Numbers - Why won't it read downloaded .xlsx files from my university?

[HungarianStan]

Let me explain.

I'm a university teacher, and we are just about to start the new term. So, what I usually do to make my attendance sheets, is to go to the university class website, and click a button that turns the class list into a .xlsx sheet, which is then downloaded to my computer. I then copy/paste the student names onto my list and viola! It is done, nice and easy.

However, for some reason, when I do this, Numbers won't open the file. Specifically, Numbers gives a warning that says "blahblah.xlsx can't be opened". Now, I've downloaded LibreOffice to open the files, and it opens them just fine, no worries. And back when I had Microsoft Office 2007 on my old Windows 7 desktop, that opened these files easily too. Thing is, now, with my Mac, Numbers won't! And this is sad, because I rather like Numbers, and used it extensively last term (though, to be clear, I had already set up my attendance sheets by then; I bought my new Mac after the start of the term).

So, what gives? Other than my LibreOffice workaround, any idea what's going on?

 

[lclev]

That is strange. I did a search and I could not find any fixes. I am running Yosemite 10.10.5 and I opened an xlsx file with numbers and had no issues. I even picked a file I have stored in my Google drive that had multiple sheets. No issues. I am running version 3.5.3 which should be the latest.

The only thing I can think of is it might be compressed - zipped - some how??? What happens if you open it with LibreOffice and save it? Can Numbers now open it?

Lisa

 

[MacInWin]

Or open with LibreOffice and save as an .xls file instead of .xlsx?

 

[vansmith]

Or, if you don't want LO installed, just use something like Google Docs or Office Online to open the file. Another answer might be to see if your school offers cheap or free Office licenses. I know those aren't technical issues but they do solve the problem.

If this is the only xlsx that this happens with, it's likely an issue with the way it's generated. If that's the case, there's nothing you can do other than do what has already been mentioned.

 

[HungarianStan]

Or open with LibreOffice and save as an .xls file instead of .xlsx?

Well, as I said, I'm using LibreOffice, though, all I need are the names from the list, not the sheet itself, so I don't do anything put copy/paste the names. So, temporarily solved, sort of, but I can't figure out why Numbers won't handle it.

 

[HungarianStan]

That is strange. I did a search and I could not find any fixes. I am running Yosemite 10.10.5 and I opened an xlsx file with numbers and had no issues. I even picked a file I have stored in my Google drive that had multiple sheets. No issues. I am running version 3.5.3 which should be the latest.

The only thing I can think of is it might be compressed - zipped - some how??? What happens if you open it with LibreOffice and save it? Can Numbers now open it?

Lisa

They're not zipped or compressed, as far as I can tell. And yeah, I've opened other .xlsx files from other places before (colleagues sending me stuff, intranet pages, all that) just not, for some reason, the university page with student info for teachers. Thanks for the looking; it's vexing me!

 

[chas_m]

If its limited to one particular computer that's sending you the file, it might possibly be that a virus is trying to attach itself to the spreadsheet file so as to try and infect your Mac (pointlessly, but that's what viruses do), so Numbers won't open the altered file. This seems unlikely, but its the other explanation I can come up with.

 

[HungarianStan]

If its limited to one particular computer that's sending you the file, it might possibly be that a virus is trying to attach itself to the spreadsheet file so as to try and infect your Mac (pointlessly, but that's what viruses do), so Numbers won't open the altered file. This seems unlikely, but its the other explanation I can come up with.

Not a thing I've thought of, but interesting. Didn't know Numbers was that security conscious! In any case, I'll have think and keep trying stuff.

 

[vansmith]

Didn't know Numbers was that security conscious!

It's not a case of being secure and rather a case of not having the functionality (which, I suppose in a really warped way, is a security "feature").

Does your school let you export your class list as something other than as an xlsx? Perhaps a CSV file?