SharePoint offers a brilliant range of tools for sharing and managing documents. You can share a document with internal or external users, sort documents into folders, edit file information directly within SharePoint, and delete them as well. You can even sync SharePoint and run a parallel between both your online storage bank and your PC.
However, some users have reported an area in which SharePoint refuses to open a file or document. The error states “sorry, we couldn’t open [file name]” and prevents the file from being opened. Microsoft claims that Office 365 is compatible with the most recent browsers and Office versions. But if customers use outdated browsers and Office versions that are no longer supported by Microsoft, Office 365 will experience decreased functionality, which will result in files not being able to open correctly.
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To work with documents, we recommend that you sync your document library with your computer. When you sync, your computer generates a local folder where you may simply open and modify files. Follow the steps below to see how you can fix the SharePoint error “sorry, we couldn’t open [file name]”.
How to fix SharePoint error “sorry, we couldn’t open [file name]”:
- First sign into Office 365.
- Use the
app launcher and navigate to “SharePoint,” and click on it. - In SharePoint go to the Site where your files are located.
- In the menu bar click on “Documents.”
- Click on the specific folder within your document library.
- Choose the file not opening and click on “Download.”
- To open the folder where the file is placed, click “Save” and then “Open folder” in your browser.
- Click “Open With” after right-clicking the file in the desktop folder.
- Select the app that you wish to utilise. If the file hasn’t been assigned yet, a window will appear asking you to do so.
- Check the option that says “Always use this app to open.”
- Finally, Close the programme and double-click the file to verify whether it launches the right application.
Files may often have an unregistered path which prevents them from being opened with any local or online drive such as SharePoint. While SharePoint will try its best to open the local disk folder, it will fail if the registered software has not been assigned properly. This may not be the case with Office-based software such as Word or Excel, however, you can use the steps above to assign a new portal to open and then retry file sync to see if the file opens.
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A corrupt patch causes an error when opening a SharePoint file
If your file no longer opens, it might be corrupt or it may have a compatibility issue. Make sure you try to open the file after you save it to ensure it was saved correctly. If you’re sharing a file with others, be sure they all save their files in the same format. If a spreadsheet is opened as an .xls file, for example, make sure it’s saved as an .xls file.
Prevent SharePoint file corruption
When a file is saved on a USB device that is unplugged while the device is open in Windows, problems with file corruption are common. The Safely Remove Hardware indicator in the Windows taskbar might help you avoid destroying files. Click the up-arrow in the notification box to reveal hidden icons if you don’t see the icon.
The quantity of fresh information in the recovered file is determined by how frequently the recovery file is saved by an Office application. If the recovery file is only saved every 15 minutes, for example, your restored file will not have your last 14 minutes of work before the power outage or other problem. Enter a modest amount in the minute’s box, such as 5 or 10, to be extra safe. You’ll never lose more than 5 or 10 minutes of work this way.
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 Compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and Android. | FROM $6.00 user/month |
Error caused by unsupported file formats in SharePoint
Newer versions of Office provide new features that aren’t accessible in previous versions. Earlier versions can read documents generated by newer versions, while newer versions cannot read documents created by older versions. Excel 2016, for example, saves files in the.xlsx format, but Excel 2003 only reads files in the.xls format. Make sure your users have appropriate versions of Office for documents when sharing files in SharePoint. If you use Microsoft 365, you may use the web link to download the most recent version on your desktop.
How to fix SharePoint error “sorry, we couldn’t open [file name]”
Step by step breakdown:
- First sign into Office 365.
Use your account details or if you have a current Skype account with the Office account in question, you can use this.
- Use the app launcher and navigate to “SharePoint,” and click on it.
You can access the SharePoint application however this is for individuals who only have a SharePoint plan, A larger group of individuals have SharePoint in Office 365.
- In SharePoint go to the Site where your files are located.
In this example, the site above called “Blog Demo” will be used to create the preview.
- In the menu bar click on “Documents.”
A document library is a safe storage location for files that you and your coworkers can quickly locate, collaborate on, and access from any device at any time. For example, a document library on a SharePoint site can be used to hold all materials relevant to a given project or customer.
- Click on the specific folder within your document library, choose the file not opening, and click on “Download.”
In this case, the folder called “Demo folder 1” was used to create the preview.
- To open the folder where the file is placed, click “Save” and then “Open folder” in your browser.
- Click “Open With” after right-clicking the file in the desktop folder.
- Select the app that you wish to utilise. If the file hasn’t been assigned yet, a window will appear asking you to do so.
- Check the option that says “Always use this app to open.”
- Finally, close the programme and double-click the file to verify whether it launches the right application.
That’s it for this Blog thank you for taking time out to read our content, please feel free to email our team about how it went if you followed the steps or if you need more help with the questions we answered in this Blog.