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

Anonymous

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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

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

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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470 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-12-09T20:16:55+00:00

This is messed up for sure, i had same issue windows 10 and office 2016, fortunately found this link......
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Anonymous

2015-12-10T03:09:15+00:00

You are most welcome. Glad that helped. I don't understand either why Microsoft did not see and discover what so many of us have seen and discovered after 1 minute of installation of Office 2016. In fact, EVERY COMPUTER this was done on had the SAME EXACT behavior. The update from Office 2013 to 2016 breaks the file association, in my case, EVERY TIME (and looks like for many others too). Not sure how this was not caught. Strange.
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Anonymous

2015-12-11T13:50:16+00:00

Wow... this is a new low for Microsoft.

I tried hard to buy my new laptop with Windows 7 installed... sadly, that wasn't possible. Now I struggle with Windows 10.

I, too, struggled with .xls - and they're all work files, I must add. My team at work use different computers with different Excel versions (all newer than 2013, thankfully) - and although this has brought all kind of clashes, not being able to open a file is the first one.

I am a subscriber to Office 365, and like everyone else here, missed my link association to .xls with the new office update.

As a looong Windows user, I didn't worry at first - it's quite easy to remake the file association. Uh-oh, it's Windows 10, but shouldn't be difficult - in a few minutes I made 3 different attempts. All failed. Great. (I.e. - in File Explorer, select Open With and looked for Excel - not on the list; open Excel and select manually to open this file - opens, but does change file association; open Settings and try to redo the association from there - no Excel on list).

After a while I finally found where Excel 2016 was installed and was able to manually re-associate the files. But really, I'd expect this kind of bug to be corrected quite faster.
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