Excel xlsx files not opening in Excel 2016

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ads2608
ads2608 Posts: 262 Forumite
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in Techie Stuff
Hi,

My xlsx files are no longer opening in Excel 2016.

When I try to open a file, Excel states that the file can not be found.

I am still able to open xls files though.

I have tried EaseUS to recover my files. I can see the files but you have to pay to retrieve the file using this software.

Does anyone know:
Why Excel can't find the files
If there is any safe free file recovery s/w

Thanks in advance
«1

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  • Le_Kirk
    Le_Kirk Posts: 22,312 Forumite
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    Can you find the files by searching in File Explorer? If so, can you open it/them by double clicking. If you can't find the files, have they been deleted?
  • AndyPix
    AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
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    ^^good post

    Also , if you are already double clicking the files , can you open them by first opening excel and then browsing to them (reverse of the above) ..
    If so then it's just default programs that need setting

    Let us know
  • ads2608
    ads2608 Posts: 262 Forumite
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    The files aren't in file explorer and they haven't been deleted.

    They do show up in my recent items but if I click on them, the file can not be found.
  • debitcardmayhem
    debitcardmayhem Posts: 11,858 Forumite
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    Look here perhaps https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/79490-restore-previous-versions-files-folders-drives-windows-10-a.html
    🍺 😎 Still grumpy, and No, Cloudflare I am NOT a robot 🤖BUT my responses are now out of my control they are posted via ChatGPT or the latest AI
  • unforeseen
    unforeseen Posts: 7,283 Forumite
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    ads2608 wrote: »
    The files aren't in file explorer and they haven't been deleted.

    They do show up in my recent items but if I click on them, the file can not be found.

    If they aren't in file explorer in the locations that they are supposed to be then they have been deleted. The other option is that the extension has been changed to a non Excel one.

    The reason that they are still in recent documents is because that is just a history of the files that you have opened. It doesn't mean the files still exist.
  • Carrot007
    Carrot007 Posts: 4,534 Forumite
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    Or you may have accidently dropped a folder into another so they are not where they were. Try a full search in explorer to find them.
  • Le_Kirk
    Le_Kirk Posts: 22,312 Forumite
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    Carrot007 wrote: »
    Or you may have accidently dropped a folder into another so they are not where they were. Try a full search in explorer to find them.
    Good shout, I often do this (accidentally) as my mouse (it's never me) wants to pick up a folder rather than hit the scroll bar.

    If they have been accidentally deleted, check the recycle bin.
  • dunroving
    dunroving Posts: 1,881 Forumite
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    I sometimes hit this issue ("recent documents") when I have renamed the file or as someone else suggested, I moved it to a different folder (or renamed the folder).
    (Nearly) dunroving
  • Le_Kirk
    Le_Kirk Posts: 22,312 Forumite
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    dunroving wrote: »
    I sometimes hit this issue ("recent documents") when I have renamed the file or as someone else suggested, I moved it to a different folder (or renamed the folder).
    ............ which is why the OP has been advised just to search from top level either by using a known file name or *.xlsx
  • ads2608
    ads2608 Posts: 262 Forumite
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    edited 9 October 2017 at 6:38PM
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    The files are nowhere to be seen when I search for them. All of the xlsx files have gone missing from my documents folder. (They are not in my recycle bin either).

    I can see them when I use EaseUS, just can't retrieve them due to have to purchase the software.

    I should have said in the beginning I was trying to open them from "recent documents" as that was the only place I could find them.
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