cannot open .xlsx file after update

Question

Yesterday, I updated office and when I tried to open one of my important files, I got this message. I did look for information but in vain. The only thing I could locate on the internet was to change the extension. I am working on Excel Home edition, 2016. My PC is windows 10 home 32 bit.

Answer 1

The doc is located on the local PC?

And after you ran a repair?

Restart the PC, once fully loaded, repair Office,> Apps & Features>Select Office your version>Modify /Repair, once the repair completes re-test

Answer 2

Dear Palcouk,

Thanks for your help. I did repair Office and restarted the PC but the problem still persists. This excel file is in Google drive. I can share it if anyone wants to try opening it.

Answer 3

Yesterday, I updated office and when I tried to open one of my important files, I got this message. I did look for information but in vain. The only thing I could locate on the internet was to change the extension. I am working on Excel Home edition, 2016. My PC is windows 10 home 32 bit.

Hi Sharjeel,

There must be possible causes due to which you're not able to open yours excel file.

1. It’s possible that the file association is broken.
2. You have upgraded the Excel application or operating system.
3. Excel program can’t communicate with other applications or the operating system.
4. MS Office application isn’t working properly.
5. The file is corrupted.

Workable Solutions:

Fix 1. Disable Protected View Options:

Many users have reported they fixed the error using this method. However, disabling "Protected View" is potentially harmful to your computer system since it exposes your computer to possible security threats. 

Thus, we highly recommend you save the file as another one after you can access it, then enable "Protected View".

Step 1. Open Microsoft Excel/Word and go to File > Options.

Step 2. Go to "Trust Center" > "Trust Center Settings...".

Step 3. Go to "Protected View" and then uncheck all the boxes. Click "OK".

Step 4. Restart Microsoft Excel/Word.

Now you can try to open your file again and see whether the error message "couldn´t open the workbook" still exist.

Fix 2. Unlock the File

If "the file is corrupt and cannot be opened" prompts when you try to open some of the Excel or Word files on your computer, you can try this solution for a quick fix.

Step 1. Find and right-click the file you have difficulty in opening.

Step 2. Choose "Properties".

Step 3. Under the General tab, check the box next to "Unlock".

Step 4. Click "Apply" > "OK".

By following these solutions, you can easily able to open the workbook. 

And if you find it difficult to solve the error with the above solutions, in that case, you can find more solutions in the following thread:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/i-cant-open-my-excel-spreadsheet/f8c58fa5-442d-446d-b7be-9dc9ba18cd0b

Thanks,

Suyash

Answer 4

Dear Suyash,

Thanks. Fix 1 did not work. I cannot find unlock button in Fix 2.