I have a couple of excel .XLSX files that I have been trying to open but I haven't had any luck "excel cannot open filename.xlsx because the file format or file extension is not valid". Is there a way to repair the file?

Question

I have a couple of excel .XLSX files that I have been trying to open but I haven't had any luck "excel cannot open filename.xlsx because the file format or file extension is not valid". Is there a way to repair the file?

2 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

Your question makes me wonder what sort of software you're using to try to open it.

Microsoft Excel used to use the file extension .xls until 7 or 8 years ago when they upgraded to XML format (Google it) and from that point changed the file extension to .xlsx.

You might have trouble opening it from a very old computer, a portable device, or perhaps even a Mac (though I should think Apple provide compatibility these days).

What operating sytem are you using?

Answer 2

1. Click the File menu
2. Click Open
3. Locate the file, but do not click the Open button. Instead, click the drop-down arrow next to the Open button.
4. Click "Open and Repair"
5. In the dialog that pops up, choose "Repair". If that does not work, try the "Extract Data".
6. Let us know if this works. If not, we will see what else we can come up with for you.

In such a cases where the recovery function are not work properly in Microsoft Excel that you can use the effective third-part tool
XLS Repair Kit Link
Or try visit - Link