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Failure for Excel File to open when in a folder

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I have several excel files on my desktop that I open on a regular basis. I moved them into a folder on my desktop but I cant open some of them now, while others are no problem opening. On the ones I cant open I get a message: "Excel couldn't open that file. Rename the file to use a shoarter name or copy it to a different folder with a shorter path." If I move the same file back to my desktop, I can open it easily. Not sure what to do

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don (rep: 1989) Jul 23, '17 at 10:59 am
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my guess is that your path along with the file name is too long.  Perhaps you can MAP the drive or location?  Check into SUBST an old DOS command that you may map local drives - if that is where you are saving it to.

 Also look into changing your default file location in excel....if you always work in a particular folder, you can make it your default.

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Most likely, the error message correctly describes the problem but I disagree with the suggested cure. It isn't a good idea to have folders on your Desktop. Instead, keep the files in a logical directory structure where you can find them even if they are no longer in frequent use.

Create shortcuts on your desktop to be able to open them without browsing. The shortcut will be able to open any file which you can open in its actual location.

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Agree with Queue, but I would also suggest you change the naming convention for your Excel files to make them shorter.

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