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Guided support can provide digital solutions for Office problems |
When you try to open an Excel workbook, a Word document, or a PowerPoint presentation with Excel, Word, or PowerPoint, the following errors might occur:
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The file doesn’t open in the expected app. For example, an Excel workbook doesn’t open in Excel 2019; instead, it opens in another app or an older version of Excel.
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An error indicating a file-association problem. For example, you might get an error similar to “This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. please install a program or if one is already installed create an associate in the default programs control panel." -or- “This action is only valid for products that are currently installed.”
Note: If you've tried to open an Excel workbook but instead Excel only opens a blank screen, see: Excel 2016 opens to a blank screen.
Run a Quick Repair to fix the file association problem
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Select the Start button.
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Type and choose "Control Panel."
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Choose Programs > Programs and Features.
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Next, select the Office product you want to repair and then choose Change.
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Choose the Quick Repair option and then choose Repair.
For more information about the repair option in Office, see Repair an Office application.
If that doesn't resolve the issue, try manually associating the files to the correct app.
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Select the Start button.
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Type and choose "Control Panel."
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Select Programs > Default Programs (if you don't see Default Programs, type it into the search box at the top right corner of the window and select Enter).
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Under Set a default for a file type or link type, enter the file type, and choose a default.
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Select OK.
Tip: You might want to repeat this process for the other Office apps while you're here.
If you have multiple versions of Office
Consider uninstalling the versions you don't need. To do that:
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Select the Start button.
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Type and choose "Control Panel."
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Choose Uninstall a program and select the version of Office you want to remove.
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Select Uninstall.
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Restart your computer.
Having too many versions of Office on your computer can cause issues, including files opening in the wrong version of Office.
Tip: In some cases, you'll get your best result by uninstalling ALL versions of Office, then reinstalling just the version you want.
If all else fails
You should still be able to open your file by opening the app first, then opening the file from there. To do that:
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Start the program needed to access your document: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
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When the program opens, select File > Open, find your file in the file navigator and open it.
Still have a question about Office?
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