by Alexander Frolov, updated on
Quick tip: learn how to access a corrupt xls. file in Excel
Usually when upgrading you expect nothing but improvements. So it can be really disappointing when after moving to Excel 2010 you have no chance to access your .xls file created in the application version 2003 and earlier. You understand what I'm talking about if you ever encountered "The file is corrupt and cannot be opened" error in Excel 2010 and later. Still think you can't open it? Actually you can!
Try the following steps to see how your precious .xls data appear in Excel 2010 and later:
Note. For safety reasons, you should save your document with new Office format like .xlsx. You can do it this way: File > Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center settings -> Protected View.
Check all the options again under Protected View, click OK and restart Excel.
This will set the security options back. Sure, you don't want to open any file unsafely.
That's it. Hope it will work for you and your documents :).
Thanks and see you!
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