Fixed: Can’t Open MS Excel Because it is Damaged Or Incomplete

Trying hard to open your Excel document on the Mac device? But each time when you tries to do so getting the same error message: Can’t Open MS Excel Because it is Damaged Or Incomplete?

If you too dealing  with the same “You Can’t Open The Application Microsoft Excel Because It Maybe Damaged Or Incomplete” error then you are landed on the right page.

As today in this post, I am going to share some surefire ways to fix Damaged or Incomplete Installation of Microsoft Excel issue.

Before moving on, let’s just know what are the causes behind Microsoft Excel Won’t Open on Mac error.

Common Causes Behind Damaged or Incomplete Installation of Microsoft Excel

After thoroughly reviewing the problem reports, I list out some of the common causes behind this issue. So read them and follow the troubleshoot solution according to it:

  • Outdated MS Excel App: You face this problem if you miss any essential Updates of your MS Excel application Or your update your MAC OS and your MS EXcel is not compatible with it then also you may face this problem.
  • Corrupt Excel Cache: MS Excel also uses Cache data to Pace up like other applications. If in case your Cache folder gets corrupted, then also you can lead to an issue.
  • Outdated macOS of Your System: It can also happen due to your MAC OS being outdated. Outdated OS can face numerous issues Damaged or Incomplete Installation of MS Excel is one of them.

Now you know the causes, so without wasting your time let’s move on to the Troubleshoot solutions.

The recommended Solution To Repair Damaged or Incomplete Installation of Excel File 

Mostly this type of corrupted & Damaged and cannot be opened in Excel issue raises when the problem is with your Excel sheet.

To fix corrupt excel files, I recommend you to use the powerful MS Excel Repair ToolThis professional tool can fix both .xlsx and .xls files and restore all the data without any single modification.

* Free version of the product only previews recoverable data.

With its powerful and unique feature, it can scan multiple corrupted Excel files and fix them in one go. Not only that it can also recover charts, worksheet properties, cell comments, and other data.

You just need to install it on your MAC or Windows PC and the rest of the work will be done by this tool only.

Steps to Utilize MS Excel Repair Tool:

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How To Fix “You Can’t Open The Application ‘Microsoft Excel’ Because It Maybe Damaged Or Incomplete” On MAC?

Here are the Most effective fixes that you must try to fix damaged or incomplete installation Excel worksheets.

  1. Unlock The File
  2. Update MS Excel Application
  3. Update Your MAC OS
  4. Clear Corrupted Cache Of The MS Excel
  5. Copy MS Excel App To The App Folder 
  6. Turn OFF The Protected View Option
  7. Reinstall MS Excel Application

Solution 1. Unlock The File

If you are encountering the error message “the file is damaged cannot be opened” while you trying to open some of the Excel files on your PC. So, follow the instruction to unlock the file.

  • First, find the file that you want to open, then right-click on it.
  • Now select the properties option.
  • Then you will see a general tab, Under this click on the check box next to Unlock
  • After that, click the Apply button and then click the OK button to confirm the changes you made.

Solution 2: Update MS Excel Application

If you are using an outdated MS excel application on your MAC PC, then you may encounter this issue. So, follow the below-given instruction to update your MS Excel to its latest version:

  • First, open the Ms Excel Application on your Mac.

Ms Excel Application

  • At the top of the screen, you can see the Help option so click on it.

Excel Help button

  • Now click on the Check for Update option.

Check for Update option

  • Select the radio button next to the Automatically to Download and Install the latest version of Excel on your MAC pc automatically.

Automatically to Download and Install

  • After the click on the check for update option. If the update is available, it will be downloaded and installed on your PC.

 check for update option

After installing the latest version of MS Excel on your MAC, restart your PC and then check if this “Excel for Mac won’t open” problem is solved or not.

If you don’t want to go through the manual solution or you don’t get the update check option in your MS Excel workbook, please navigate to Microsoft’s official website to update Excel for MAC.

