XLSX Open File Tool

Pros

• Opens corrupted Excel files
• Works with all versions of Excel

Cons

• One-year license

XLSX Open File Tool is a Windows program that reads Excel files—including corrupted ones.

XLSX Open File Tool is a Windows program that was originally released for Windows 98 and has received updates to support newer OS versions all the way up to Windows 10. At its most basic, XLSX Open File Tool is a file viewer for Excel. It is compatible with all versions of Excel ever released, and it works with practically every file type that Excel supports. This includes XLS, XLSX, XLT and XLTX.

It may be worth mentioning that an Excel viewer may not be as useful to PC users as it was back when this program was originally released. After all, there are powerful online solutions that you can use at no charge to open and even edit most Excel files. Be mindful that XLSX Open File Tool is not an Excel editor and just a viewer with few capabilities beyond presenting premade workbooks and worksheets.

The developer Open File Tool has managed to avoid obscurity with XLSX Open File Tool by shifting emphasis to its recovery capabilities. If you are trying to open an Excel file and it is failing for whatever, then this program may be able to help. It can fix problems with Excel extensions and the like. It also includes a repair wizard that can analyze corrupted Excel files, reclaim noncorrupted portions and provide you a log of what was accomplished.

Even this feature of the app is becoming less useful. The online version of Microsoft Excel is cloud-based, which makes corrupted files less of an issue. Even local versions of Excel can syn with OneDrive and other cloud services. If a file is corrupted, you simply navigate to the last not-corrupted version, and Excel even has a built-in recovery agent that can fix files and recover data.

Be aware that XLSX Open File Tool does not actually fix any portion of Excel files that are truly corrupted. It just edits the file to a state that can be opened and presents you the noncorrupted data. Excel does this too. Are there situations where XLSX Open File Tool performs better? Possibly. The downside, however, is that this is a trial version of the software.

To use the program to recover data actually, you will need to upgrade. The software is a bit pricey for what it is. Additionally, the license is good for one year, after which you have to renew, which many users may find excessive for the kind of program that it is.

Pros

• Opens corrupted Excel files
• Works with all versions of Excel

Cons

• One-year license