Stellar Logo
  • For Individuals
    Back to main menu

    For Individual

    • Windows Data Recovery

      Recovers lost or deleted Office documents, emails, presentations & multimedia files.

      • Free
      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
    • Mac Data Recovery

      Recovers deleted files, photos, videos etc. on Mac.

      • Free
      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
    • Photo Recovery

      Recover photos, videos, & audio files from all cameras and storage on Windows or Mac.

      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
    • iPhone Data Recovery

      Recover deleted photos, videos, contacts, messages etc. directly from iPhone & iPad.

      • Recover
      • Erase
      • Toolkit
    • Video Repair

      Repair multiple corrupt videos in one go. Supports MP4, MOV & other formats.

      • Standard
      • Premium
    • Photo Repair

      Repair multiple corrupt photos in one go. Supports JPEG & other formats.

      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
  • For Business
    Back to main menu

    For Business

    • Email Repair
      • Exchange Repair Repair corrupt EDB file & export mailboxes to Live Exchange or Office 365
      • Outlook PST Repair Repair corrupt PST & recover all mailbox items including deleted emails & contacts
      • OLM Repair Repair Outlook for Mac (OLM) 2011 & 2016 backup files & recover all mailbox items
      • Exchange Toolkit Repair EDB & Exchange backup file to restore mailboxes, convert OST to PST, & convert EDB to PST
      • Active Directory Repair Repair corrupt Active Directory database (Ntds.dit file) & extract all objects in original form
    • Email Converter
      • EDB to PST Convert online & offline EDB file & extract all mailbox items including Public Folders in PST
      • OST to PST Convert inaccessible OST file & extract all mailbox items including deleted emails in PST
      • NSF to PSTConvert IBM Notes NSF file & export all mailbox items including emails & attachments to PST
      • MBOX to PSTConvert MBOX file of Thunderbird, Entourage & other clients, & export mailbox data to PST
      • OLM to PST Convert Outlook for Mac Data File (OLM) & export all mailbox data to PST in original form
      • GroupWise to PST Convert GroupWise mail & export all mailbox items - emails, attachments, etc. - to PST
      • EML to PSTConvert Windows Live Mail (EML) file & export mailbox data - emails, attachments, etc. - to PST
      • Office 365 to PSTConnect to Office 365 account & export mailbox data to PST and various other formats
      • Migrator for Office 365Quickly migrate Outlook data files(OST/PST) directly to Office 365 or Live Exchange
    • File Repair
      • SQL Repair Repair corrupt .mdf & .ndf files and recover all database components in original form
      • Access RepairRepair corrupt .ACCDB and .MDB files & recover all records & objects in a new database
      • QuickBooks RepairRepair corrupt QuickBooks® data file & recover all file components in original form
      • MySQL RepairRepair MyISAM & InnoDB tables and recover all objects - keys, views, tables, triggers, etc.
      • Excel RepairRepair corrupt Excel (.XLS & .XLSX) files and recover tables, charts, chart sheet, etc.
      • BKF RepairRepair corrupt backup (BKF, ZIP, VHDX and .FD) files and restore complete data
      • Database ConverterInterconvert MS SQL, MySQL, SQLite, and SQL Anywhere database files
      • PowerPoint RepairRepair corrupt PPT files and restore tables, header, footer, & charts, etc. like new
      • File Repair ToolkitRepair corrupt Excel, PowerPoint, Word & PDF files & restore data to original form
    • Data Recovery & Erasure
      • Data RecoveryRecover lost or deleted data from HDD, SSD, external USB drive, RAID & more.
      • Tape Data RecoveryRetrives data from all types and capacities of tape drives including LTO 1, LTO 2, LTO 3, & others.
      • Virtual Machine RecoveryRecover documents, multimedia files, and database files from any virtual machine
      • File ErasurePermanently wipe files and folders, and erase traces of apps and Internet activity.
      • Mobile ErasureCertified and permanent data erasure software for iPhones, iPads, & Android devices
      • Drive ErasureCertified and permanent data erasure software for HDD, SSD, & other storage media
    • Toolkit
      • Exchange Toolkit5-in-1 software toolkit to recover Exchange database, convert EDB to PST, convert OST to PST, restore Exchange backup, and reset Windows Server password.
      • Outlook ToolkitComprehensive software suite to repair PST files, merge PST files, eliminate duplicate emails, compact PST files, and recover lost or forgotten Outlook passwords.
      • File Repair ToolkitPowerful file repair utility to fix corrupt Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents created in Microsoft Office. It also repairs corrupt PDF files and recovers all objects.
      • MS SQL Toolkit5-in-1 software toolkit to repair corrupt SQL database, restore database from corrupt backup, reset database password, analyze SQL logs, & interconvert databases.
      • Data Recovery ToolkitSoftware helps to recovers deleted data from Windows, Mac and Linux storage devices. Also supports recovery from RAIDs & Virtual Drives.
    • Forensic
      • Email ForensicAdvanced email forensic solution for cyber experts to audit, analyze, or investigate emails & gather evidences.
      • Log Analyzer for MySQLAnalyze forensic details of MySQL server database log files such as Redo, General Query, and Binary Log.
      • Exchange AuditorExchange Server monitoring solution to automate audits, scans and generate reports ìn real-time.
      • Log Analyzer for MS SQLTrack & analyze MS SQL Server database transactions log files.
  • Our Partners
  • Lab Services
  • Support
  • About

