Excel, Word: The file is corrupt and cannot be opened (maybe)

In Windows Tags #msoffice #word #excel Published 2/24/2012

Ah, the file is corrupted. Or is it? maybe, maybe not. Here are a few solutions that you can use to help remedy this issue. These could occur in just about any program in the Office suite. It should be noted that this error can occur for numerous reasons and not all of them mean that the file is even corrupted (misleading error messages).

Solution 1:

Office 2010 Only

  1. Click on File.
  2. Click Options.
  3. Click on Trust Center.
  4. Click Trust center settings.
  5. Click Protected view.
  6. Uncheck all the options under Protected View.
  7. Select OK.
  8. Restart Excel.

Solution 2:

You can have the Office product try to repair the file if it is indeed corrupt.

  1. Select the Open option from the File menu (Office 2003, XP, 2000), the Office Button (Office 2007) or the File tab (Office 2010).
  2. When the Open dialog appears, the right hand side of the Open button should have a down arrow, click the down arrow and choose Open and Repair…

Solution 3:

  1. Click Start
  2. Click Control Panel Click Programs,3. Click Uninstall a programunderPrograms and Features`.
  3. Select Microsoft Office.
  4. Click Change, and then wait while the change and repair is carried out.
  5. Exit after the process is completed.

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