Hop to Fix Task Scheduler is not opening Excel file - Complete guide

Read this post and learn how to fix the problem of Task Scheduler not opening an Excel file on Windows 11/10.

Task Scheduler can be used to start an Excel file at a set time. At times, however, it will misbehave and give some other result. Several users have complained about the issue where Excel does open, but the file specified is not opened. Sometimes, it also throws a notification that the file is not found, which then will force the users to re-check the name of the file, location of the file, etc. This post is for you in case you have been facing a similar kind of problem.

Ensure Task Scheduler is Able to Open Excel Files

Are you running a PC with Windows 11 or newer and your Task Scheduler is unable to open Excel files? Follow these steps below:

The settings for the task should include "Run only when user is logged on."

In the "Add arguments" field, add the path of the file.

Repair Excel or Reinstall It

Consider Alternative Solutions

Take a Closer Look

1. The task should be set to run only when the "user is logged on."

GUI programs-which include Excel-are designed with a visible interface because they're intended to be interacted with when running. If you set them up to run regardless of whether the user is logged in, they'll run silently in the background, concealing their interface. Excel won't display any messages, dialog boxes, or even the worksheets that it opens, when running under this option.

To fix this, make sure that your task is configured to only run when the user is logged on.

Right-click the task in Task Scheduler and click on Properties. In the properties box for the task, click the General tab. Under Security options, check "Run only when user is logged on."

2. In the field "Add arguments," write the path to the file.

The secret to getting Task Scheduler to open Excel is to use EXCEL.EXE as the main application, and then use the 'argument' to identify the path of the file you would like opened. Just in case, if Task Scheduler does delimit space-separated entries as a break between parameters, any spaces in the file path should be wrapped in double quotes.

Just in case, open up File Explorer and find EXCEL.EXE and your Excel file. Then, right-click both the files and click "Copy as path." Now, paste the paths in the "Program/script" and "Add arguments" fields in Task Scheduler. This is especially useful if you have paths that contain spaces or difficult folder hierarchies.

3. Excel Repair or Re-Installation

After all those, the next repair for Excel problems caused by a faulty or missing file is to repair or reinstall the program.

Open the Control Panel and launch Programs to open Programs and Features. Right-click your Microsoft Office to open the context menu that appears and click Change. If User Account Control pops up and asks for confirmation, click Yes.

Then, choose either Online Repair or Quick Repair. When the repair is done, take the action prompted to do so.

To troubleshoot the problem further, remove Office and reinstall it.

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4. Employ workaround

If you are still having issues, employ a workaround. Try System Scheduler. This may very well run your Excel file just fine and work around any limitations that you have encountered with the Task Scheduler built into Windows.

You can download the System Scheduler from its official website and install it on your system. Once installed, open it through Action > New Event. In the 'Event' tab, write the path of your Excel file in the Parameters field and path of EXCEL.EXE in the Application field. Then click the "Schedule" option to schedule the event. Once the changes are done, click on Save. Now, your task should run seamlessly.

If all the above methods have not helped you to solve the problem of not being able to open Excel files on a computer with installed Windows 11 or Windows 10 on it, I hope the steps above have helped address your problem.