Forum Discussion
Welcome to the Excel Community
Title:
.xlsm files fail to open with “file or extension not valid” + Excel reports file is opened in another application
Body:
Hello,
I am experiencing a persistent issue where any .xlsm file (including brand‑new test files created locally) fails to open in Excel. Instead, I receive one of the following messages:
“Le fichier ou l’extension n’est pas valide”
“/TEST.xlsm est ouvert dans une autre application. Veuillez fermer ce fichier et réessayer.”
The second message sometimes includes a OneDrive‑style URL:
https://d.docs.live.net//.../TEST.xlsm
However, even after unlinking OneDrive, pausing sync, and moving the file to a fully local folder, the error persists.
The file does not open at all—Excel shows the warning and stops.
What I have already tried:
OneDrive / Sync
Unlinked OneDrive from the PC
Paused sync
Stopped OneDrive completely
Moved files outside all OneDrive folders (confirmed local paths)
Deleted OfficeFileCache and WEF folders
Cleared %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache
Excel Trust Center
Disabled all Protected View options
Ensured macro setting is “Désactiver les macros avec notification”
Opened the Paramètres de blocage des fichiers page
Verified file‑blocking settings and default behaviors
Registry checks
Checked the following keys and they contain correct values:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel\Security
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Security
Excel resets
Deleted %appdata%\Microsoft\Excel
Restarted PC
Ran excel /safe (same issue)
Ran excel /regserver