Recommendations offered:
Uncheck "Ignore DDE" option
1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. Click the File tab and select Options from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Advanced, then locate the General section.
4. Uncheck the box next to Ignore other applications that use DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange).
5. Click OK.
Disable hardware graphics acceleration in Excel
Sometimes, Excel has issues opening an Excel file and displaying the data due to hardware acceleration for the graphics card in the computer. You can disable the hardware graphics acceleration in Excel by following the steps below.
1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. Click the File tab and select Options from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Advanced, then locate the Display section.
4. Check the box next to Disable hardware graphics acceleration.
5. Click OK.
Reset Excel file associations
Windows 10
1. Open the Start menu and select the Settings option.
2. Click on the System icon.
3. Click on the Default apps option on the left side, then click on the Reset button on the bottom right side.
Tips
The above steps will reset the default file associations for Microsoft applications. If you want to select/change file associations manually, in place of step #3 above, select the Choose default apps by file type option on the bottom right. You can then associate Microsoft Excel to the various Excel file types (e.g., .xlsx, .xlsm, etc.)
Windows 8
1. On the Start screen, type Control Panel and open the Control Panel.
2. Click on the Default Programs option, then click on the Set your default programs option.
3. Select Excel and click the Choose default for this program option.
4. In the Set Program Associations window, select the Select All option and click the Save button.
Windows Vista and 7
1. Open the Start menu and click on the Control Panel option.
2. Click on the Default Programs icon, then click on the Set your default programs option.
3. Select Excel in the Programs list on the left side, then click on the Choose defaults for this program option at the bottom.
4. In the Set Program Associations window, click the check box for Select All and click the Save button.
You can also select a file type association specifically for Excel worksheets only by following the steps below.
1. Open the Start menu and click on the Control Panel option.
2. Click on the Default Programs icon, then click on the Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program option.
3. In the Set Associations window, under the Description column, find and select the entry for Microsoft Excel Worksheet. Click the Change program button at the top-right.
4. In the Open with window, under the Recommended Programs section, select the Excel option (might be named "Excel (desktop)" or similar) and click the OK button.
Tip
You may want to perform the steps above for the Excel 97-2003 Worksheet file type as well.
Repair Microsoft Office
The Microsoft Office application, and specifically the Excel application, may not be functioning properly, requiring you to repair it. To repair Microsoft Office, follow these steps.
1. Open the Control Panel in Windows.
2. Click on the Programs and Features option.
3. Select the Microsoft Office option in the programs list, then click the Repair option above the programs list.
Note
For the Microsoft Office 365, you need to click the Change option above the programs list, select the Online Repair option on the next screen, then select the Repair option.
4. If prompted, click the Continue option or button.
Allow at least several minutes for the repair process to complete. There should be a small window with a progress bar to show you the repair status.