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
    2016-07-11T13:55:25+00:00

    Hello! Thank you all so much for your patience while we worked on this issue. The Excel team has released a fix 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. This is caused by uninstalling Office and it removes the file associations.

    This released fix should solve any issues that could also be fixed by the Quick Repair. If your issue is not solved by downloading the latest release of Excel, or by doing a Quick Repair, we are still working on other solutions.

    Freya

    Office Newsroom

    I've received three responses to my problem post, all of which point to this post.  Unfortunately, I have to say that Excel 2016 is already shown as the default app for .xls and .xlsx files.  And I installed the latest (I hope) release of Offfice 365 pro.  As I said earlier, my Surface, which has the same levels of Windows 10 and Office 365 Pro installed, works just like in the good old days.  As I mentioned before, I have to trick Excel by creating a new .xlsx file with the name of the file I want to open, then moving the one I want to open in to replace the pseudo file.  Dumb Excel then has logged the file name in its own overworked memory and opens it.   All this in the year of our Lord 2016.  If we keep up at this pace, we'll be back in the dark ages.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-07-11T14:20:54+00:00

    The fix has been here released about a month ago.

    1. Reset your PC and insure that NO OTHER APPS ARE STARTED (especially any of the office apps)
    2. Open up 1 office app, WORD as an example.
    3. Top left hand corner, click on File
    4. On the left pane, click on Account
    5. On the right, click on Update Options
    6. Click on Update now
    7. This takes a LONG time.
    8. At some point, a dialogue box will come instructing you to shut down Word to continue the update - do it - OR you can shut down Word immediately after you start the upgrade process (but let the upgrade process continue
    9. HANDS OFF YOUR KEYBOARD. Do not do ANYTHING when the update is going. Interrupting it is NOT good
    10. It will be done several minutes later (again, this is a LONG process - with 32 Gig of RAM and an EXTREMELY fast machine with SSD, mine took 20+ minutes)
    11. When it is done, the dialogue box would go away
    12. Reset your PC
    13. Problems are solved (at least they were solved for me after near 1 year struggle)

    Please know that we are a community. We do not get paid for this. We just relate our own personal experiences, and what has worked for us, to help others. Hope your experience is better going forward.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-07-11T14:53:39+00:00

    The fix has been here released about a month ago.

    1. Reset your PC and insure that NO OTHER APPS ARE STARTED (especially any of the office apps)
    2. Open up 1 office app, WORD as an example.
    3. Top left hand corner, click on File
    4. On the left pane, click on Account
    5. On the right, click on Update Options
    6. Click on Update now
    7. This takes a LONG time.
    8. At some point, a dialogue box will come instructing you to shut down Word to continue the update - do it - OR you can shut down Word immediately after you start the upgrade process (but let the upgrade process continue
    9. HANDS OFF YOUR KEYBOARD. Do not do ANYTHING when the update is going. Interrupting it is NOT good
    10. It will be done several minutes later (again, this is a LONG process - with 32 Gig of RAM and an EXTREMELY fast machine with SSD, mine took 20+ minutes)
    11. When it is done, the dialogue box would go away
    12. Reset your PC
    13. Problems are solved (at least they were solved for me after near 1 year struggle)

    Please know that we are a community. We do not get paid for this. We just relate our own personal experiences, and what has worked for us, to help others. Hope your experience is better going forward.

    Thanks for the response.  However:  I did as you instructed, but when I clicked on "Update Options", I got the response that my system was completely up to date.  I clicked on Update Now, and got no response.  So none of the steps from #6 on appeared.

    And as regards your closing paragraph, please know that I know and agree that the responders are all volunteers and are working to help the rest of us.  I'm not complaining about the help, only about the fact that MS hasn't located and fixed the problem yet (for me).  I'm a developer (in my small world) also, and know what they are going through.  But a year later?....

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