Resolve Compile Error in Hidden Module in Excel: Causes & Solutions

The hidden module in Excel refers to a container with VBA codes, custom queries, and complex macros. The compile error in a hidden (protected) module in the Excel worksheet usually occurs when doing different activities on a macro-enabled sheet, such as merging .xls files. The error can result in macros execution failure. You need to quickly resolve this compile error to restore full functionality of the VBA code. Below, we’ll be discussing the solutions to fix this Excel error. But before that, let’s see why this error occurs.

You may encounter the Compile error in hidden module due to one of the following reasons:

• The code in the workbook is not compatible with the Excel application.
• Manual queries created in a previous version are no longer compatible with your current version of Excel.
• Missing references.
• Invalid .exe files (control information cache files) are automatically created with ActiveX control insertion in Excel file.
• Protected module is corrupted.
• The workbook with hidden module is damaged or corrupted.
• Incompatible add-ins.
• Incompatible Excel file version.
• The module is protected or password-protected.
• Missing or corrupted mscomctl.ocx file.

Excel can throw the compile error while compiling the code that exists in the protected module. So, first check the error and identify the hidden module that is creating the issue. You can unprotect the module. Also, ensure that you have permission to access the VBA code in the module. If the error still exists, follow the below troubleshooting methods.

Method 1: Re-register ActiveX Control Files or mscomctl.ocx Files

You can get the compile error in the Excel file, containing the VBA code related to ActiveX controls or OCX files. The ActiveX control files and OCX files (mscomctl.ocx files) are the components of Microsoft’s standard controls library. The compile error in the hidden module can occur if these files are missing. In this case, you can use the Regsvr32 tool to re-register the OCX files. The Regsvr32  is a command-line utility to register and unregister OLE controls in the Windows registry.

Method 2: Delete .exd Files

 The .exd files are temporary files created by Excel when inserting ActiveX controls objects. These temporary files can lead to a compile error if they are corrupted. So, if this issue has occurred, particularly in the Excel file containing ActiveX controls, then deleting .exd files might fix the issue. To delete the .exd file, follow the below steps:

• First, open the Run window by pressing the Windows+R keys.

• In the Run window, type %appdata%.

• In the Roaming window, click on the Microsoft option.

• Under Microsoft, you will see a list of folders. Search and click on Forms.
• Right-click on a file with .exd extension and select Delete.
• Once you delete the .exd files, restart your Excel application.

Method 3: Rollback the Office Updates

MS Office updates or upgrades may also cause the compile error in hidden module in Excel. If the error has occurred after downloading the recent Microsoft Office updates, try reverting to the previous version or uninstalling the recent updates to fix the issue.

Method 4: Unselect Missing References

The compile error in hidden module determine path in Excel can also occur if your file contains a reference to object library/type library, which is labelled as Missing. You can locate, check, and uncheck the references marked as ‘Missing’ to fix the issue. Here are the steps:

• Open your Excel and press Alt + F11 keys.
• The Visual Basic Editor is displayed.

• Go to the Tools option and then click References.

• In the References-VBAProject window, under Available References, search and unselect the references starting as “Missing”.

• Click OK.

Method 5: Check the Code in Module

The compile error in hidden module can occur if there are issues in the code within the module. The problems include incorrect or missing syntaxes, missing parameters/references, or the code contains incompatible functions or a wrong name of the object. You can check and fix these issues in the code by opening the VBA editor.

Method 6: Check and Remove Add-ins

In Excel, the compile error in macro-enabled files can also occur due to incompatible add-ins. You can check and disable the add-ins in Excel using the below steps:

• First, open the Run window and type excel /safe and then click OK. The Excel application will open in safe mode.
• Now try to open the affected Excel file. If it opens without the error, then check and remove the latest installed Excel add-ins.
• Navigate to the File option and then select Options.
• In the Excel Options window, click Add-ins.

• Under Add-ins, search and select the latest add-ins, and then click on Go.
• In the Add-ins window, uncheck the add-ins and then click OK.

