8 Solutions for the 'File is Corrupted and Cannot be Opened' Error!

I Urgently Need to Solve the File is Corrupt and Cannot be Opened Problem

"Due to work-related reasons, I have to travel frequently and use my laptop to organize the information I need for work. However, this afternoon, when I tried to open an Excel file, I received an error message that the file was corrupt and cannot be opened. This problem was so sudden because I was able to open it normally until yesterday. I've tried restarting the computer but it didn't do anything. Can anyone tell me exactly how to fix it? I'm really anxious because this file contains very important data".

When you use the new version of Microsoft Office to open the old version of Office files or open Microsoft Office email attachments in Microsoft Outlook, you may have 'the file is corrupt and cannot be opened' problem described in the above case. From the feedback of many users, this problem is mostly found in Excel and Word files, which will seriously affect your work and life. To solve this trouble as soon as possible, we suggest you understand the cause of this problem first, so as to solve it better.

Why The File is Corrupt and Cannot be Opened?

If you are not sure what causes the file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Excel Office 365, you can refer to the following common causes.

• File is damaged
• Microsoft Office settings are incorrect
• File is locked
• Internet connection interrupted when downloading Word files
• Change the Word file to another format and then convert it to the original format again
• Microsoft Office is not installed correctly or updated to a higher version
• File location change
• Unexpected power outage causes sudden closure of files
• The Word file suddenly closed
• Word files have viruses

How to Solve the File is Corrupted and Cannot be Opened

As mentioned above, the file is corrupt and cannot be opened problem will cause you a lot of trouble in your work. So, how can you solve it? Please try the following 8 methods.

• Repair corrupted files manually
• Disable the protected view
• Add a new trusted location
• Modify the file extension
• Unblocked the file
• Modify component service settings
• Scan and remove viruses from the files
• Repair Microsoft Office applications manually

Method 1. Repair Corrupted Files Manually

When you work with Microsoft Excel or Word, if it detects a corrupted file, it will automatically start the file recovery mode and repair the corrupted file. However, at some point, the file recovery mode will not automatically start and you will need to repair the corrupted file manually to resolve the 'file is corrupt and cannot be opened' issue.

Step 1. Open Microsoft Word and tap the File on the far left of the top taskbar.

Step 2. Select Open in the left menu and tap Browse.

Step 3. Find and select the file you want to repair, click the arrow next to the Open button in the lower right corner, and select Open and Repair in the expanded menu.

Wait for the file repair to complete and see if it opens successfully, if it still does not open, go to the next method.

Method 2. Disable the Protected View

When you upgrade Microsoft Office, some of the default settings for Excel will change. If the protected view is changed, it may cause the problem 'Excel cannot open the file corrupted', so you need to disable this feature. Note that disabling Protected View may expose your computer to security threats, so it is recommended that you turn this feature on immediately after trying it, whether or not it solves the problem.

Step 1. Open Microsoft Excel and click on File on the far left of the top column, then click on Options in the left menu.

Step 2. On the left side of the Options window, switch to the Trust Center tab, and in the right panel, click Trust Center Settings.

Step 3. Switch to the Protected View tab in the left panel, uncheck the checkboxes of all options in the right panel, and tap the OK button.

Restart Microsoft Excel and try to open the problem file again to see if it opens successfully.

Method 3. Add a New Trusted Location

In addition to disabling the protected view, you can also resolve the 'File is corrupt and cannot be opened Excel' problem by adding a file in a trusted location.

Step 1. Open Microsoft Excel or Word, and click File > Options.

Step 2. Go to the Trust Center tab and click Trust Center Settings in the right panel.

Step 3. Switch to the Trusted Locations tab in the left panel and tap the Add new location button in the right panel.

Step 4. In the Microsoft Office Trusted Locations window, first, click the Browse button to select the problematic file, then check the Subfolders of this location are also trusted checkbox, and then click the OK button.

Method 4. Modify the File Extension

If you still can't open the file after trying the above methods, then you can try to change the file extension to solve the 'File is corrupt and cannot be opened' problem, here it is recommended to use the command prompt to change it.

Step 1. Use Windows+S to open the search box, type cmd, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type and execute the disk number containing the corrupted file. For example, if the corrupted file is on the local disk (D:), you can simply type d: and press Enter.

