and you suddenly get this “Invalid” error, you can try using a built-in Microsoft tool to recover your unsaved Excel. It's a pretty straightforward process, but it doesn't work for everyone. Check out the tutorial below for more information:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Excel on your Windows computer and click “File.”

Click “File” in Excel

Step 2: Click on the “Info” tab and then click on “Manage Workbooks” > “Recover Unsaved Workbooks”. In the window that opens, you can recover any unsaved Excel files.

Many Windows users have confirmed the effectiveness of these fixes. If any of them helped you resolve the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is invalid” issue, share this article on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on!

Solutions to “Excel Can't Open the File Because the File Format or File Extension is Not Valid” on Mac [3 Fixes]

Some users have reported being unable to open their Excel files on a Mac with an error that says, "Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid." If you encounter this error, you won't be able to view or edit your Excel files. Follow the solutions below to fix your Office issues and recover an unopenable Excel file on Mac.

Solution 1: Restart Excel for Mac

Step 1: Quit Excel: Click Excel > Quit Excel.

Step 2. Try opening your Excel file on your Mac again.

Solution 2: Restart your Mac

Go to the Apple menu and choose Restart.

Fix 3: Change Excel File Format on Mac

Step 1: Click on “File” in the menu bar.

Step 2: In the Export To pop-up menu, choose Excel.

Step 3. To convert between XLSX and XLS formats, click on 'Advanced Options' and choose the format you need.

How to recover an Excel file with a corrupted file format or invalid file extension

How would you recover unsaved Excel files if it fails to open due to an invalid file format or file extension? In this case, try either of the two methods below.

1. Recovering unsaved Excel or Word documents from previous versions

This will only revert the file to a previous version, meaning you may lose some changes you made to the document.

Step 1: Right-click on the Excel file that won't open and select “Properties.”

Figure 4: Open Excel Properties

Step 2: Click the “Previous Versions” tab, which lists all previously saved versions of the Excel file.

Step 3: Choose the most recent version, and click “Restore” to revert your spreadsheet.

2. Recover an unsaved Excel file using the Auto-Recover feature.

This method only works if you have AutoRecover enabled in Microsoft Excel. It can fix corruption issues and recover unsaved files. This feature is also helpful for recovering unsaved Word documents.

Step 1: Open Office Excel, click on the “File” tab, and then click “Info.”

Step 2: Next to "Manage versions", you'll see all the automatically saved versions of the file.

Step 3: Open the file in Excel and click “Recover.”

Step 4: Save the file with a new name and use the .xlsx extension.

Important: How to Avoid Losing Your Excel Files

There are many ways to prevent data loss. If you've lost important Excel files due to accidental deletion, hard drive formatting, or a virus attack, you can use a tool like Data Recovery Wizard to retrieve your lost data. Another key to preventing data loss is regularly backing up your Excel files.

1. Use a file recovery software to restore deleted or lost Excel files.

Apart from recovering unsaved Excel due to Excel crash or any other reason, many users might also need to restore Excel spreadsheets lost due to accidental deletion, OS crash, hard drive damage/damage, or lost partitions. In such cases, you have to rely on professional file recovery tools. And, Tool Recovery Software is worth a try. It allows you to recover deleted DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, PPT/PPTX, PDF, CWK, HTML/HTM, INDD, EPS, and more.

Try to recover lost Excel immediately:

Step 1: Select a location and click "Scan."

Select the disk partition where your lost Excel file was saved, or choose a specific folder on Desktop or other locations, and then click on the “Scan” button.

Step 2: Locate your Excel file

To quickly find your Excel files from the scan results, click “Documents” on the left panel. Select “Excel,” and then click “Preview” to check if these Excel files are the ones you need.

Step 3: Recover the Excel File

Lastly, select the desired Excel file and hit the “Recover” button. Then choose a folder to save the Excel file to another location.

2. Automate Excel File Backup

If you work on spreadsheets frequently, it's a good idea to enable auto-save, or remember to manually copy and back up your files to a safe location in case of accidents.

Last Words

"The file '(filename)' cannot be opened because the file format or file extension is not valid" is a common error you might encounter when attempting to open an Excel file. With the methods outlined above, you can easily resolve this issue without losing your data.

If Excel is unable to open your file due to corruption, the Fixo Document Repair tool can help you repair and recover your Excel file quickly with just a few clicks. It excels at repairing photos, videos, documents, and other files from hard drives, SD cards, memory cards, or any other storage medium. It's worth giving it a try.

"Frequently Asked Questions: 'Excel cannot open the file'"

The following four common issues are closely related to the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is invalid” error. If you're experiencing any of these, you'll find solutions here.

**1. How to fix the issue of Excel not opening a file due to an invalid file format or file extension?** When you encounter the problem of Excel not being able to open a file with the error message about an invalid file format or extension, try these methods to resolve the issue: 1. **Check the file extension**: Ensure that the file has the correct extension, such as `.xlsx`, `.xls`, or `.csv`. If the file extension has been changed, rename the file and change it to the correct extension. 2. **Damaged file**: If the file might be corrupted, attempt to retrieve or restore it from its original source. 3. **Use a different Excel version**: Try opening the file with another version of Microsoft Excel or use an online version like Excel on OneDrive or Google Sheets. 4. **Repair Office installation**: Access "Control Panel" > "Programs" > "Programs and Features", find Microsoft Office, click "Change," and then select "Repair." 5. **File recovery tools**: There are third-party tools available to help recover damaged Excel files. 6. **Open and Repair**: In Excel, attempt to use the "Open" dialog box's "Open and Repair" option to try fixing the file. 7. **Scan for viruses**: Run an antivirus scan to ensure the file is not infected. 8. **Extract data**: If none of the above methods work, you can try using data recovery software to extract data from the file. Please note that not all issues can be resolved through these steps, but these methods generally handle most common file opening problems.

You can try fixing the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is invalid” error by changing the file extension:

Step 1: Open your Excel file. On the ribbon, go to File > Options > Save > Change File Type.

Step 2: Depending on your version of Excel, you might be able to change the file extension directly. Try saving the file again, and see if this resolves the “Excel cannot open the file” error.

How do I fix an invalid Excel file format or file extension?

You can recover the Excel file format, or the file extension might not be valid in earlier versions.

Right-click the corrupted file, and then click “Properties” > “Previous Versions.” A list of previous versions will appear, from which you need to select the one you're interested in and then click “Restore” to revert to it. Previous versions come from File History (on Windows 10) or System Restore points (on Windows 7 and 8).

What does Invalid File Extension mean?

"The file 'filename.xlsx' cannot be opened because the file format is not valid for the file extension" is a common error message that many users encounter when attempting to open an .xlsx file, especially one received through email. Possible reasons for this issue include:

The Excel file might be corrupted or damaged. The Excel file might be incompatible with the version of MS Excel you're using.

When an Excel file is corrupted, incompatible with your Excel version, infected by a virus, or received through email, these can be common causes of the “Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid” issue. When this happens, you won't be able to open your XLSX file.