• Restart Excel and then check if the error is fixed or not.

Method 7: Repair the Corrupt Excel File

Corruption in the Excel file can affect the macros in the hidden module, which may result in the compile error. In such a case, you can try repairing the Excel file using Microsoft’s inbuilt utility -Open and Repair. To use this tool, follow these steps:

• Open your Excel application.
• Click the File tab and then click Open.
• Click Browse to select the affected workbook.
• The Open dialog box will appear. Click on the corrupted file.
• Click the arrow next to the Open button and then Open and Repair.
• You will see a dialog box with three buttons - Repair, Extract Data, and Cancel.

• Click on the Repair button to recover as much of the data as possible.
• After repair, a message is displayed. Click Close.

What if None of the Above Solutions Works?

If the above methods fail to get rid of the “compile error in hidden module” in Excel, then use an Excel repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Excel. This tool is specifically designed to repair the corrupted Excel file. It can recover all the components from corrupted Excel file (macros, queries, formulas, etc.) without changing their original formatting. The tool is compatible with all Excel versions and can be downloaded on a Windows system. You can download the free trial version of Stellar Repair for Excel to scan the corrupted Excel file and preview the data.

Closure

You can get the “compile error in hidden module” when Excel detects any issue while compiling the code in a protected module. It can occur when there is an issue with the macro-enabled Excel workbook or Excel add-ins. You can follow the above-mentioned methods to fix the issue. If the error occurs due to corruption in the database file, then you can try Stellar Repair for Excel . It can repair severely corrupted Excel files. It also helps recover all the Excel workbook’s components, including macros and queries. The tool has a simple and user-friendly interface.

How to Repair Excel Document on a Flash Drive

Summary: Microsoft Excel files are stored on flash drives if they need to be transferred between systems or if they need to be backed up. But sometimes unforeseen issues can corrupt the Excel sheets stored on flash drives. When that happens, it can be an arduous task to repair Excel documents on a flash drive. Through this post let us try to understand the reasons why Excel sheets stored on flash drives can get corrupted and how users can resolve them easily.

In this digital age, we all work with computers, files, and documents. Flash drives or USBs are common ways of storing data in an external place. Be it for a meeting or for a party playlist, these devices come handy when one wants to transfer data or access the files stored elsewhere.

You may need to access your data from another location. That’s when a USB flash drive might come in handy. And, that’s exactly why Excel sheets too end up on flash drives; either that or for backup purposes. However, there are many instances where an Excel file stored in a USB gets corrupted when one tries to access the file. The error message you get while trying to open the Excel file would be a great clue for figuring out the exact reason behind corruption.

This blog will provide insights into what are the reasons for the corruption of a USB and how the users can repair Excel on flash drive that has been corrupted.

Reasons for USB inaccessibility

Sometimes flash drives or USBs can become unresponsive due to numerous reasons. There are two types of corruption – logical and physical. Physical corruptions occur due to broken stems and connectors, broken circuits, NAND gate, not recognised, RAW, need to format, not accessible, and dead drives (no power supply).

One of the main reasons behind such an error could be that the USB drive has been infected by some virus. This can affect any file – not only the ones which are there in the USB drive but also the ones which are there in the PC/Laptop where you connect the USB drive. It is recommended that you scan the USB drive with reliable antivirus software to detect viruses.

There can be various other reasons that may make your USB corrupt or unresponsive. But there are very slim chances that you will be able to recover a flash drive that has physical damage. However, you can try to run the check disk on the USB drive to fix the drive. We will be discussing this as you read on.

Recovery Methods for Corrupted Flash Drives

There are 3 tried and tested recovery methods. Try them and see which one works out for you.

1. Restoring Excel Files from Windows backup

To bring back your old Excel files, fixing up the corrupt file is your best option. Importantly note that this method would work only if your system’s Windows backup option has been enabled.

