Excel

The File is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened in Excel [Solved]

Are you facing the same “the file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Excel” error every time you try to open an Excel file? Well, this is a clear sign that your Excel file is corrupted.

Many users like you are complaining about this random error due to corrupted files and being unable to open Excel 2021, 2016, and 2010 while accessing their Excel workbooks. This error is not limited to Excel 2010 and 2016, 2021 users; even users of other versions of Excel are facing this particular error.

So, to fix this annoying Excel error, in this article, we will provide some of the best solutions to fix corrupted Excel files and errors that cannot be opened. If you don’t know what to do with this corrupted Excel file that won’t open, check out the solutions listed.

How to Fix The File is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened in Excel Issue?

Below are some possible solutions that you can try to fix the “Excel file is corrupted and cannot be opened” problem and open your Excel file.

1: Change the Component Services Settings

[WARNING] Changing Component Service settings requires registry changes, any errors can harm your computer.

Here are a few possible methods that you can use to fix the ‘Excel file is damaged and cannot be opened’ issue and open Excel file. Follow the steps below to change component service settings:

Step 1: Start ” or “Win+R” and type “dcomcnfg” and click “Enter“.
Step 2 : In the navigation pane, expand Component Services and then expand Computers.

Step 3: Next, right-click on My Computer and click on Properties.
Step 4: When the My Computer Properties menu appears, click the Default Properties tab and set the following values:

• Default authentication level: Connect
• Default impersonation level: Authentication

Step 5: Pick the ‘OK’ to change the ‘Default Properties.”

2: Change Protected View Settings

[WARNING] Disabling Protected View exposes your system to high risk. A virus related to Excel files can attack and infect your machine. Be careful before using this option.

Excel 2016, 2013 2010 files cannot be opened because of the “Protected View” setting in Microsoft Outlook. Therefore, changing the settings might help fix the error. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: First, open Microsoft Excel on your system.

Step 2: Go to the “File” menu and click “Options“.

Step 3:  When the Excel Options window opens, select Trust Center, and then choose Trust Center Settings.

Step 4: Next, if you are using Outlook to send the email, select “Protected View” and uncheck all options including “Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments”.

Step 5: Click OK. Restart the program and try to open the excel file again.

If none of the solutions above worked for you, then it is very likely that your Excel file is badly corrupted. To repair damaged Excel files, you need to use advanced options like expert software. It repaired damaged and corrupted Excel files and helps recover lost data.

3: Solution to Fix The File is Corrupted and Cannot be Opened in Excel Error

Considering the risks associated with the above solutions, it is better to use an expert-trusted solution to recover data from corrupt Excel files at once.

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The free version of the product only shows a sample of recoverable data. It is a single tool that repairs multiple damaged Excel files at once and recovers all of them, including tables, cell notes, sheet properties, and other data. It can restore damaged Excel files to new blank files. It is so easy to use that even a novice can use it, and it is compatible with Windows operating systems.

• Download the Software on your Computer System.

• Choose the “Add Files” Options to load Corrupted Excel file.

• Select the Excel file to recover to the location that needs to be repaired, and then Hit the Open tab.

• After that, hit the Repair tab to start the repaired process.

• Preview all the completed and repaired Excel files.

Final Word

So that’s all the error about the Excel file, which is corrupt and can’t be opened. Try the solutions one at a time and find which one is right for you. Try the manual solutions provided, but if none of the manual solutions worked for you, then use the automated solutions to fix the file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Excel. Apart from that, it is always recommended to backup a valid Excel file to avoid further problems. If you have problems with the repair software, please contact the technical support team.