6 Ways to Fix Microsoft Teams Can Not Open Files on Windows

Quick Tips

• A corrupt cache might also corrupt downloaded files.
• Use an alternate app to open the Excel file.
• You can also upload Excel files to Google Drive and open them in Sheets.

Fix 1. Force Quit Teams and Try Again

You can force quit Teams on Windows, open it again, and try loading the received files. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows key and open the Task Manager from the menu.

Step 2: Select Microsoft Teams on the list and hit End task in the top right corner.

Step 3: Open Teams and see if the files are loading. 

Fix 2. Change Default Apps

Many have complained about issues with open Excel files in Microsoft Teams. If you are among them, change the default apps on Windows 11.

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Choose Apps from the left sidebar and select Default apps from the right pane.

Step 3: Scroll to Microsoft Excel by searching, and ensure Excel is set to open all the file types on your computer.

Fix 3. Download the File Again

Did you download several files from Microsoft Teams on Windows? If you face an issue opening or loading a specific file on Windows, try downloading it again.

Fix 4. Use a Third-Party App to Open a File

Sometimes, you may need a third-party app to open a specific file. If your computer doesn’t support certain file types, install relevant third-party apps to access the content. For example, the default video player on Windows doesn’t support MKV files. You need to use the VLC Media player to play your received video.  

Fix 5. Clear Teams Cache

Microsoft Teams collects cache in the background to improve app performance. When the app collects a corrupt cache, you may encounter issues such as Teams not opening, loading files, screen share not working, and more. It’s time to clear the cache and remove all the Microsoft Teams issues on your Windows.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams and hit Enter.

Step 2: It opens the File Explorer with all the Microsoft Teams cache files. Select all the folders.

Step 3: Right-click on folders and move them to Bin.

Try opening Microsoft Teams and start opening the files you received. You may need to sign in again and notice a sluggish performance as the app is collecting cache from scratch.  

Fix 6. Update Microsoft Teams

An outdated Microsoft Teams app may give you trouble with loading or opening files on Windows. It’s time to update Microsoft Teams to the latest version.

Step 1: Launch Teams and click the three horizontal dots menu at the top-right corner.

Step 2: Select Check for updates.

Step 3. Download and install the latest Teams build on your PC.