Excel documents will not open

Question

Try to open excel document. Msg pop up cannot find file

Answer 1

Hi!

I see from your category that you use OneDrive. The spreadsheets that won't open are stored in OneDrive, correct?

If so, have you tried opening a spreadsheet that is located outside of OneDrive? Try opening Excel directly (without opening a specific spreadsheet file) and see if it launches:

1. Press Windows + R > Type excel.exe > Press Enter > Excel should open. Create a new spreadsheet, enter some data, and save it to a location that is not in OneDrive.
2. Close Excel and then try opening the file you just saved. If it opens normally, the final test is to close Excel, copy that spreadsheet to the same location as the other files that are causing issues, and then try opening it from that location.

Answer 2

The “cannot find file” message usually means Excel is opening an old path, so locate the workbook in OneDrive on the web and open it from its current location rather than from Excel’s Recent list.

Find and open the workbook

1. Sign in to the OneDrive website with the Microsoft account used on this PC.
2. Use Search everything and search for:
   • Part of the workbook’s name
   • xls to include formats such as .xlsx, .xls, and .xlsm
   • A relevant date or description
3. Also check My files → Documents and Personal Vault. Personal Vault files do not appear in normal search results.
4. When found, select the workbook and open it in Excel for the web.
5. If it opens correctly, choose File → Save As → Download a copy, or let OneDrive finish syncing and then open it from its actual folder in File Explorer.
6. Remove the obsolete shortcut from Excel: open Excel → Home → Recent, right-click the broken entry, and remove it from the list.

Searching OneDrive on the web is Microsoft’s recommended starting point because it shows the files stored and synchronized across devices.^1^

If the workbook is online but will not open on the PC

1. Select Start, type OneDrive, and open the OneDrive desktop app. Microsoft specifically recommends this when Windows reports that it cannot open a OneDrive file or cannot find it because OneDrive is not running.^2^
2. Wait until the OneDrive cloud icon reports that synchronization is complete.
3. In File Explorer, find the workbook under OneDrive – Personal.
4. Right-click it and select Always keep on this device. Wait for the green availability icon, then open it again.

If the online workbook opens but the local copy still fails, reset OneDrive:

1. Press Windows+R.
2. Enter:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

3. If Windows cannot find it, try:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

4. Start OneDrive again from the Start menu and allow the full synchronization to complete.

A reset does not delete OneDrive files, but it resets OneDrive settings and sync connections and then performs a full sync.^3^

If the workbook cannot be found online

Check OneDrive → Recycle bin and the Windows Recycle Bin. In OneDrive, select the workbook and choose Restore. For a personal account, deleted items may be recoverable for 30 days, provided they were not permanently removed from the OneDrive recycle bin.^4^

Also search the PC:

1. Open File Explorer → This PC.
2. Search for *.xlsx, then repeat with *.xls, *.xlsm, and *.xlsb.
3. Sort the results by Date modified.
4. Check Documents, Desktop, Downloads, and OneDrive – Personal.

If the file is absent from both OneDrive and the PC, recovery depends on finding it in a recycle bin, backup, or another Microsoft account previously used to save it.

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References

1. [Personal](https://support.microsoft.com/onedrive/find-lost-or-missing-files-in-onedrive)
2. Troubleshoot the "Can’t open file" error in OneDrive | Microsoft Support
3. Reset OneDrive | Microsoft Support
4. [PC or Mac](https://support.microsoft.com/onedrive/restore-your-onedrive-files)