Trending Searches

Data Recovery

Photo Recovery

Video Repair

iPhone Data Recovery

File Erasure Software

Exchange Repair

OST to PST

PST Repair

Raid Recovery

MS SQL Repair

File Repair 5 minute read

Error Solved – ‘The File is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened’ in Excel

Charanjeet Kaur
Written By
Charanjeet Kaur
Alexis Llontop
Approved By
Alexis Llontop
stellar calander
Updated on
March 9th, 2023

Summary: Unable to open Excel file due to the error ‘The file is corrupted and cannot be opened’? Read this blog to find more details about the error, possible reasons behind it, and solutions to fix the error. In addition, the blog mentions about Stellar Repair for Excel software that can help fix the Excel error in a few clicks. Download the software now and see free preview of the file.

Free Download for Windows

Contents

  • About the Error
  • Conclusion

About the Error

Microsoft Excel is a widely used spreadsheet application that comes bundled with MS Office. Users tend to update the application with new security patches and features. Sometimes these updates can cause problems, and result in “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened” error.

The File is Corrupt and Cannot be Opened
Figure 1 – Excel File Corrupted Error Message

Other Possible Reasons behind ‘The File is Corrupt and Cannot Be Opened’ Excel Error

  • Opening an older Excel version file in a newer version of Excel. For instance, opening Excel 2013, 2010, or earlier version in Excel 2016.
  • When attempting to open a Microsoft Office (Excel) email attachment in Microsoft Outlook 2010, MS Office 2010 reports a problem with the file preventing it from opening.

How to Fix the ‘Excel File is Corrupt and Cannot Be Opened’ Error?

Here are a few possible solutions that you can try to fix the ‘Excel file is corrupt and cannot be opened’ issue and open your Excel file.

Solution 1: Changing Component Services Settings

Solution 2: Changing the Protected View Settings

Solution 3: Repair Excel Files using Excel Repair Software

Solution 1: Changing Component Services Settings

[Caution] Changing Component Services settings requires making changes to the registry, and any mistake can harm your computer.

Follow these steps to change ‘Component Services’ settings:

Step 1: Click ‘Start’ or ‘Win+R’ and type ‘dcomcnfg’ and press ‘Enter’.

Step 2: In the navigation pane, expand the ‘Component Services’, and then expand ‘Computers’.


Changing Component Services Settings
Figure 2 – Component Services Settings

Step 3: Next, right-click on ‘My Computer’, and then click ‘Properties’.

Step 4: When the ‘My Computer Properties’ dialog box appears, click on ‘Default Properties’ tab and then set the following values:

  • Default Authentication Level: Connect
  • Default Impersonation Level: Identify
My Computer Properties
Figure 3 – Illustrates My Computer Properties

Step 5: Click ‘OK’ to change ‘Default Properties’

Solution 2: Changing the Protected View Settings

[Caution] Disabling the ‘Protected View’ can put your system at high risk. Viruses attached to the Excel files can attack and infect your system. Be careful before using this option.

Excel 2010 file cannot open due to ‘Protected View’ setting in Microsoft Outlook 2010. And so, changing the setting may help fix the error. For this, perform these steps:

Step 1: Open MS Excel 2010, go to the ‘File’ menu and click ‘Options’.

