Need to open .xls files with Excel 2016/Win10, default is now Adobe

Anonymous
2015-10-06T15:57:22+00:00
Please check out Office<br> documents don't open in the correct application <br>for the latest information on this topic.

Just installed Win10 and upgraded to Excel 2016. Find I can't open .xls files as default app to open them is now ...Adobe. Excel is not an available option in setting default apps to open .xls files. I got sent to the Store and the app I selected can be set as the default, but when I saved file as .xlsx, Excel balks about opening it. Somehow this doesn't make sense that Excel is not the default for .xls files. Any help here?

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Anonymous
2015-10-06T20:05:58+00:00

Hi Darrell - Windows 10 puts you in control of which of your apps act as the default for file types, so we don't automatically take over the association (I guess you could imagine how much we'd upset a confirmed OpenOffice user if we did :-))

Easiest way to fix this:

Press the Windows key/select the Windows Icon in the start bar

Type "Default" - and search should then suggest: "Default Programs", select it

Wait for the applet to start and then select the "Set your default programs" choice

Find Excel 2016 in the list, select it, and then select "->Set this program as default"

Then sit back and enjoy Excel opening your workbook files!

Apologies for the somewhat long set of instructions, I feel we should award some kind of "dedication above and beyond the expected calls of duty" :-)

Hope this helps...pc

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Anonymous
2017-04-11T20:45:08+00:00

Hello! We've created a "Fix It" tool that may further assist if you're continuing to experiencing problems with file associations. You can learn more and access the tool here: Double-clicking an Office file fails to open it

Freya

Office Newsroom

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-06-02T22:47:43+00:00

    Second, why would we have two "Settings" menus?  Why bother with this?  It is a recurring nightmare from Windows 8.  Windows 10 is still suffering a bit from a personality disorder.  For example, if you go to the "associate a file type or protocol with a specific  program" section as listed in above posts, you get two different results, depending on how you got there.  If you use the cute "App", you are powerless to add a desktop application for the .xlsx extension and are directed to the Windows store to install a new "App", when you already have Office 2016 installed.  If you go through "Control Panel", you have the power to do what needs to be done. (Ah, good ole' Control Panel)

    Thank you Softecnb for pointing out that using the Control Panel gets you a different result than using the "Default Program" App.  Once I knew that, I was able to follow Darrell82666's solution.  Good ole Control Panel indeed.

    I see these posts were over a year ago, and the underlying problem of Excel 2016 not opening xls files still isn't fixed. Would be nice to see this solved.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-02T23:11:13+00:00

    That is indeed fascinating.

    Now how about a solution for people who have the correct file associations, but when we double click on a spreadsheet we get the  profoundly uninformative message "Sorry, something went wrong." No amount of repairing, quick or full, will deal with this.

    Sorry, Microsoft. Something is BS down there. And while you're at it, get rid of that execrable one click install and let me put Office on the partition I want it to be on instead of the one you want it to be on.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-06-06T20:19:14+00:00

    Hi there,

    I'm lost at these steps.  I do not see Excel 2016, so I selected "Look for another app on this PC" but there is no path that matches the path I see when I "Open File Location" from the Excel 2016 icon on the start menu.  

    > In the pop up dialog: if you see "Excel 2016" then select it, otherwise select "More apps", again, if you see "Excel 2016" then select it, otherwise select "Look for another app on this PC"

    > In the file dialog that pops up you need to find your EXCEL.EXE - mine was living in "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16" (I run 64-bit Office) - you can find this quickly by using the Excel 2016 icon in the start menu, selecting More/Open File Location, and then looking at the properties of the icon (lmk if that doesn't make sense to you)

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