Can’t open Excel files with Windows Explorer

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For the last few months, I’ve had this weird problem with Excel 2010. I’m using Win 7

I can open a single Excel file using Windows Explorer, But sometimes, if I try to open a second file with Explorer, it won’t open. Just ignores me. Sometimes I can open the file. But then I can’t open more files with Explorer.

But I can always open more files by going into Excel and going to File>Open or File>Recent and navigating to the file from there.

It’s an inconvenience, since navigation is easier with Explorer. Anyone have any ideas?

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Try going to Options > Advanced > General and see if “ignore other applications that use DDE” is checked.
If so, uncheck and see if that resolves the issue.

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xelaw,

If you are in the midst of editing a cell where the cursor is still blinking in the cell then attempt to open a new workbook, Excel will not open it until you have finished editing that cell. It will also have the same effect if you have a dialogue box, message box, or a form open in the current workbook. Could this be your issue?

Maud

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Kweaver and Maudibe, thanks for the advice, but I’m afraid there’s no cigar.
Kweaver – “ignore other applications that use DDE” is unchecked.
Maudibe – I don’t try to open a new file while in the middle of editing.
The problem persists (as I said previously, sometimes, maybe 70% of the time, but not always).
Anyone have any other ideas?

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xelaw,

If you are in the midst of editing a cell where the cursor is still blinking in the cell then attempt to open a new workbook, Excel will not open it until you have finished editing that cell. It will also have the same effect if you have a dialogue box, message box, or a form open in the current workbook. Could this be your issue?

Maud

Further to Maud’s suggestion, you might not be editing but there might well be a dialogue box etc open behind the main window (I’ve seen this happen but not recently). Have you tried minimising the Excel window just to be sure there is nothing behind it. I know this is grasping at straws but best to eliminate as much as possible.

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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rory – no I don’t

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It’s possible that this tip could help http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/microsoft-office/open-multiple-word-files-all-at-the-same-time/

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Sudo15, thanks, but what the writer recommends in the link is exactly how I found I can open up additional Excel files. I would rather open up the additional files using Windows Explorer (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t) because it’s more convenient.
Why it doesn’t always work, and when it does work is a mystery. Also, until a few months ago, opening files with Explorer always worked.
Are there any other suggestions?

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Were they opening in a new instance of Excel when they opened before or without another window opening ?

If you want them to open in separate windows, say for comparison – MS has a Fixit for that http://blogs.msdn.com/b/robmar/archive/2012/08/13/always-open-excel-files-in-separate-windows-in-windows-7.aspx

Which options are you given to “Open with” when you right click on any of the Excel files ?

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I have to admit that I don’t understand what you mean.
Whenever I open another Excel file. it always opens in a new window, and that’s the way Excel has always worked for me. I don’t understand how it could open in the same window – replace the previously opened Excel file?
I want to work with a number of Excel files open simultaneously.

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I have to admit that I don’t understand what you mean.
Whenever I open another Excel file. it always opens in a new window, and that’s the way Excel has always worked for me. I don’t understand how it could open in the same window – replace the previously opened Excel file?
I want to work with a number of Excel files open simultaneously.

Just to expand on this idea.

When you open two Excel files, they usually open as two windows inside one instance of Excel. If you minimize the worksheets, you will see one background of Excel but two windows inside Excel, one for each worksheet.

However sometimes if Excel is occupied with some task keeping it too busy, a second instance of Excel will open with the new worksheet. Most of the time you may not notice any effect of this except when you try to run any functions that reference the worksheet running in the other instance of Excel. At that point Excel will tell you that it doesn’t recognize a target outside the instance of Excel you are working in.

I am not quite sure how this relates to your problem but if you were always opening multiple instances of Excel in the past but now Excel is refusing to run as multiple instances…

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access-mdb – thanks for your suggestion, but I grasped at your straw and it eluded me. Nothing behind the Excel window except the desktop.
But keep those suggestions coming!

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Do you have the file preview showing in Explorer? That can cause issues.

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Have you tried open several files in excel at the same time (vs one at a time)? in explorer tag (ctrl, left click) three or four excel files and then right click on one of the tagged files, then click open. All those tagged files should open the excel program and display all of those tagged files.

Or, click on Microsoft Office in your start, all programs, click on Microsoft Tools, and Microsoft Office Diagnostics.

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edmcguirk – thanks for the explanation, but it hasn’t solved my problem.