Step 3. Then type ren old _filename.extension new_filename.extension and press Enter to execute the command. You need to replace old _filename.extension with the current file and its extension, and then replace new_filename.extension with the file and the extension you want to modify.

Method 5. Unblock the File

If this file is locked, then it may also cause the 'File is corrupt and cannot be opened' problem. In this case, you need to unblock the file to resolve the above issue.

Step 1. Find the problematic profile, right-click on it, and select Properties from the expanded menu.

Step 2. Switch to the General tab in the properties window, and in the Security section at the bottom, check the Unblock checkbox and tap the OK button.

Method 6. Modify Component Service Settings

From the feedback of some users, changing the component service settings can also solve the problem of 'File is corrupt and cannot be opened', so it is a worthwhile method to try anyway.

Step 1. Use Windows+R to open the Execute window, type dcomcnfg, and press Enter.

Step 2. In the left panel of the Component Services window, navigate to Component Services > Computers > My Computer.

Step 3. Right-click My Computer, select Properties in the expanded menu, and switch to the Default Properties tab.

Step 4. Check the Enable distributed COM on this computer checkbox and set the Default Authentication Level to Connect and the Default Impersonation Level to Identify and tap the OK button.

Method 7. Scan and Remove Viruses from Files

If there is a virus in the file, it may also cause the 'File is corrupt and cannot be opened' problem. Therefore, we need to scan and remove the virus from the file with third-party anti-virus software or Windows Defender.

Step 1. Use Windows+S to open the search box, type Windows Security and press Enter.

Step 2. In the Windows Security window, click on the Virus ＆ threat protection option.

Step 3. First, choose Custom scan and click on the Scan now button.

Step 4. Find the folder you want to scan, tap on it to select it, and wait for the process to complete. If you find a virus, remove it, if not, go to the next method.

Method 8. Repair Microsoft Office Applications Manually

If all the above methods fail to solve the 'File is corrupt and cannot be opened' problem, there is most likely a problem with the Microsoft Office application itself, and you can repair the application manually to solve the problem.

Step 1. Use Windows+R to open the Execute window, type control, and press Enter.

Step 2. Tap Programs > Programs and Features, and in the Uninstall or change a program list, select Microsoft Office.

Step 3. Right-click on it and select Change in the expanded menu.

Step 4. Please select Quick Repair or Online Repair according to your own needs and click on the Repair button and wait for this process to complete.

Create File Backup for Quick Restore the Corrupted Files

You should be reminded that all solutions mentioned in this article are not permanent and file corruption may still occur, so it is recommended that you use AOMEI Backupper Standard to make a file backup so that you can quickly restore your corrupted files if you encounter similar problems again.

AOMEI Backupper Standard allows you to create file backup images in Windows 11/10/8.1/8/8/7 for free to save the work files that you consider important to any location you want, such as cloud, local disk, NAS devices, etc. You can also backup files to AOMEI Cloud if you have an AOMEI account.

If you have never used AOMEI Backupper Standard before, please read the graphic tutorial in detail to make sure you can back up your files properly. In any case, you should first download and install the software.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper Standard and select Backup > File Backup.

Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder, then select the files or folders that you want to backup.

Step 3. Click the inverted triangle at the right edge of the second bar and choose a destination location.

Step 4. Confirm all your operations and click Start Backup.

Notes:✎...

Options: It allows you to compress or split an image file and enable email notification.

Schedule Backup: You can set up scheduled backups of your files to automatically back up your files on a Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger and USB plug in. The Event trigger and USB plug in require an upgrade to the Pro version.

Backup Scheme: You can choose different backup methods to run your backup tasks, including Full Backup, Incremental Backup and Differential Backup. The last two methods can promote backup efficiency to save target location space. And you can upgrade now to AOMEI Backupper Professional (5% off for one computer) to enjoy them.

Summary

When you are frustrated with the 'file is corrupt and cannot be opened' problem, you can use the 8 methods listed in the article to solve the problem so that you can get your work back on track as soon as possible. However, we must remind you that no method can guarantee that similar problems will not occur again, so it is recommended that you use AOMEI Backupper Standard to backup your files to quickly restore corrupted files when you encounter similar problems again.

Besides, this software also provides System Backup, Disk Backup, and Partition Backup functions to protect your data in all aspects. You can download this software to explore more useful features.