Setting CALC as default program for .XLS files in Windows 8.1

[Nemo2000]

According to Windows 8.1 on my PC the default programme for .XLS files is ‘unknown program’. However, if I click on a .XLS file it tries to open it with a Windows App which fails.
If I right-click on the file and select Open With…the list of options identifies LibreOffice Calc as already being the default program, but if I click on that option it tries to use the Windows App again
If I use the ‘Default Programs’ option of Control Panel to try to set the default program, it lists LibreOffice 4.2 - but if I then select that for .XLS files is says ‘unknown program’!

If I open LibreOffice and use Calc to open the file, then it is fine, but it is a long-winded approach when I want to be able to just click on the filename in File Explorer and go straight in. Any idea how to force Windows to change programme please?

PS: No problem with .DOC files - click the filename and Writer opens!

[JimQuinn]

I am having this same problem with Windows 10. I had it with LO 4.x so loaded LibreOffice 5.0.1.2 and still have the same issue with .xls and .xlsx. This prevents me from receiving .xls and .xlsx attachments in emails. On another computer that has OpenOffice, when I updated it to Windows 10 I did not have this type of issues. The default program is properly set to OpenOffice Calc.

[黄智壯]

Right-click → Open With is the way to go, but perhaps LibreOffice Calc in the list of options is points to the wrong location.

Try this: (note, I am using Windows 7, not 8, so you may not be able to follow my directions precisely.)

Right-click -> Open With ...

1. In the Open with dialog, click
   ‘Browse…’
2. Navigate to the Calc
   executable, e.g. “C:\Program Files
   (x86)\Libreoffice
   4\program\scalc.exe”
3. Ensure ‘Always
   use the selected program to open
   this kind of file.’

Alternatively, try completely uninstalling and re-installing LibreOffice to force re-association of Calc with .xls files.

[oweng]

Also refer this Microsoft wiki article.

[petermau]

What setting do you have in the option settings? TOOLS > OPTIONS > LOAD/SAVE > MICROSOFT OFFICE > You can then set the default for WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT loading and or saving formats. If the open/close works with .DOC files do you have the same options set for EXCEL files?

However, I would always suggest that you use the settings to open the files, save them in .odt, .ods formats and only use the save as WORD or EXCEL settings if you are sending those files to someone who only has MS-Office installed.
Hope this helps…Peter

[Nemo2000]

Actually, on further investigation it turned out that what I thought was a Microsoft app giving the ‘can’t run’ error message was actually CALC ! Yet it appeared to be running from the same file address as worked if I went to the .exe file directly and ran it. Curious…

Anyway…As I was using 4.2.4, I downloaded 4.2.5 (making sure that all the right associations were clicked) and since then it seems to have been OK.