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?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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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
    2016-05-06T16:32:09+00:00

    Thank you all so much for your patience while we work on this issue. The Excel team has a fix in the works for this problem:

    When you try to open an .XLS or .XLSX file in Excel 2016, it does not recognize it as an Excel file and open it. Excel may not appear in the list of applications to choose from.

    While we are working on a fix we hope to release soon, in the meantime you can do a Quick Repair of Excel and this usually fixes the problem. Please refer to the instructions on how to do a Quick Repairfor your operating system.

    Please let us know if the problem persists after repairing Excel. We will let you know when the fix is released.

    Freya

    Office Newsroom

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-05-10T04:53:48+00:00

    no, it does not. i have win 10 64 bit pro and office 365 for biz. i installed the ms office suite (64 bit) and in general all works well, only the xls(x) files are not open by excel, docx are not open by word, etc.

    typically, the system pretends excel is not installed, if i find it and try manually connect the xlsx... etc. files to excel.exe, after the restart all is wrong again. to me it seems there is some bug that does not allow the system to write the applications into the register. can you fix this, please - quickly?

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-05-10T17:34:48+00:00

    Well the repair did NOT work for me.  Also in my particular instance all was ok on my computer before I put in the "March 2016" updates.  In the first place it would NOT install the updates on my computer and then I was told to re-install the whole Office 365 Pro package fresh and I did but then that is when this problem has happened to me.  I was able to MANUALLY set all the other office programs to open the default file extensions but Excel is the only one left that actually shows the Excel icon in File Explorer and still bugs me saying that Excel is not the default and to go set it, but Excel does not show up in the list to set.

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