Step-by-step process for restoring your older Excel files:

• Connect your USB drive
• Go to “My Computer”->USB Drive->Check if the file exists
• Right click on the excel file and click on the restore previous versions

• You will now see a list of older versions which were created
• Select one the backups and click on “restore”

2. Using Command Line to Recover Excel Files

In case you are looking to repair Excel on flash drive, you can also resolve it by using the command line. Just follow the below steps to see if you can recover the excel files.

• Connect your USB Flash drive
• Open “Run” (press Windows+R) and then open “cmd”

• Type “attrib -h -r -s /s /d (USB Drive Letter):\*.*” where the (USB Drive Letter) is the drive letter you can find using “My Computer”
• Once this has been completed, Windows will start repairing your files
• After the process gets over, try accessing the excel file to see if the data has been recovered

3. Running a “Check Disk” on flash drives

Follow the below steps while the USB flash drive has been plugged into your computer:

• Open “Run” and then open “cmd”
• Type in “chkdsk /X /f (USB Drive Letter)” where the “(USB Drive Letter)” is the letter of the corrupted USB Drive. You can get this letter easily from the “My Computer”.

It will now check your disk to and correct any corrupted records.

What if none of these methods works?

In case none of the above methods works to repair Excel document on a flash drive, then you would need a professional Excel repair software such as Stellar Repair for Excel to restore your files. Such software not only help repair corrupted Excel files on flash drives but also help in recovering the data stored within them in their original format.

Stellar Repair for Excel resolves corruption problems in Excel files and recovers all formulas, charts, cell formatting, and more from them. It can repair multiple Excel files in one go. Equipped with a fully interactive GUI, working with this product is extremely easy.

To sum it up

Although flash drives are quite popularly used, they are not the most reliable of storage devices. These drives can fail anytime without warning. Thus, always back up your data on other more robust devices instead of flash drives. We hope that with the above tried and tested methods you will easily be able to repair Excel document on flash drive if need be. For any queries that you have, feel free to leave a comment below!

Repair Files using Stellar Toolkit for File Repair

Stellar Toolkit for File Repair Technician

The main interface of Stellar Toolkit for File Repair comprises four modules to repair MS Office and PDF files. These modules are:

• Repair Document
• Repair Spreadsheet
• Repair PowerPoint
• Repair PDF

Click on the desired tab to repair that file format.

                                    Figure 1 - Illustrates Homepage of the Stellar Toolkit for File Repair

Steps to Repair MS Word – .doc/.docx file

• Click Select File to select a single corrupt Word (.doc/.docx) file that you want to repair. Alternately, click Select Folder for selecting all Word files in a single folder.

Note: Click Find file(s) to search for the Word file, if the location is not known.

                                     Figure 2 - Illustrates Selection of single doc/.docx file or multiple files

• Once the file is selected, click the Scan button to scan and repair the file.
• A preview of the repaired Word file is displayed on the screen. Verify the file contents from the right pane of the preview window.

                                         Figure 3 - Preview of Repaired Word Document

Note: If you’re unable to repair a corrupt .doc file, select ‘Advance Repair’ option from the File menu for repairing the .doc files.  

• Click the Save icon on the File menu to save the repaired file.

                                                                     Figure 4 - File Menu

• In Save Document dialog box that appears, do the following:

• Select default location or a new folder to save the repaired file.

• Save the file in any of these formats: ‘Full Document’, ‘Filtered Text’ or ‘Raw Text’.

• Click OK.

                                                        Figure 5 - Word Document Saving Options

The repaired file will be saved at your preferred location.

Steps to Repair Excel – .xls/.xlsx files

• In Select File window, click Browse to select the corrupt Excel file from the desired location. If you do not know the file location, click Search to find and select the corrupted spreadsheet.
• Once the Excel file is selected, start repairing the file by clicking the Repair button.

                              Figure 6 - Illustrates selection of one xls/xlsx file or multiple files in a folder

• After completion of the repair process, the software displays the repaired Excel file and its recoverable data in a preview window.

