How to Solve Excel Cannot Open the File ... Because the File Format or File Extension Is Not Valid.

Did you get an error message of 'Excel cannot open the file **.xlsx because the file format or file extension is not valid' while trying to open a file? Quick fixes and advanced solutions are available here to fix this problem and access your document.

Sometimes, when you try to open or edit an Excel file on Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 or 2016, you may encounter the following problem:

"Excel cannot open the file 'filename.xlsx' because the file format or file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and that the file extension matches the format of the file."

Microsoft Excel is a widely used application by large as well as small organizations for managing their financial data, daily work reports, and other tasks. But, many users often face a common error while opening a file in Excel, especially when opening a spreadsheet received through an email, “Excel cannot open the file ‘(filename)’.xlsx because the file format for the file extension is not valid.”

It usually indicates the file is not compatible with the Excel version or the file has come corrupt or damaged. In this tutorial, we will show you all the possible solutions, and you can try them respectively until fixing the issue.

This tutorial will apply for computers, laptops, desktops,and tablets running the Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7 operating systems.Works for all major computer manufactures (Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo, Samsung).