You receive an error message when you attempt to open an Part document

  • Article
  • v minutes to read
  • Applies to:
    Role Products, Admission 2010, Microsoft Role Admission 2007

Symptoms

When you lot try to open a file in whatever Microsoft Office program that'due south listed in the "Applies to" department, you receive one of the following error letters:

Filename is not valid.

The file could not be accessed.

The path yous entered, ' filename ', is likewise long. Enter a shorter path.

filename could not be found. Bank check the spelling of the filename, and verify that the file location is correct.

A DDE error has occurred, and a clarification of the error cannot be displayed because it is too long. If the filename or path is long, effort renaming the file or copying it to a different folder.

Screenshot of the error message.

Note

This issue occurs when you open up a file from a mapped drive, a UNC path, or a URL (web address).

Crusade

This upshot occurs because of a grapheme limit on creating and saving files in Office products. This issue occurs if the path of the file that you open or salvage meets the following condition:

  • Microsoft Discussion, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Access: The total length of the path and the file name, including file name extension, exceeds 259 characters.

  • Microsoft Excel: The total length of the path and the file proper noun, including file name extension, exceeds 218 characters.

Annotation

This limit includes the 3 characters that represent the drive, the characters in binder names, backslash characters between folder names, and the characters in the file name itself.

Workaround

To work around this issue, try any of the post-obit workarounds.

Workaround 1: Reduce the grapheme count

  • Rename the file and then that it has a shorter proper name.
  • Rename one or more folders that contain the file so that they have shorter names.
  • Motion the file to a folder that has a shorter path name.

Workaround ii: Manually admission, open, and repair

  1. Start Discussion, Excel, or PowerPoint.

  2. On the File tab, select Open > Scan to locate the damaged file.

    Screenshot of opening a dialog box.

  3. Select the file, select the Open menu at the lesser of the window, and then select Open up and Repair.

    Screenshot of the Open and Repair option.

This option repairs the harm to the file, and so opens the file. After you repair the document, workbook, or presentation, it'due south important to verify that the result has been resolved successfully. To do this, begin working on the file, and make sure that everything is working as expected.

Workaround three: Modify file format and resave

You might be able to rescue a damaged file by resaving it in a different file format, then reverting it to the original format. This example uses Word.

Step i: Save the file to another format

  1. Commencement Word.

  2. On the File menu, select Open, and then locate and open up the damaged file.

  3. On the File menu, select Save as > Scan.

  4. Navigate to the file location that y'all want to salvage in.

  5. On the Save as type list, select the desired file format. For example, select Rich Text Format (*rtf).

    Screenshot of the Save As option.

  6. Select Save, and so select File > Close.

Step 2: Resave the file every bit a Word document

  1. Select File > Open.

  2. Select the new file that'southward saved as a Rich Text File, and so select Open.

  3. Select File > Save as.

  4. On the Salvage as blazon list, select Word Document.

  5. Rename the file, and so select Salvage.

    Screenshot of the Save a Copy option.

You lot take to do this just i fourth dimension to brand sure that the certificate volition now role correctly on your device. Even so, keep in mind that past saving the file every bit a new document, you are creating a different file. To avoid confusion, name the new file something distinctive, and archive or delete the damaged version. By doing this, you lot won't accidentally re-open the original file that hasn't been reformatted.

Workaround 4: Open up unrecognized file format

If y'all tin can rule out file corruption as the culprit, check for file associations and unrecognized file formats. Sometimes, a file won't open on your device because the device that the file was created on used software that your device doesn't have.

For example, in Word, you want to view a PDF file that'due south fastened to an electronic mail bulletin. However, you lot don't have a PDF viewer installed. Therefore, your device doesn't know what program to open to view the file. In this instance, y'all tin change the format of the file to match a program that you practice have installed.

  1. Save the attachment to your computer. To do this, select the down arrow next to the attachment in the bulletin, select Salve as, navigate to the desired location, and then select Salve.

  2. On the File menu, select Open > Scan to locate the file.

  3. Correct-click the file, bespeak to Open up with, so select a different program to open the file.

  4. If the desired program is non on the list, select "Choose another app" to locate a dissimilar program.

    Annotation

    If this works, and yous would like the selected plan to e'er open up this blazon of file, select the Always utilise this app to open .docx files (for instance) cheque box. Screenshot of the Always use this app to open .docx files checkbox.

For more information about file formats and how to manage them, see Larn almost file formats.

Workaround 5: Articulate some deejay space

You might not be able to open a new file or save a file to your device if y'all're running out of infinite on the hd. On a full deejay, much of the space is existence used up by temporary, duplicate, and unnecessary items. The fastest and easiest method to gratis up space on a hard disk is to utilise the Disk Cleanup app that's included in Windows.

  1. Select Search, and type Disk Cleanup.

  2. In the results listing, select Disk Cleanup.

    Screenshot of Disk Cleanup.

  3. A dialog box opens and provides options to delete unnecessary files. Select the bank check box next to each category of items that you want to delete from your device, then select OK. Everything in this list tin be deleted safely.

    Screenshot of Disk Cleanup for Local Disk (C:).

  4. When you are prompted, ostend that you lot want to permanently delete the unnecessary files.

    Screenshot of the Delete Files option.

The following files types are examples of removable items that you might encounter in the Disk Cleanup list:

  • Windows Update: Recent files that were downloaded from Windows Update (selecting these does not remove currently installed update versions)
  • Downloaded Program Files: Unnecessary plan files, often related to the program installation
  • Temporary Net Files: Files saved automatically by spider web browsers when you visit websites
  • Windows Error Reporting: Error reporting files that are created by the arrangement
  • Recycle Bin: Any files that are stored in the Recycle Bin that you lot have not manually deleted
  • Temporary files: Other temporary files that are created by programs or web browsers
  • User file history: Files that record your browsing history (websites that you accessed, search results, and so on)

More information

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