                                                        Figure 7 - Preview of Excel File

• Click on Save File icon on Home menu to save the repaired file.
• In Save File dialog box, choose Default location or Select New Folder for saving the file.

                                               Figure 8 - Select Destination to Save Repaired Excel File

• Click OK to proceed with the saving process.

The repaired file gets saved at the preferred location.

Note: To recover the Engineering formulae, include ‘Analysis ToolPak’ Add-in.

 Steps to Repair PowerPoint – ppt/pptx/pptm file

• Click Browse to select the corrupt PowerPoint file. Alternately, click on Search to search for the file, if the location is not known.

                                    Figure 9 - Illustrates Selection of Single PowerPoint Presentation

• Once the corrupt PowerPoint file is selected, click Scan for scanning and repairing the file.
• A preview of scanned file gets displayed. Verify the file contents from the preview window.
• Click Save on Home menu to save the repaired PPT file.
• From the Save File dialog box, click Default location or Other location under Save As for saving the file.

                                                    Figure 10 - Select Location to Save PPT File

• Click on the OK button and the repaired file is saved at preferred location.

Steps to Repair PDF file

• From the Stellar Repair for PDF main interface window, click Add File to select a single or multiple PDF files you want to repair.

                                            Figure 11 - Illustrates adding of corrupt PDF Files

• A screen with recently added PDF file is displayed. Select the file and click Repair to start repairing it.

                                                Figure 12 - Repair the Selected PDF File

• A screen showing the progress of the repair process appears.
• When the ‘Repair Complete’ window pops-up, click OK.
• Preview the repaired PDF file.
• Click the Save Repaired Files button to save the repaired file.

                                                  Figure 13 - Save Repaired File

• In Browse for Folder dialog box, select a folder for saving the file.
• From the Saving Complete dialog box, click the hyperlink to the folder containing the repaired PDF file.

                                                      Figure 14 - Saving Complete Window

• Click OK.

Solutions to open Excel Read Only Documents

‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ is an error message that usually appears when you try to open an Excel (XLS or XLSX) file downloaded from the Internet, email, or the network server. It may also appear when you try to open an encrypted or password-protected Excel document. In such a case, MS Excel prevents the user from making any changes to the document.

Reasons behind the “Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be read-only or encrypted” Error

There could be several reasons that may cause the error. Some of them are as follows:

• Corrupt or damaged Excel workbook
• Incompatible or unsupported add-in
• Antivirus or malware software conflict
• Read-Only Excel file
• The file is encrypted
• File or drive read/write permissions issues
• Protected Excel workbook
• Damaged or missing MS Office (MS Excel) program files

Solutions to Open and Edit Read-Only Excel Documents

Below are a few solutions that can help you fix the ‘Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be read-only or encrypted’ error and allow you to open and edit Excel documents.

• Remove Read-only Attribute from Excel File Properties

The ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ error message may appear when the Excel file property is set to read-only. To check if this is the case, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the particular Excel (xls/xlsx) document and select ‘Properties’.
  • Uncheck the ‘Read-only’ attribute and then click the ‘OK’ button.

Now try to open the Excel document and check if the problem is fixed.

• Adjust Antivirus Settings

A few antivirus programs block Excel files and other Office documents by opening those in ‘read-only’ mode. In such cases, try adjusting the antivirus settings to open the Excel files normally. This will allow you to edit, modify, and save the Excel workbook without encountering the “Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be a read-only or encrypted” error message.

• Disable Protected-View

The error may appear when you try to open an Excel file received as email attachments or downloaded from unsafe source. The file may potentially contain viruses, worms, or other types of malware that could damage the system or the server.

To safeguard the system, MS Excel opens such files in Protected View. It may also open an Excel workbook in Protected Mode when it detects a problem with the file. This security feature allows you to read or view Excel files and reduces the risks to the computer system or PC.

However, you can click File > Info and then click ‘Edit Anyway‘ to access and edit file content. You may also disable the Protected View setting via File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings…> Protected View. However, we do not recommend this.

