Excel - problem with opening files

Deleted
Not applicable
I have a problem opening Excel files. APPVLP suddenly started showing up as the default program. Opening the file from Excel - Open File - and selecting the file from the list works, but double-clicking on a specific file from any location opens a blank window.
I tried:
- clean registries with CC Cleaner
- manually change the default program to Excel (displays a message that the current software is not configured to handle this type of file)
- I repaired Office from Applications - Modify (fast and online version)
- I uninstalled Office and installed it again.
None of the above actions brought any results. Please help.
22 Replies

@Deletedsame problem here with many PC´s on my work

I´ll try all and nothing works, looks like some update broke the program...

@Deleted 

 

When I double click on the Excel Icon, I get the message "Error: The operating system is not presently configured to run this application."   

 

When I right-click on the Excel icon and choose the file I want to open I get: "The item you selected is unavailable. It might have been moved, renamed or removed.  Do You want to remove it from the list?" 

 

When I double click on the file I want to open in Excel, Excel opens up empty, but I can then select it from the Recent Workbooks list.

 

I suspect that the 9/17/2023 Update for Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64-based System broke something.  I am running Windows Home 10 and Office 15.0.5589.1001

 

 

 

@Deleted I have the exact same situation with 3 workstations which were using Office 2013, I've had to manually point .Xlsx and .Xls to Excel rather than APPVLP. But even still  once this step was done, I would get "Operating system is not currently configured to run this application". 

 

I could open Excel, on its own and then point it to the right file, that worked fine BUT,  attempting to open a shortcut or an attachment gave me the above mentioned error message.

 

Running Windows 10 and 11 workstations, all had a recently installed updates from the 13th of Sept: 

KB5030219

KB5031217

KB4023057

 

 

Chiming in here to report same experience. FWIW I'm using a Win10 machine with local copy of Office 2013. (Old unsupported product works fine for my light duty personal stuff thus no need to subscribe to 365. Yet...) Discovered this problem today (9/19/23), no issues yesterday. First inkling was my shortcuts to frequently used Excel files (protected and not) opened Excel but the file didn't continue to open. New shortcuts didn't work (all say open with appvlp vs. Excel program). Tried various ways to open files from file directory and by using Recent Workbooks on Excel; some methods worked, others just opened Excel only. Hit and miss.

Clearly something changed my settings/software within the past 24hrs. No viruses detected, everything that can be updated is updated.

I supposedly have copy of Office 2013 on my MS account, so theoretically I should be able to uninstall and reinstall a fresh copy. However, until MS or the crowd determines what caused this hiccup, that fresh copy stands to get changed, too, putting me right where I am today.

So, I'm all ears here...
You need to disable the auto update function in office and downgrade it to a lower version with this command:
For Office 2013 32bit
"%programfiles%\Microsoft Office 15\ClientX86\officec2rclient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=15.0.5571.1000
For Office 2013 64bit
"%programfiles%\Microsoft Office 15\ClientX64\officec2rclient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=15.0.5571.1000

@JHKW1 

Unfortunately, reinstalling MS Office does not work. It must be something operational, system and update related :(

@Deleted 

 

There is a fix, I've tried it myself on 2 workstations without any issues:

 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1372446/office-the-operating-system-is-not-presently-confi?page=1#answers

 

Look for the post from: Krzysztof Nikołajczuk

Hey @Deleted this is good advice (TY @Jfugere !). I reverted to 1000 and all my issues were resolved. Now we hope MS will recognize the flaw in 1001 and push out a subsequent update so we can resume Office updates.

FWIW, you can also look on the same thread under Jaison Jose for a condensed set of instructions.
Thanks guys, everything works now, phew :)
I had similar problem. I restored my PC to the earlier available point (when this issue was not there) and it was resolved.
You need to block the auto update function in Office 2013. The last version is the problem
Have done so and also created a fresh latest new restore point.

The successful workaround solution was previously posted in this thread by several contributors. Thanks to all for the great help!

 

Followup question...

​So, MS announced End of Support for Office 2013 effective 4/11/2023 (https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/end-of-support-for-office-2013-90e4b0d1-098f-4656-b6e7-8b...) Note that page says "You'll no longer receive Office 2013 software updates from Microsoft Update.​" And yet in mid-September 2013, the v1001 update pushed. And now I see that there have been updates every month since April. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-2013?redirectSourcePath=%252fa...)

These continuing MS updates seem contrary to the 'End of Support' notice. What am I missing here? If this is no longer supported, can anyone explain why these MS Office 2013 updates were still being pushed as recently as this month?

More importantly, advice on where do we go from here? It now seems the v1001 update was buggy. So, were a v1002 update to become available, would it (or any other updates that follow) be trustworthy? Or, is it better to just keep Office updates turned off and stick with tried and true v1000 hereafter?

@JHKW1I don't understand either, I recently discovered that repair updates have been coming out for years. Here at the company where I work, most machines have this version of office.
Reverting update works momentarily, could it possibly be a conflicting Windows update?

Thanks. Hoping someone out there can help us understand whether best practice is to allow future updates or stand pat with 1000.

Not sure what you meant by 'momentarily'. As for me, I a) stopped Office updates, b) reverted to 1000 using steps/advice provided by others on this thread, and c) have been using 1000 and am keeping Office updates off until further notice. I've allowed and since have received Windows updates that have not negatively impacted my Office or anything else. So, at least so far, I'm not experiencing any symptoms of conflicts. Hope this helps!

@Xavio2000 

 

The solution you posted worked for me.  The first time too!   Thank you!

Я уже неделю пытаюсь победить эту проблему! Но, прочитав отзывы по такой же проблеме что и у меня, я понимаю, что это бесполезно. У меня вопрос к разработчикам: "Когда же Excel заработает нормально??!!! Когда появится обновление с устранением этого казуса???????"
after the last Windows 10 update I noticed my licensed Office 2013 apps won't run either with the error message "not configured to run this application". The simple fix is to right-click and Run As Administrator

@anthonymaw I had the same issue. No data when I opened my EXCEL 2013. Seems a bit devious that the support for 2013 ends in 2023 (10 years) and then an update renders the 2013 version unworkable at the same time. Was this a devised plan by MS to get everyone to convert to MS365 ??

Anyway--I used the "open with" options and found a program called "Open XLXS PLus" in the Microsoft store--so I assume it is a MS program. I am now using that program and it works fine--just a few adjustments to learn how some of the buttons are a bit different, but the functions are the same.

My only concern is whether my EXCEL files in this new program will convert back to EXCEL 2013 when a permanent fix is found (I am assuming MS might provide a fix, if enough people complain). Does anyone know anything about that "Open XLXS PLus" program?--thanks