Solution 3: Update Your MAC OS

Sometimes due to an outdated operating system, you may face numerous problems. So if you are having trouble with your Excel file, it may be due to outdated MAC operating systems. 

In this solution, I suggest you check if your MAC is up to date or not, if it is not then update your MAC OS with its latest update. Follow the below-given steps to update your MAC:

  • First click on the Apple menu 
  • Now, click on the System preferences.
  • After that, you will get a Software Update option, so click on it.

Update Your MAC OS

  • If you have any latest updates available, then click on it to update your MAC OS. 

Solution 4: Clear Corrupted Cache Of The MS Excel

In this solution, I recommend that check and Clare the corrupted MS Excel cache. The corrupted cache is one of the main reasons why you may encounter this problem.

So, follow the below-given instruction to fix this problem:

  • Click on mac’s Finder and then go to the Library folder. If it doesn’t show up then right-click on the empty area, after that select show library folder.
  • Then move the following folders to your Mac according to their macOS version.
  • Lastly, restart your Mac and check if it’s working properly.

Solution 5: Copy MS Excel App To The App Folder 

Copy the Microsoft Excel application to the Application folder can also fix your problem. Follow the instruction to do so:

  • Launch the Applications folder on your Mac and see if the Microsoft excel app is present in it.
  • If it’s not present then launch the spotlight by clicking on the search menu or by pressing Command+Space Bar.
  • Then in the search box search, for Microsoft excel application and if you find it then drag and drop the application file to the Applications folder. Most importantly you should have only one excel installed in your Mac.
  • Lastly, install the Microsoft excel application and check if it is clear of the issue my excel won’t open as it’s saying damaged or incomplete.

Solution 6: Turn OFF The Protected View Option

In this solution, I suggest you Disable the protected view, many excel user fix their problem by turning off the protected view option. However, turning off the “protected view” is a little risky for your PC, because it completely exposes your System that is not safe for your PC.

It is better to make a separate copy or backup of the Excel workbook and then perform the below-given instructions carefully:

  • First, open Microsoft Excel on your PC and then navigate to the File option.

Update Your MAC OS

  • After that, click on Options, and then click on Trust Center, below this, click on Trust Center Settings option.

Trust Center Settings

  • Now, click on the Protected View option 

Protected View option 

  • Here, you have to untick all the boxes and then click on the OK button to conform to the changes.

Turn OFF The Protected View Option

 

Once it is done, restart your Microsoft Excel application and check whether the error still exists or not. If in case, you face the same problem then move on to the next solution.

Solution 7: Reinstall MS Excel Application

If all the above solutions do not work for you, I suggest you uninstall the MS Excel application and then reinstall it.

Reinstalling the application can fix all the problems because it gives the application a fresh start. So here I mention the steps to reinstall the MS Excel application on MAC.

  • Launch applications folder on your Mac and Ctrl-click on Microsoft excel.
  • Then select Move to Bin and then head on to the library folder. If the library folder is not present then right-click on the empty area and then select Show View Options.

Reinstall MS Excel Application

  • Then delete files and folders related to excel.
  • After it’s being deleted restart, your Mac.
  • Then after that click on Install Package under the latest release.

After reinstalling MS Excel, I hope your damaged or incomplete installation Excel worksheets Problem is completely solved.

Conclusion:

So, this is all about You can’t open the Application Microsoft Excel because it may be Damaged or Incomplete.

Follow all the solutions one by one and check which one works best for you. If in case you don’t want to use this manual solution, then you can use Excel Repair Tool to repair damaged or incomplete installation MS Excel without any hassle.

Other than this, if you find this article helpful, please like it and share this post with your friends. If you have any questions or queries related to this topic, then do share with us on our official Facebook and Twitter page

Good Luck!!!



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Priyanka is an entrepreneur & content marketing expert. She writes tech blogs and has expertise in MS Office, Excel, and other tech subjects. Her distinctive art of presenting tech information in the easy-to-understand language is very impressive. When not writing, she loves unplanned travels.