• Renew/Activate Microsoft Office

If MS Office is in a deactivated state or its subscription has expired, the Office documents, including the Excel, could be in ‘read-only reduced functionality mode.’

In such a scenario, activate Microsoft Office or renew the Office subscription. Then open the Excel workbook and check if the problem of ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ is resolved.

• Check if OneDrive Storage is Full

If Excel files are saved on OneDrive with low or no storage space, you may encounter such issues with your files.

To know the amount of free space on OneDrive, follow these steps:

• On your PC, open Settings and navigate to OneDrive.
  • Click ‘Sync Settings > File Storage‘ to see available space.

You may also visit onedrive.live.com, sign in to the account, and then check the available space. If there’s no space available or the drive is full, empty the storage space and see if the problem is resolved.

• Check and Update MS Office and Windows

Microsoft releases updates to fix known errors. Thus, it is critical to update both Windows and MS Office to the latest release and avoid issues, such as ‘Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be read-only or encrypted.’

• Repair MS Office (MS Excel)

The error ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ may appear due to a problem with your MS Office (MS Excel) program. You can repair the MS Office program to resolve such errors. The steps are as follows:

• Open Control Panel and click Uninstall a Program link under Programs.
• Choose Microsoft Office from the list and click the Change button.

• Select Quick Repair and then click Repair to fix problems with MS Office and MS Excel. It will also restore any missing or damaged program files.

After the Repair, open the Excel workbook and check if the error is resolved.

• Check Permissions

The error message may also appear if you access an Excel workbook from a network or shared drive due to lack of write permission. Make sure you have read and write permissions assigned for the particular network drive. Alternatively, you can copy the file from the network drive and save it in your local folder to access and edit it without encountering this error message.

• Repair MS Excel File

If none of the solutions worked, the Excel workbook could be damaged or corrupt. To repair such damaged Excel workbook or spreadsheet, you can use the inbuilt ‘Open and Repair…’ option in MS Excel or install an Excel repair software , such as Stellar Repair for Excel. The software comes in handy when the Open and Repair option fails to fix the Excel workbook problems. It repairs the corrupt or damaged Excel workbook, extracts all components and content from the file with 100% integrity, and saves them in a new Excel workbook.

Conclusion

Sometimes, the ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ error can be resolved by a simple restart. But if it doesn’t work, you can follow the solutions discussed in this article to resolve the ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ issue.  However, if the issue is caused due to a damaged or corrupt Excel workbook, these methods may not work. In such a case, you can use Excel’s inbuilt repair utility, i.e., Open and Repair, or install Stellar Repair for Excel software recommended by MVPs and industry experts to fix all kinds of problems with MS Excel workbooks.

[Error Solved] Excel file is not in recognizable format

Summary: Microsoft’s Excel is one of the most widely used spreadsheet tools, however, it isn’t entirely free of errors. There are in fact quite a large number of problems that can crop up in this user-friendly application which can put all work to halt. One such error occurs when Excel does not recognize the file format of .xls or .xlsx file and the error message says “Excel file is not in recognizable format” error. Let us explore this annoying error in detail.

Figure: Error message

From a small shop to the global industry giants, everyone relies on Microsoft Excel to complete their work. Quite a few businesses not only use Excel for their inventory tracking purposes but also to manage task lists and timesheets for their employees and project management charts. With high programming proficiency, one can create macros in excel which help in automating a lot of things. You can create quite a few variations, such as pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, area charts, and many more to showcase the data both in a tabular column as well as in a pictorial representation.

While Excel enjoys wild popularity, thanks to its powerful design and features, it doesn’t mean that Excel is all free of errors. There are actually repetition a few errors that one can encounter. One you might have come across is the error stating “Excel file is not in a recognizable format”.

What is this error all about?

The “Excel file in unrecognizable format error” occurs when the Excel file you are trying to load is corrupted. Microsoft has ensured that the workbook will be recoverable when the file is imported into excel but there are times when the automatic recovery does not happen. That’s where the challenge really lies. In such cases, getting to the root of the issue becomes necessary to be able to solve it.