Wiley – I tried your suggestion. Results are not unambiguous. Sometimes one file opens, sometimes all 4 fires open, sometimes just 2 files open. I’m left no wiser.
Also, I can;t find “Microsoft Office Diagnostics” anywhere on my computer.

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MS Office Diagnostics has been removed from Office 2010 but you can go into Programs and Features, right click on your version of Office 2010 and select Change where you can select Repair – Continue.

If that doesn’t do it then you could be looking at an Office uninstall/reinstall.

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we presume here that your MS Office is up to date. you’ve downloaded and installed all updates, correct?
your system is defragged and you reboot periodically?

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Where do I find “Programs and Features”
Yes, Office is up to date, and I reboot once a day.
I think a an Office reinstall is kind of extreme.

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Hi

..what type of Excel files are you trying to open via Windows Explorer?
Are they password-protected files?
Are they .xlsm or .xlsb files?
Are they ‘big’ files or ‘small’ files?

Rory said that Windows Preview pane settings can cause problems (which is indeed true), and the default setting for Windows7 is to
[ ]Show preview handles in preview pane
..i.e. this checkbox is normally ‘ticked’.
So you have this option unchecked, as you said previously?

zeddy

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To navigate to Programs and Features – click on Start Orb – type appwiz.cpl and press enter or type programs and where you will see Programs and Features highlighted then press enter.

It can also be found in All Control Panel Items where you click on it.

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zeddy – they are xsl or xslx files. I would call them medium size.

Sudo15 – I found “Programs and Features.” Didn’t realize its where you uninstall programs. But I’m not going to change or repair MS Office. The problem is not bad enough to take a leap into the unknown.

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Are you sure you are double clicking on the file? ……….just kidding!

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As I understand the issue, the process of double-clicking a file in Windows Explorer [file management] opens/calls the program that created it, can read it or is set as the Default program listed on the right-click context menu and the Open with item. I just checked my Excel 2010 and double-clicking two different files in Windows Explorer does open two copies of Excel, see two stacked icons on the Taskbar, one behind the other and just barely visible on one side.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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I recently spend almost 2 weeks figuring out why Excel couldn’t open certain spreadsheets, recently saved normally. It turns out that the file name in this location caused some spreadsheets to have a file name that is too long for Office (64 character limit for the complete file name including the folder tree names). Once I moved it to a place with a shorter total file name length, it worked fine. Unfortunately, when you just click on an existing spreadsheet name in Excel’s recent files or from File Explorer, it doesn’t tell you anything useful as to why the file can’t be opened.

Another detail – I first created the spreadsheet on my desktop, and then moved it to a folder with a very long total file name. Thus, it would open from my desktop but not in its final folder, due to excessive file name length.

I hope this provides some help in your situation, but it seems like it must be something else. Hopefully this file name length requirement will be helpful to someone!

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ws1122 – thank you, but as you say, that’s not my problem. As I stated in my first post, I can open any of the files I’m working with by going to “Recent” or “Open” in Excel, but nor from Windows Explorer.
But yours is a good reminder of what can happen in some cases.

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When you do a ‘File-Open’ from within Excel, it will default to browse in your ‘current’ folder. You may also have network drives assigned (which can ‘shorten’ the full filename spec), so this is NOT the same as clicking a file within Windows Explorer.

zeddy

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Well this just shows how rubbish MS are at fixing bugs, because I have a three month old version of the latest Office suite, and I am getting this problem in February 2021. I am NOT going to start fiddling about with the Registry as some other sites have suggested. Too dangerous. Honestly… the best answer is, ‘don’t waste any more time on it. MS haven’t.’

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I would recommend starting a new thread, not an ancient post like this.

What version of Windows?

What version of Excel?

Click to run?

Let’s see if we can get to the bottom of the issue as I don’t have any issues here opening Excel files from explorer.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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If you have multiple versions of Excel on your computer, double-clicking an Excel file in Windows Explorer will open that file in whatever Excel you are currently using.

If you don’t have Excel currently running, the Excel version that was last-installed will be opened, and then the double-clicked file will be loaded into that version.

zeddy

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Hi Zeddy,
That is NOT what happens with my Excel. (It works as you describe with other programs, but not Excel any more).
i.e.
1. WORD: clicking on 2 DOC files, opens them both in the SAME instance of Word (perfect !!)
clicking on 2 Word files, opens them both in the SAME instance of Word
2. EXCEL: clicking on 2 XLS files, opens them both in DIFFERENT instances of Excel

It always used to work perfectly. Any ideas!

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