Select Options in Excel 2010
Figure 4 – Options

Step 2: When the ‘Excel Options’ window opens, click on ‘Trust Center’ and then on ‘Trust Center Settings’.

Trust center settings in Excel
Figure 5 – Open Trust Center Settings

Step 3: Next, choose ‘Protected View’ and uncheck all the options including ‘Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments’ if you use Outlook for email.

change protected view settings
Figure 6 – Uncheck Protected View Settings

Step 4: Click ‘OK’. Restart the application and try opening the Excel file again.

If none of the above solutions works for you, it’s very likely that your Excel file is severely corrupt. To repair corrupt Excel files, you need to use advanced options like Stellar Repair for Excel tool. It repairs the corrupt and damaged Excel files and helps in retrieving lost data.

Solution 3: Use Excel Repair Software to Fix ‘Excel File is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened’

Considering the risks associated with the above solutions, it’s better to use an Excel repair tool to repair single or multiple corrupt Excel files at once. The process is simple, and even a novice can use the Excel file repair tool to repair Excel files with the help of following steps:

Step 1: Download Stellar Repair for Excel tool and install it.

Free download

Step 2: Launch the software. In software main interface, click ‘Browse’ to select the file. If you don’t know the file location use the ‘Search’ option.

Browse and Search
Figure 7 – Illustrates Selecting Corrupt Excel File in Stellar Repair for Excel

Step 3: Select file, and then click Repair.

select corrupt file and repair
Figure 8 – Illustrates Initiating Excel File Repair in Stellar Repair for Excel

Step 4: The software scans and lists the Excel file in the left pane. Click on the file to preview its recoverable objects in the right pane.

preview recoverable excel objects
Figure 9 – Illustrates Preview of Recoverable Excel File Objects

Step 5: Save the repaired file at either default location or a user specified location.

select repaired file location
Figure 10 – Illustrates Saving Repaired Excel File in Stellar Repair for Excel

Step 6: Click ‘OK’ to save the repaired Excel file. After the repair process completes, browse to the location and open it with MS Excel 2010 or any other version.

repaired file saved
Figure 11 – Illustrates Saving Complete Message in Stellar Repair for Excel

You will be able to access your Excel file from the selected location.

Conclusion

You can use the first two possible solutions to fix “the file is corrupted and cannot be opened” error. If you can access the file, save its data and restore the default settings. However, if the file is corrupt and the data retrieved using the first two solutions is inconsistent or incomplete, use Stellar Repair for Excel. This tool can help you recover Table, Chart, Chart Sheet, cell comment, Image, Formulae while preserving the worksheet properties and cell formatting. You can also preview the file and verify the data inside the file before saving it.

About The Author

Charanjeet

Charanjeet is a Technical Content Writer at Stellar®who specializes in writing about databases, e-mail recovery, and e-mail migration solutions. She loves researching and developing content that helps database administrators, organizations and novices to fix multiple problems related to MS SQL and MySQL databases and Microsoft Exchange.

Best Selling Products

Stellar Repair for Excel

Stellar Repair for Excel

Stellar Repair for Excel software provid

Read More
Stellar Toolkit for File Repair

Stellar Toolkit for File Repair

Microsoft office file repair toolkit to

Read More
Stellar Repair for QuickBooks ® Software

Stellar Repair for QuickBooks ® Software

The most advanced tool to repair severel

Read More
Stellar Repair for Access

Stellar Repair for Access

Powerful tool, widely trusted by users &

Read More

15 comments

  1. Teresa says:
    November 24, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    Trying to use repair to recover an excel file. It starts to repair and run then just disappears???

    Reply
    1. Eric Simson says:
      November 25, 2020 at 6:07 am

      Hi Teresa, you can try Stellar Repair for Excel to overcome this problem.

      Reply
  2. Sunny says:
    October 26, 2020 at 8:19 am

    HI,
    I encountered the error while inserting usb to format. i formatted and then recovered the excel file which was password encrypted. after recovering the file when i opened the file it asked password and after entering the password then it says “the file is corrupted and cannot be opened”. i really need this file

    Reply
  3. Vishnu Abby says:
    June 6, 2020 at 9:15 am

    Solution 2 worked for me. Thank you so much.

    Reply
  4. gaurav kumar says:
    March 17, 2020 at 12:04 pm

    Thank you so much. Solution 2 worked.