Reasons behind the error

1. One of the main reasons for the error is that the file must have got corrupted while being transferred from one machine to another.
2. Another reason can be that the latest service pack might not be in use on your system.
3. There could be MS Excel version change.
4. Corruption of the file due to virus infection, extremely large databases, or multiple locks on the file at the same time can also trigger this error.

If you have ever faced this error, you do not need to panic. We have a couple of solutions listed for you when you face the Excel file in an unrecognizable format error.

How do you go about fixing this?

Solution 1: Use MOC.exe file to convert the workbook and then open it in Excel:

1. Right-click on .XLS (you can use any .XLS files in your system).
2. A new dialogue will appear. Here, click on “Choose another app” to select it.

Figure: choose another app

3. You will now be presented with a number of applications which the OS thinks the file format will be compatible with.
4. You do not have to choose any of the prepopulated apps from the list.

Figure: Look for another app

5. Navigate using the Look for another app on this PC  to the path “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeVersion”
6. You will see a file name MOC.exe
7. Choose that and complete your export.
8. Try opening the workbook in Excel and the error should now be resolved.

Solution 2: Opening the file from within the Excel:

1. Open a new Excel workbook.
2. Press “Alt + F” or alternatively, go to the menu.
3. Once you are in the menu, go to Options.
4. You will be able to see a number of tabs on the left side of the options.
5. Under the ‘Formulas’ tab, ensure that the calculation is in Manual mode – this setting is in the automatic mode, by default.

Figure: Manual option

6. Click OK and save the changes to the workbook.
7. Now, browse for the file which was corrupted.
8. Click on the file and then select the option “Open and Repair”. You will find it in the drop down Menu.

Figure: Open and Repair

9. Once the file has been imported, click on “Repair” to recover the data from the selected workbook.

Figure: Repair option

Solution 3: Use automated Excel repair software

If none of the above mentioned manual methods works to eliminate the ‘Excel file in unrecognizable format’ error, it means your Excel file has been severely corrupted and needs professional assistance. In such a scenario, quickly download reliable and competent software Stellar Repair for Excel. Backed by powerful scanning and repair algorithms, this product guarantees up to 100% Excel file repair regardless of the amount of damage in it.

1. Download, install and launch Stellar Repair for Excel.
2. Allow the software to scan the corrupted Excel file.
3. All recoverable data will be listed in a tree-view list. You can select and preview any item from here.
4. Select and recover individual or entire data from the file and save as a new Excel.

This method is currently the easiest and most convenient to resolve miscellaneous Excel errors.

Wrapping it up

Excel is one of the most powerful tools which can easily reduce your workload by more than 75% if used in a proper way. However, if you face complex errors like “Excel file is not in recognizable format”, you can use the methods mentioned above to get rid of it and resume your working in MS Excel. Remember, if the manual solutions don’t work, you can always rely on a proficient software like Stellar Repair for Excel to complete the job with finesse.

Get Rid of corrupt Excel File

Summary: What to do when an Excel file is corrupted? This is a common question that is often asked by Microsoft Excel users. If you too are seeking an answer to this question, read the blog to learn about a few manual workarounds and a specialized Excel file repair tool to resolve the Excel file corruption issue.

An Excel file gets corrupted due to various reasons such as a virus/malware attack, sudden system shutdown when the Excel file is still open, power failure while working with an Excel spreadsheet, etc.

When Microsoft Excel detects corruption in a workbook, it attempts to repair the workbook by starting ‘File Recovery mode’.

Tip! If the file recovery mode doesn’t start, you may use the manual repair process or an Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel to repair a corrupted Excel file. The software can help you quickly retrieve contents from a damaged, corrupt, or inaccessible Excel file and restore the file to its original state.

There even exist a few manual tips that can be used to recover data from damaged MS Office Excel files.

