how do i open old excel files after i have installed office 2024 for mac

Hi Irwin Helfman, Thanks for sharing the details. If you installed Office 2024 on your Mac and cannot open or edit old Word or Excel files, this usually happens due to file format compatibility, leftover settings, or license conflicts. Here are a few steps you can try:

Open the files directly from Finder instead of the Recent list in Word or Excel.

Check the file format. If the files are in older formats like .doc or .xls, open them and save as .docx or .xlsx.

Update Office apps by going to Help > Check for Updates in any Office app.

Reset Office preferences. Quit all Office apps, then go to ~/Library/Containers and move the folders named com.microsoft.Word and com.microsoft.Excel to the desktop. Restart the apps.

If the files are stored in OneDrive or iCloud, make sure they are fully synced and downloaded locally.

If you previously had an older license, remove old license files using Microsoft’s license removal tool, then sign in again with your new account.

Let me know if any of these steps help or if you’d like me to guide you through them. If this answer helps, marking it as helpful or accepted can make it easier for others to find the solution too.

Best, Carl