    Reply
  5. Michael S. Sherrer says:
    December 26, 2018 at 6:21 am

    Through this tool, I have easily fixed the file corrupt error message and access Excel file.

    Reply
    1. Eric Simson says:
      December 26, 2018 at 9:08 am

      Great.
      If you need any technical assistance contact us.

      Reply
      1. Riyaz Ahmad says:
        May 29, 2020 at 5:45 am

        Dear sir i need a help so plz i cant access the word doc as well as excel files also so plz tell me what i can do and how i recover that data.

        thanking you

        Regards
        Riyaz

      2. Charanjeet Kaur says:
        August 14, 2020 at 8:11 am

        Hi Riyaz,

        Try repairing your MS Office installation. If this doesn’t fix the issue, here’s a guide you can refer: Read More

  6. Maurice B. Wooten says:
    December 19, 2018 at 10:51 am

    While accessing the Excel file, I have encountered a random error the file is corrupted and cannot be opened. To resolve this problem I have to go through from all manual ways which are suggested above but can’t fix it.

    URGENT!

    Reply
    1. Eric Simson says:
      December 19, 2018 at 6:11 am

      If the above solution won’t help you then try changing the Excel file extension.

      Follow these steps:
      1. On the C drive, Copy the filename.xlsx to find it quickly
      2. Run the command prompt as an admin
      3. By using rename commands changes the file extension “rename filename.xlsx to .xls”
      4. Now open the file in Excel

      Hope now the error is fixed.

      Reply
  7. Robert V. Miller says:
    November 22, 2018 at 9:04 am

    After updating new security patches of Excel file, I have encountered the error message ‘file is corrupt & cannot be opened’ while opening file. To get rid of this error, I tried Stellar Repair for Excel software demo version and preview all recoverable Excel data. After that, I have purchased the activation key and successfully saved the recoverable files. This software truly a lifesaver.

    Reply
    1. Eric Simson says:
      November 22, 2018 at 9:07 am

      We appreciate your trusting on Stellar softwares! Glad it was quick and easy for all of us!!!!

      Reply
  8. Henrietta Hill says:
    April 23, 2018 at 10:41 am

    Yesterday, I had encountered the same error in Excel 2016. Can I use this one tool for the latest version of Excel file?

    Reply
    1. Eric Simson says:
      April 23, 2018 at 6:54 am

      Hi Henrietta,

      The tool supports the latest version i.e. Excel 2016.

      Reply

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Image Captcha
Refresh Image Captcha

Enter Captcha Here :

Table of Contents    arrow

  1. About the Error
  2. Conclusion

Categories

offer banner

Related Posts

related post
File Repair

How to Fix the Unable to Record Macro Error in Excel?

Stellar Author Monika Dadool February 24, 2023 Read More
related post
File Repair

How to Fix the #Value! Error in Excel?

Stellar Author Monika Dadool January 25, 2023 Read More
related post
File Repair

[2023 Fix]: An Unexpected Error has Occurred. Changes to your Data cannot be Saved

Stellar Author Monika Dadool January 24, 2023 Read More

Free Trial for 60 Days

Technology You Can Trust A Brand Present Across The Globe

  • tuv1
  • tuv2
  • Nist
  • hipa

Stellar Official Website

Stellar Data Recovery Inc.
48 Bridge Street Metuchen,
New Jersey 08840,
United States

ALSO AVAILABLE AT

ALSO AVAILABLE AT

About

  • About us
  • Career
  • ISMS Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • License Policy
  • Refund Policy
  • End User License Agreement

RESOURCES

  • Blog
  • Articles
  • Product Videos
  • Knowledge Base
  • Case Studies
  • Whitepapers
  • Software Catalog

NEWS & EVENTS

  • News
  • Events

PARTNERS

  • Affiliates
  • Resellers
  • Distributors

Useful Links

  • Contact Us
  • Support
  • Special Offers
  • Student Discounts
  • Awards & Reviews
  • Downloads
  • Store
  • Sitemap

Stellar & Stellar Data Recovery are Registered Trademarks of Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. © Copyright 2023 Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. All Trademarks Acknowledged.

Follow Us Facebook Twitter Linkedin Youtube

  • Notron
  • dcma

This website uses cookies in order to provide you with the best possible experience and to monitor and improve the performance of the site in accordance with our cookie policy. You can reject cookies at any time in your browser settings.

cookies-cross
Got it