Workarounds to Use When an Excel File is Corrupted

Note: Before carrying out any of the repair and recovery workarounds, it is advised that you must save a backup copy of the damaged file. This is to prevent your files from turning completely inaccessible in case the methods fail to give desired results.

Workaround 1: Use the Open and Repair Method

If MS Excel cannot repair a corrupted workbook automatically, you can try to do it manually. To do so, perform the following:

• Open the corrupt file, like you normally open any file, by clicking File > Open.
• Browse and locate the folder containing the corrupted document.
• When the Open dialog box is displayed:
• Select the Excel document.
• Click on the arrow present to the right side of the Open button and select Open and Repair option.

Figure 1 – Open and Repair Feature

If this doesn’t help repair the broken Excel file or you encounter  Open and Repair does not work issue, proceed with the next workaround.

Tip! Try an alternative solution, i.e. Stellar Repair for Excel software to repair and recover corrupt Excel files (.xlsx or .xls) when the ‘Open and Repair’ method won’t work.  

Workaround 2: Restore an Excel File with a Shadow Copy

If you’re a Windows 7 or Vista user, you can try restoring the corrupted spreadsheet by using a shadow copy (or a previous version). [Shadow copy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Copy#:~:text=Shadow%20Copy%20(also%20known%20as,the%20Volume%20Shadow%20Copy%20service .) is basically a snapshot (backup copy) of computer files or volumes. The snapshot may contain an older version of your Excel file that has become damaged now. To find out, do the following:

• Launch File Explorer, and right-click the folder in which the file is saved.
• Choose Properties.
• Look for and click the Previous Versions tab. This will display a list of entries under Folder versions or File versions, going back a few days or weeks.
• Double-click one with a date when the file was accessible and could be read. Then, try to open its older version. If it opens, save the older version with a new name and execute the procedure with new file/folder entries.

Figure 2 – Volume Shadow Copy

You would have to repeat the process until you reach the point where the file became damaged. With this, you will get a baseline version of the file, but data may still have been lost.

Workaround 3: Test your Assumptions

If you receive a message saying “Excel file corrupted and cannot be opened”, you would probably believe it. However, there could be other reasons besides corruption that may cause Excel to throw this error message.

Your Office suite, which Excel is a part of, maybe having some primary issues in it causing problems while opening one Excel document. So, try opening another Excel file to check if the problem exists with all the files or just one.

If other Excel documents work correctly, it means that only the particular document is corrupt. On the contrary, if the issue is with your Office suite, repairing the current Office installation may help fix the issue. For this, perform these steps:

• Go to Control Panel and click Uninstall the Program.
• Choose Office.
• Click Change, and hit the Repair button.

You can reinstall the entire Office package. Once reinstalled, try to open the file to check if the issue has been fixed and the Excel file repaired.

Figure 3 – MS Office Repair

Workaround 4: Use Excel File Repair Tool

If the above manual solutions fail, use Excel repair software to successfully repair your damaged Excel workbook and recover all its data. Essentially, the software rebuilds damaged Excel workbook data at a granular level to recover every single object & all the original properties of the workbook.

Suggested Read: How to repair corrupt Excel files using Stellar Repair for Excel?

Why Use Stellar Repair for Excel Software?

• Repairs severely corrupted XLSX and XLS files.
• Can handle corrupt Excel files of any size.
• Demo version allows previewing recoverable Excel file items for free.
• Supports Microsoft Excel 2019 and all lower versions.
• Compatible with Windows 10 and lower versions.
• Tested and recommended by Microsoft Excel MVPs.

Final Word

When an Excel file is corrupted, it won’t open at all or you won’t be able to access all the file data. Such a situation can lead to unnecessary halts, impacting work productivity.

There are manual workarounds that may help fix the corrupt Excel file and recover its data, such as the ones covered in this blog. However, these solutions might not work in severe corruption cases and may require technical assistance. Also, they may result in some data loss.

