What is ‘The file couldn’t open in protected view’ error in Excel in Windows 10/11?
In this article, we are going to discuss on How to fix The file couldn’t open in protected view error, The file couldn’t open in protected view excel in Windows 10. You are provided with easy steps/methods to resolve the issue.
‘The file couldn’t open in protected view’ error Excel:
MS Excel or Excel is a spreadsheet designed & developed by Microsoft for Windows OS, macOS, Android and iOS. It features calculation or computation capabilities, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Excel forms part of Microsoft Office Suite of software. Excel includes a feature named Protected View that opens a file in read-only mode while disabling the editing functions.
An Excel file opens in Protected View if the file is from an unsafe location. For example, the file may be opened from an insecure internet connection or downloaded as Outlook attachment from suspicious senders. In that case, your Excel application won’t allow you to open the file to protect it against malware or viruses attacks. Sometimes, this feature in Excel prevents an Excel file from opening even if the is from safe location and on that time you may see the error message saying ‘The file couldn’t open in protected view’.
This issue can be resolved by closing all opened Excel files and close the application, and then re-open the problematic file, and check if it works for you. The possible reasons behind the issue can be the issue with Excel file itself, issue with Protect view Settings in Excel, malware or viruses infections in computer and other issues. It is possible to fix the issue with our instructions. Let’s go for the solution.
How to fix The file couldn’t open in protected view error Excel in Windows 10/11?
Method 1: Fix The file couldn’t open in protected view excel on Windows PC with ‘PC Repair Tool’
‘PC Repair Tool’ is easy steps & methods to find and fix BSOD errors, DLL errors, EXE errors, problems with programs/applications, malware or viruses infections in computer, system files or registry issues, and other system issues with just few clicks.
Method 2: Disable Protected view settings
One possible way to fix the issue is to disable Protected View settings. Before doing this, you should ensure you have reliable antivirus software or PC Repair Tool installed in computer to safeguard files against malware. To disable Protected View settings, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Excel file that is throwing error, and click ‘File’ menu and click ‘Options’ tab
Step 2: In the opened Options dialog box, go to ‘Trust Center’ and click ‘Trust Center Settings’
Step 3: From Trust Center Settings dialog box, select ‘Protected View’ tab
Step 4: Uncheck the appropriate option under ‘Protected View’ section, and hit ‘Ok’ to apply the changes. For example, you can uncheck ‘Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments’ option if the file is a downloaded Outlook attachment, and hit ‘Ok’
Step 5: Hit ‘Ok’ button again and then retry open the problematic Excel file and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 3: Repair Office Installation
Another way to fix the issue is to repair MS Office installation in computer in order to fix corruption in Office suite.
Step 1: Open ‘Control Panel’ app in Windows PC via Windows Search Box and go to ‘Uninstall a Program > Programs & Features’
Step 2: Find and right-click ‘Office Suite’ installation, and select ‘Change’ and select ‘Repair’ option, and follow on-screen instructions to finish repairing. Once done, restart your computer and then reopen problematic Excel file, and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 4: Install latest MS Office suite updates
Update MS Office suite to latest version can resolve the issue.
Step 1: Open a MS Office application like Excel or Word, and click ‘File’ menu and select ‘Accounts > Office Updates’ and click ‘Update Now’
Step 2: This will automatically install the available updates and once updated, restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 5: Convert file and rename it
Another way to fix the issue is to convert the problematic excel file and then rename it. You should ensure that the file you are trying open is saved with .xlsx format. If the file type is .xls, you need to convert it to .xlsx format and then rename it. Before doing this, you should save the copy of original file in a desired location.
Conclusion
I am sure this article helped you on How to fix The file couldn’t open in protected view error, The file couldn’t open in protected view excel in Windows 10 with easy ways. You can read & follow our instructions to do so. That’s all. For any suggestions or queries, please write on comment box below.
