Fix Excel Cannot Open the File ‘file.xlsx’ Because the File Format Is Not Valid

  author
Written By Kumar Raj
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On July 23rd, 2022
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Are you getting ‘Excel cannot open the file ‘file.xlsx’ because the file format or extension is not valid’ error while opening the spreadsheet? If Yes, then this article is just meant for you. This post comprises the complete solution of this error, so go through once and fix the problem.

As we all know, Microsoft Excel is the most used application that used for personal as well as professional work. One can create standard financial reports, school reports and much more using this program. However, no single application is free from error and the same case happen in the Excel program.

But, how?

Actually, it can be seen that when the users open a spreadsheet, an error message generates that states ‘Excel cannot open the file ‘filename.xlsx’’ because the file format is not valid’. This message certainly gives you a headache if the file is important.

Quick Fix: If you are looking for fast and reliable solution to resolve the error “Fix Excel Cannot Open the File ‘file.xlsx’ Because the File Format Is Not Valid” then, download Excel Recovery Software. You can also retrieve data from Excel workbook with multiple worksheets.

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Why this Excel Error Appears?

Generally, this message occurs on those Excel workbook who sent to a person for a review purpose. In this situation, the following two things can because of this error.

There is a high chance that spreadsheet can be corrupt or damaged.
The other reason is workbook (.xlsx) has a compatibility issue with Microsoft Excel version.

In order to resolve this issue, here, we are going to provide top 3 workarounds to fix this issue in MS Excel.

Techniques to Fix ‘Excel cannot open the file ‘file.xlsx’’ because the file format is not valid’ Error

In the following sections, readers will know the workarounds that can resolve this glitch in the appropriate way. Every technique is used for different purposes. So, choose according to the requirement.

Approach 1: Modify File Format of Workbook

As we stated above, the error message Excel cannot open the file ‘filename.xlsx’ because the file format is not valid’ can also be arises when there is some compatibility issue. For example, the spreadsheet having a different file extension that not supported by Excel 2007. So, it is advised to check the file format first while dealing with this error. And, if you find that format is not appropriate to Excel application, then change it by using the below instructions.

1. Launch MS Excel 2013 application on the system.
2. Click on File tab to bring its menu.
3. After that, select Export option from the pop-out menu.
4. Next, select Change File Type under the Export section. Afterwards, choose Workbook(*.xlsx) option under Change File Type heading.

Once you have done with the above steps, then again open the File in Excel application. Check whether it is opened without the error message or not.

#Approach 2: Take Help of ‘Open and Repair’

If the above workaround gets failed to fix the error Excel cannot open the file ‘file.xlsx’ because the file format is not valid, then it confirms that .xlsx file is corrupted. To fix the corrupted worksheet, Microsoft Excel already has an inbuilt feature known as ‘Open and Repair’. Its prime function is to fix some minor corruption in the spreadsheet and then open it in Excel.

Note: All these steps are performed in Microsoft Excel 2013 application.

1. Start Excel application and click on File tab.
2. Go to Open option and click on Browse to upload the file that is corrupted.
3. From the Open window, select the file and go to the Open drop-down button.
4. Hit the button and select Open and Repair.

5. By doing this, it might be possible that the corrupted .xlsx file can be repaired.

When Above Methods Become Failed, What Can We Do?

There are high possibilities that the manual methods cannot fix this error message i.e. Excel cannot open the file ‘file.xlsx’ because the file format or the extension is not valid. Then, don’t be sad! In such a situation, the user can take the help of efficient Excel Repair Software. This tool is developed to restore the content of corrupted multiple .xlsx files and import them into a healthy one. In fact, the tool does not alter any single object or formatting of the file during the entire procedure. Moreover, the software takes only a few minutes to repair the spreadsheet (.xlsx file). One can only need to follow the below guidelines.

1. Open the tool and click on Add File.
2. From the Add File wizard, you can either upload the .xlsx file manually or use the auto-search option.
3. Once the file gets scanned, the user can view the recovered data items on the Preview window.
4. Finally, click on Save in order to export healthy XLSX file into the system.
5. After that, open the Excel file again. This time no error message will generate while opening the spreadsheet.

What Say, Error Resolved or Not?

In this post, we have discussed each and every detail related to the ‘Excel cannot open the file ‘file.xlsx’ because the file format or extension is not valid’ error. So, whenever you will receive this type of message, then use the above techniques to troubleshoot this issue.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I repair a corrupted Microsoft Excel spreadsheet?

Yes, you can simply recover a corrupt MS Excel spreadsheet using SysTools Excel Recovery Software. This tool is able to recover the following items in the blink of an eye:
1. Repair rows and columns
2. Illustrations, & other graphics
3. Cell Commenting
4. Formulas or Applied Functions
5. Pivot Chart, Pie Chart, etc.

2. What are all the Excel-related errors that this tool can fix?

This utility is prevalent enough to rectify multiple Excel issues. Some of them are mentioned below:
1. The file is corrupt and cannot be opened
2. The selected file is invalid
3. Excel unable to read file and so on.

3. How long does this tool take to recover a corrupted Excel sheet?

It entirely depends upon the size of the file and the configuration of your machine.

4. What is the “Search in Drive” feature?

This feature comes into the picture when the user is not aware with the exact location of the file. You only have to select the drive such as C, or D and then, check the Search in sub-folders options.

  author

By Kumar Raj

A versatile writer with the vast knowledge of technology helps to reduce the gap between a user and technology. Provides easy and reliable ways to resolve multiple technical issues, which users encounter in their day-to-day life.