To overcome the limitations of manual workarounds, it is recommended to go for a professional Excel file repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Excel . It helps repair corrupt Excel (XLS or XLSX) files and restores all worksheet data, such as the table, chart, chart sheet, cell comment, sort and filter, image, formula, etc. in a few simple clicks. Moreover, the software provides a free preview of the recoverable data with its demo version. You can check the preview to evaluate how the software works.

How to Fix Excel File Couldn’t Open in Protected View

Summary: This blog discusses about the Excel error ‘The file couldn’t open in Protected View’ and workarounds to fix the error. If you cannot access the Excel file data, using an Excel file repair tool can help you quickly restore the data to its original state.

Protected View is a feature in Microsoft Excel that opens a file in read-only mode while disabling the editing functions. An Excel file opens in Protected View if the file is from an unsafe location. For example, the file may be opened from an insecure Internet location or downloaded as an Outlook attachment from suspicious senders. In that case, your Excel application won’t let you open the file to protect it against malware or virus attacks.

However, the Protected View feature sometimes prevents an Excel file from opening even if it is from a safe location. Also, opening an Excel file may return an error message ‘file couldn’t open in protected view’.

You may be able to resolve the issue by closing all the open Excel files, closing the Excel application, and then re-opening the problematic file. But this process can take a significant amount of time as you need to close and re-open the Excel application and the file continuously.

How to Fix the Excel File Couldn’t Open in Protected View Error?

Here are some workarounds to fix the error:

Workaround 1 – Disable the Protected View Settings

Note: Before disabling the protected view settings, ensure you have a reliable antivirus software installed on your computer to safeguard files against malware or virus attacks.

• Open the Excel file throwing the error, go to File and click the Options tab.
• From the Options dialog box, go to Trust Center and click on Trust Center Settings.
• From the Trust Center Settings dialog box, select the Protected View tab.
• Uncheck the appropriate option under the Protected View section, and then click OK to apply the changes. For instance, uncheck the “Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments” option if the file is a downloaded Outlook attachment.

• Click OK again.

Now try opening the problematic Excel file. If it still doesn’t open, try the following workaround.

Workaround 2 – Repair the Office Installation

Sometimes, corruption in the Office installation may cause Excel to return the ‘file could not open in protected view’ error. So, try repairing your Office installation and check if it solves the problem.

• Open the Control Panel and click the Uninstall a program option under Programs.
• Click Uninstall a program under the Programs tab.
• Right-click the Microsoft Office program you have installed and click the Change button.
• Select the Repair option and click Continue.

Once the repair operation is complete, check if you can open the Excel file without any issue.

Workaround 3 – Install Latest MS Office Updates

Several Excel users have reported about experiencing issues (such as the Protected View issue) on opening an Office document like Excel, Word, or others – after upgrading Windows to a newer version. This problem may occur due to incompatibility between the Office app and the updated Windows version. You can try to fix the problem by upgrading the Office app, and here’s how:

• Click on the File tab in the Excel file that throws an error.
• Click the Account tab at the left-hand bottom of the screen.
• From Office Updates, expand Update Options, and then click Update Now.

After installing the updates, restart your PC and open the Excel file. If this doesn’t work, use the following workaround.

Workaround 4 – Convert the File and Rename It

Some Excel users resolved the ‘Protected view’ issue by renaming their Excel files. But before that, ensure that the file you are trying to open is saved with .xlsx format. If the file type is .xls, you need to convert it to .xlsx format and then rename it. Before converting the file, save a copy of the original file in the desired location.

If the file type is .xlsx, copy the problematic file. Next, open a blank Excel document and paste the copied file. The file will appear as an icon, double-click on it. If it opens without any error, save it with a different name. Hopefully, reaming the Excel file may help resolve the problem.

Conclusion

There is no fixed solution to resolve the Excel error ‘The file could not open in Protected View’. However, the workarounds discussed in the blog have helped users resolve the ‘Protected View’ issue. Make sure to use the workarounds in the same order as explained in the blog.

If you’re having an issue loading the Excel file data due to the ‘Protected View’ error, consider restoring the data using an Excel file repair tool .