FIX: Excel 2016 Won’t Open XLS Files

Learn why Excel 2016 won’t open XLS files in Windows in this guide. There are also several approaches and workarounds for resolving the problem and opening older XLS spreadsheets with Excel 2016 or later versions.

Open XLS files from MS Excel

Open any MS Excel file.

Click on the File tab and select Open.

Choose Browse.

Locate the XLS file that won’t open and select it.

Click Open. This should open the XLS file.

Manually open the XLS file

Right-click on the.xls file that won’t open.

Click on Open with and select More apps.

Scroll down and select Look for another app on this PC.

Navigate to C: Program Files > Microsoft Office > root > Office 15 or 16 > EXCEL.EXE

Select the EXCEL.EXE file and click Open.

Change your Trust Center Settings

Open any Excel file.

Click the File tab and select Options.

Choose Trust Center and go to Trust Center Settings.

Select Protective View and uncheck all options under Protective View.

Click OK and restart your MS Excel app.