Excel file will not open a second time

Question

Excel file will not open a second time

David Upton 0

I am having the problem on a Samsung phone and on one particular excel file.

I open the file and read it - no edits or changes. I close the file and then try and open it again. It doesn't open.

If I copy the file before opening it and open the copy, it opens first time, but not the second. So I have a workaround = make a copy and open the copy.

Other files are unaffected.

This doesn't happen if I try and open the same file on a Samsung tablet.

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1 answer

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Answer 1

John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Independent Advisor

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

Since this happens only with one Excel file and only on the Samsung phone, the file may have something in it that the Excel Android app is not handling correctly after the first open. It could also be a cached copy issue on the phone.

Please try this first:

Open Settings > Apps > Excel > Storage > Clear cache.
Do not clear data unless you are sure your files are saved in OneDrive or backed up.
Then restart the phone and try opening the file again.

If it still happens, try opening the file on the Samsung tablet, then use Save As or Save a copy with a new file name. After that, test the newly saved file on the phone.

To narrow it down, may I ask:

Where is the file stored? OneDrive, phone storage, email attachment, or another app?
Is it an .xlsx file, or an older .xls file?
Does the file contain macros, links, forms, or protected sheets?

David Upton 0 Reputation points

2026-07-01T14:37:47.7533333+00:00

Thanks, but no joy. The file was sent from my pc, along with other files via email to my phone (and tablet). All these files are .xlsx files. This file is password protected, but so is another file from my pc which opens fine. It doesn't contain macros, protected sheets or links (except to other sheets within it). Deleting cache and restarting doesn't help. Interestingly, if I try and open the copy a second time it fails - but if I make a subsequent copy of the 'failed' copy, excel will open it (but not a second time!

Thanks for your answer, but I'll live with my workaround for now.
John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-01T16:10:02.7966667+00:00

I understand your frustration. I noticed you marked my response as not helpful.

Since the same file opens normally on the Samsung tablet, but not a second time on the Samsung phone, this looks more like an Excel Android app issue on that phone rather than a general file problem.

One thing you can try later is to open the file on the PC, then use File > Save As and save it as a completely new workbook with a new name. You can also try temporarily removing the password, save it, then add the password again. After that, email the newly saved file to the phone and test it.

Another option is to upload it to OneDrive and open it from the Excel app directly, instead of opening it from the email attachment. This will help check if the issue is related to the email-downloaded copy.

Since you already have a workaround, I understand leaving it as it is for now. If you decide to test further, I would check whether the issue still happens after updating Excel from the Play Store or reinstalling the Excel app on the phone.

If all is resolved, feel free to mark the answer for this thread. Otherwise, please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
David Upton 0 Reputation points

2026-07-01T19:27:06.9466667+00:00

Thanks for this - I didn't realise I marked it as unhelpful - sorry - because it was helpful but didn't solve the problem.

I had already reloaded excel from Playstore, having deleted it, and renamed the files on the pc as you suggested. I'll let you know if ever find a solution.
John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-01T19:37:59.2533333+00:00

Glad to assist!

Please feel free to post an update if you ever find the cause or a permanent fix. It may also help other users who run into the same Excel for Android issue.

For now, using your copy workaround sounds reasonable.