How to make Excel 2016 the default app to open xls and xlsx data files

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!! Finally overcame this PITA issue, no thanks to MS. Thinking about moving to Mars and never coming back after this ordeal.

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dshields13 said:

I really appreciate your help, but I keep getting the pop-up that sends me to the app store

Sorry about that. I forgot about app store lookup for files that cannot be opened. That's because on my machine I set it not to look up apps in the store so instead it offers to allow the user to browse for a program that's installed on the PC (or needs to be installed)

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dshields13 said:

Thanks for the info but unfortunately when I double click NOTHING happens

Have you tried this brute force setting in Control Panel where you set Excel as the default program for EVERYTHING it is capable of opening ?

TO: whoever it was that made the comment about opening Excel then opening the Task Manager to be able to see where Excel 2016 was residing...................thank you! That was such an elegant solution which allowed me to fix the Excel 2016 not wanting to acknowledge the .xls extension problem. I was pulling my hair out, like the other people on this thread trying to associate an extension to a program that just wasn't showing up in the lists like it should. Once I knew where Excel was, then I could find it through the 'browse your computer', just like you said.

Anyway, I just joined the forum to tell you thanks....you helped me that much. I'm an accountant who just converted to Win 10 and Excel 2016 so this was a REALLY BIG DEAL.

Hey for any future searchers out there, also try a quick repair of Office. Control panel -> Programs and Features ->Select your Office version -> Go to Change -> Quick repair. This fixed the issue for me without having to set each file type individually.