Encrypted Excel File Modified in Other Office Software Cannot Be Opened in Microsoft Excel

Question

Hello Everyone,

I encrypted an Excel file using Microsoft Excel's built-in password protection. Later, I opened and modified the file in WPS Office(another Office software). After saving the file in WPS, it can no longer be opened in Microsoft Excel. Excel displays an error stating that the file cannot be repaired because it is encrypted.

I’ve tried using the "Open and Repair" feature in Excel and third-party repair tools, but nothing has worked. The file contains important data, so I need help recovering it or extracting the information.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi @Bohan Wang

WPS may not correctly support or be compatible with Excel's encryption method when saving files, which results in the structure of the encrypted file being destroyed and Excel unable to correctly parse the file.

Can this file continue to be opened in WPS?

If yes, I suggest you cancel the encryption for a test. You may also save this file as a .csv or .xml file.

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