Fix The File Is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened & Recover Data

You may receive the “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened” error message due to various reasons, ranging from protection settings to incompatibility between different Microsoft Office versions. If you are troubled by this problem as well, keep reading to try the following solutions.

Solution 1: Disable Protected View Settings

Protected View safeguards your computer from malicious attacks when opening files. But it may also be the cause of the Excel file is corrupted and cannot be opened error. You can work with the steps below to try to fix this problem.

Step 1: Open an Excel file on your computer and choose Files at the top toolbar.

Step 2: Select Options and head to Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.

Step 3: In the following window, select the Protected View tab and uncheck the three options under the Protected View section.

Step 4: Click OK to save changes.

If you receive the error message in Word, you can follow the same steps to disable the Protected View settings.

Solution 2: Modify Component Services Settings

Though the error message informs you the file is corrupted, in most instances, this error is triggered by the settings of your computer or Microsoft Office. Sometimes, a minor alteration in the Component Services Settings can also cause this problem. Here are the steps to reset the Component Services Settings.

Step 1: Press Win + R to open the Run window.

Step 2: Type dcomcnfg into the box and hit Enter to open Component Services.

Step 3: Navigate to Component Services > Computers > My Computer.

Step 4: Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties from the context menu.

Step 5: In the following window, change to the Default Properties tab. You need to select Connect of Default Authentication Level and Identify of Default Impersonation Level.

Step 6: Click OK to save changes. Then, you can reopen the problematic Excel or Word file to see if the problem is resolved. If not, try the next method.

Solution 3: Use Open and Repair Features

Microsoft Office has a wonderful feature, Open and Repair, to help you repair corrupted files. You can complete the repair process within a few steps.

Step 1: Open an Excel file and choose the File option.

Step 2: Select Open on the left sidebar and choose Browse to find and choose the problematic Excel file.

Step 3: Click the downward arrow button beside the Open choice and choose Open and Repair from the dropdown menu.

Step 4: In the prompt window, click Repair. If after this operation you still meet the “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened” error, you need to repeat steps 1-3 and click Extract Data in the notification window.

Recover Lost Excel/Word Files When The File Is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened

If the problem still exists after you try all the above methods, you can try to recover the original files to avoid data loss due to this problem. You can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery to find the original files. This read-only file recovery software causes no damage to your data; thus, you can use it with confidence.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is specifically designed to recover files in various data loss scenarios. Additionally, you can run this software to restore types of files from different devices, including USB drives, SD cards, hard drives., and more. For more powerful functions to improve data recovery efficiency, you can get MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free by clicking the download button below. The free edition allows you to perform a deep scan and recover 1GB of files without any charge.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

How to Recover Deleted Excel Files in Windows and Mac Easily

Do you know how to recover deleted excel files in Windows and Mac? In this post, we show you multiple solutions that are based on different situations.

Read More

Final Words

You should know how to fix the file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Excel after reading this post. When receiving The file is corrupted and cannot be opened error, keep calm and try the above methods. Hope this post provides you with useful information in time.