Excel 2016 - Unable to open Excel file from desktop icon or in other document management system software

Anonymous
2015-10-03T22:12:56+00:00

After recently upgrading my Office 2013 version to Office 2016 (as part of my Office 365 subscription through GoDaddy), I have discovered that I can no longer open an Excel document simply by clicking on an Excel file icon on my desktop, in another window, or from a document management software system.

I have to first start Excel and then search for the file to open it from there.  Even then, there seems to be no consistency as to whether or not the workbook will open.

If I click on say an Excel created document's desktop icon without Excel 2016 already being open, then the program starts up, but all that I get is a blank Excel screen without any open workbook.

I tried going through the Answer Desk and they could not resolve the problem.   Of course they tried to sell me the Assurance plan, however I had been there before and I never received any solid support from that plan.  Therefore I am hoping to get some assistance here.

My laptop is Windows 7 Pro, fully up to date with all Windows updates.

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2017-01-23T14:37:35+00:00

To ALL,

I had the same situation after upgrading office 2007 to office 2016 where I could no longer open an Excel document by double click an Excel file icon on the desktop. I did not have any issues with the rest of the Office 2016 apps. 

I followed the fist method stated above to repair the Office 2016 installation:

1. Open Control Panel and click on Programs and Features icon.

2. Now click on Microsoft Office entry present in the list and click on "Change" button.

3. Now select "Repair" option and click on "Continue" button.

My issue was resolved and now I can open Excel files.

Thanks!!

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Anonymous
2015-10-06T12:45:54+00:00

Hi Boca & Prabhavathi,

I am facing the same situation like you after i upgraded office 2007 to office 2016. I can no longer open an Excel document by double click an Excel file icon on the desktop. It only happen to excel 2016, other office 2016 application like word 2016, powerpoint 2016, etc do not have such problem.

I had tried to repair the Office 2016 installation with the help of following steps:

1. Open Control Panel and click on Programs and Features icon.

2. Now click on Microsoft Office entry present in the list and click on "Change" button.

3. Now select "Repair" option and click on "Continue" button.

It did not help in resolve the problem.

Besides that, i tried to resolve the issue by follow the another solution method.

1. Open the Microsoft Office program and open its Options window. Click on Office ORB or FILE menu present in the ribbon and then click on Options.

2. Now go to Advanced tab and scroll down to bottom. You'll find "Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)" option present in General section.

3. Make sure its unchecked. If its enabled in your system, disable it by unchecking the checkbox.

4. Apply changes and restart Office program.

Unfortunately, it does not work too.

Still look forward to hear reply from any advance troubleshooter.

Thank you.

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-10-04T04:01:39+00:00

    Hi Boca,

    Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for posting your query.

    We understand how you feel about the situation. We're sorry for the trouble this has caused.

    A quick question before we proceed.

    Is the issue specific to Excel 2016 files? What happens with other Office 2016 applications like Word, OneNote etc.?

    Let us repair the Office 2016 installation and check if it helps.

    Refer to the following link for more information on how to repair Office 2016/365.

    http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/project-help/repair-or-remove-office-HA010357402.aspx

    Note: Steps in the above article applies to Office 2016 also.

    Hope it helps. Try the suggestions and let us know the result at your earliest convenience.

    Thank you.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-10-21T05:59:22+00:00

    My Windows 10 and Office 365 worked fine until I decided to uninstall my old Office 2007 - bad move! I'm now experiencing same problem with all Excel shortcuts or even Windows Explorer not opening files.

    I thus tried the "quick repair" option via Control Panel and now all back to normal. Problem solved.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-10-07T12:40:09+00:00

    Hi Steve@M,

    Glad to hear your problem resolved based on the method provided. For my case, I'm still finding a resolution. Unfortunately, so far don't have.

    Looking forward someone can advise me how to solve my problem.

    Thank you.

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