If this error pops up while attempting to open an Excel document, it could be for a variety of reasons.
- The file you are opening may be corrupt.
- The file you are opening was created in a different version of Excel.
- The file you are opening was saved as an older / incompatible version of Excel.
An Excel document can become corrupted when being transferred and accessed through a network server. When 2 or more people access the file at the same time, this can also occur. Another scenario is when User A saves an Excel document as an older version and User B tries to open the file, but get’s an error instead.
Troubleshooting & Fixing The Problem
Open Excel Document Manually Through The Program
Q. Does the error occur when you try to access the Excel document directly?
A. If yes, then try opening the Excel program first, instead of the Excel document.
Go to your computer’s start menu, open Excel, then go to File -> Open and select your Excel document. Your worksheet should now successfully open.
Now go to File -> Save As, then make sure the “Save as type” is set to “Excel Workbook (*.xlsx)”. Then click save.
Excel Document Opens In Protected View and Won’t Save
If you have opened your Excel Document manually (like the method above) or directly by double-clicking the file on your computer and you receive a Red Bar at the top of the screen, settings in Excel need to be updated.
Go to File -> Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center Settings -> Protected View
Uncheck all the boxes, then click ok to saves changes.
Go to File -> Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center Settings -> File Block Settings
Make sure that all the boxes are unchecked. At the bottom where it says “Open behavior for selected file types”, select the option “Open selected file types in Protected View and allow editing”.
Click ok to save changes.
Now open the Excel Document that is giving you problems. Go to File -> Save As, then make sure the “Save as type” is set to “Excel Workbook (*.xlsx)”. Then click save.
Excel Document Can’t Open And Still Getting The “Has Stopped Working Error”
Try doing these additional tasks below:
Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration
Go to File -> Options -> Advanced -> Under the Display section, uncheck “Disable hardware graphics acceleration”.
Disable Add-Ins
Go to File -> Options -> Add-Ins. Where it says “Manage”, select “COM Add-ins” from the drop-down menu, then click on Go.
Uncheck all the Add-Ins, then click Ok to save the changes.
Repair Excel Program
If you have the original Office CD or Installation Files, run it. Select Repair, then click on Continue.
Excel will attempt to repair or replace any missing files needed for Excel to run properly on your computer.
Re-Install Excel Program
Uninstall Excel by going to Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> Microsoft Office -> Modify. Select “Add or Remove Features”. Select Microsoft Excel for removal, then click on Continue.
After the Uninstall is successful, restart your computer and proceed with a fresh installation.
