"Microsoft Excel cannot access the file"

Question

I am getting this message when trying to open any Excel document, including one I've been using seamlessly on 2 computers for several weeks. Not sure how to fix it. The message continues:

There are several possible reasons:

• The file name or path does not exist

• The file is being used by another program.

• The workbook you are trying to save has the same name as a currently open workbook.

I did follow one thread and deleted a MS excel file in my library, and restarted, but no change. 

Please help! Thanks

Answer 1

Updating to the latest Excel seems to solve the problem!! Thank you SO MUCH. I'm not sure why it worked before, but that is a very easy fix. I think in trying to solve the problem initially, following instructions I didn't really understand, I may have deleted an important Excel folder which made the old version not work. Anyway, fixed. Thank you again!

Answer 2

Hi

Before any real troubleshooting can happen we need to know what version of Excel you're using and which version of Mac OS you have.

Please go to the Excel menu and choose About Excel to display the version of Excel you have

Please go to the Apple menu and choose About this Mac to display the version of Mac OS you're using

Did the file originate from Excel or from some other program?

Are there any prohibited characters (such as slashes, dashes, asterisks, etc)  in the file name, any enclosing folder, sheet tab name or the name of the startup volume?

Does the complete file path to the workbook exceed 200 characters?

Answer 3

Hi HMatters4,

Did you try the methods in Joan’s reply? If your problem persists, here are some suggestions for you:

1. Renaming the files is a possible solution according to this thread.
2. If you opened the files from SharePoint online, you can also try to download the files to local, then open.

If the above methods don’t work, could you please provide some information for me?

1. The screenshot of your error message.
2. Your Office version(open Excel application>click Excel on the upper-left corner>About Excel)
3. Where did you open the file?
4. Per your saying, you were working seamlessly on 2 computers, may I confirm if both of computers are having the same issue?

Regards,

Jazlyn

Answer 4

When you try to save your workbook, you receive the following error message:

Microsoft Excel cannot access the file 'Network path'. You may receive this error message for the following reasons:

The file name or path does not exist.

The file that you are trying to open is being used by another program. Close the document in the other program, and try again.

The name of the workbook that you are trying to save is the same as the name of another document that is read-only. Try saving the workbook with a different name.