The File Couldn't Open in Protected View on Excel: Solved

Excel protected view cannot open a file? Try these solutions!

Excel's protected view feature is designed to enhance security, but sometimes it prevents you from accessing secure files and displays the error message "File cannot be opened in protected view." Don't worry, this article provides multiple solutions.

Method 1: Disable Excel protected view

Disabling protected views resolves this error. However, be sure to make sure that you have reliable antivirus software installed on your computer, as disabling this feature can pose a security risk.

Step 1: Open an Excel file and click the "File" tab.

Step 2: Select "Options" at the bottom of the window.

Step 3: Switch to the Trust Center tab and click Trust Center Settings in the right pane.

Step 4: Select Protected View in the left sidebar. Uncheck all options under the Protected Views section.

Step 5: Click OK to save and apply the changes.

Try to open the problematic Excel file again. If it still fails to open, try the following method.

Method 2: Unblock Excel files

If an Excel file you downloaded from a website or transferred from another computer cannot be opened, it may have been blocked to protect your computer. If you are sure that its source is reliable, you can unblock the file.

Step 1: Right-click the problematic Excel file and select Properties from the context menu.

Step 2: Under the General tab, check the Unblock option in the Security section.

Step 3: Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the changes.

Method 3: Disable hardware acceleration

If the "File Cannot Open in Protected View" error occurs because the file contains attachments in Outlook, you can try disabling hardware acceleration to resolve this issue.

Step 1: Open an Excel file and click "File" > "Options" to open the settings window.

Step 2: Go to the Advanced tab and scroll down to find the Show section.

Step 3: Select “Disable Hardware Graphic Acceleration”.

Step 4: Click OK to apply the changes.

Method 4: Update Microsoft Office

Try updating Microsoft Office to the latest version to fix errors and issues.

Step 1: Open an Excel file on a computer and navigate to File > Accounts.

Step 2: Select "Update Options" in the right pane and click "Update Now".

Your computer will search and update to the latest version of Microsoft Office.

Method 5: Fix Microsoft Office

You may also receive this error message if your Microsoft Office installation is corrupted. You can fix the corrupt Office installation to try to resolve this issue.

Step 1: Enter Control Panel in the Windows search bar and press Enter to open the window.

Step 2: Under Programs, select Uninstall Programs.

Step 3: Locate Microsoft Office from the list, right-click it and select Change.

Step 4: Select "Online Repair" in the prompt window, and then click "Repair" to fix the problem.

Extra tip: How to recover lost Excel files

If your Excel file is lost from your computer or disappears after saving, you can check the Recycle Bin and recover deleted files (if found). If you have cleared the Recycle Bin or there are no files in the file, you should seek help from a third-party data recovery tool such as MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

Summarize

This article describes how to repair protected views in Excel and how to recover deleted Excel files on your computer. Hopefully this article provides you with some useful information to solve the problem.

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