Issue opening file in WhatsApp

none00225 · Aug 15, 2021

Hello,

I have an issue with opening a xlsx file in whatsapp. Everyone else in the group can do it fine.
Pictures show up fine.
Error is error opening file this file no longer exists.

Tried a few other apps for excel, but same issue.
Downloading a xlsx file from the internet and opening it works fine.

Samsung A30, latest update.

Dannydet · Aug 15, 2021

If it says the file no longer exists, then it was removed from the conversation

Hadron · Aug 16, 2021

Yeah, if it can't find the file then the problem isn't which app you are using to read it but the fact that the file isn't available.

You could look in your WhatsApp/media directory to see whether it is there, but Danny's answer sounds very likely to me.

none00225 · Aug 16, 2021

Yes but other people can see it just fine. It's just my phone.

When I click the file it takes me away from whatsapp to the downloaded files folder and that is where the error appears.

Is there a way to open the file without downloading it?

Hadron · Aug 16, 2021

No, you will have to download it to open it. Since the messages are end-to-end encrypted there is no other solution possible. In fact all media you see in your WhatsApp chats are downloaded too, it's just that WhatsApp uses its own image viewing capabilities to display them rather than handing-over to an external application.

Have you used a file browser to check that it's not in the downloads folder (or one of the WhatsApp subfolders)? It might be that the file is downloaded but the pointer in the WhatsApp thread is broken (so clicking on it within WhatsApp doesn't work), in which case looking for it using a file browser could solve it. Otherwise I'd suggest you ask one of the other people to send you a copy, since it may be a problem with the download of this particular message rather than your phone being incapable of reading Excel sent by WhatsApp (assuming you have an app that can read Excel files installed on your phone).

If neither of those works the other option would be to ask someone to just email it to you.

none00225 · Aug 19, 2021

Hadron said:
No, you will have to download it to open it. Since the messages are end-to-end encrypted there is no other solution possible. In fact all media you see in your WhatsApp chats are downloaded too, it's just that WhatsApp uses its own image viewing capabilities to display them rather than handing-over to an external application.

Have you used a file browser to check that it's not in the downloads folder (or one of the WhatsApp subfolders)? It might be that the file is downloaded but the pointer in the WhatsApp thread is broken (so clicking on it within WhatsApp doesn't work), in which case looking for it using a file browser could solve it. Otherwise I'd suggest you ask one of the other people to send you a copy, since it may be a problem with the download of this particular message rather than your phone being incapable of reading Excel sent by WhatsApp (assuming you have an app that can read Excel files installed on your phone).

If neither of those works the other option would be to ask someone to just email it to you.

Asked someone to send it. It had a down arrow in a circle, when clicked that, it seemed like it downloaded it. After that there is a forward arrow.

I looked in Internal storage-Android-media-com.whatsapp-whatsapp-media.

Not there or anywhere else. I searched the file name.

Where did it go?

When I click on the gorup, I can see media, docs, and links. In docs there all the files I need to open. Pictures can be viewed fine, but not the xslx files.

When I try to open with google sheets it says can't open doc, not avail offline.

Also when I try to send a message on the group, and click attachment, then documents, I can see the xlsx files. At the top there is an option that says browse other documents.

Unable to share doc to email/oth.

none00225 · Aug 27, 2021

Update.

Should have mentioned this before, the issues are with the second Whatsapp account (dual app), there are two of them on the phone, different numbers.

I had someone send some xlsx files, it opened them fine. There was no down pointing arrow.
The files are still not saved on the internal storage.

On the second one I had a different person forward the xlsx file in private, and send a pdf.
Opening it with Sheets, it says Can't open this document. This file isn't available offline. Make the file available online in the file's option menu.
I don't know where that is.

With a pdf some programs can't open it at all, or say This file could not be accessed, Check the connection or make the filename shorter.
Nowhere in Internal storage.

Tried in wireless and celular, if that makes any difference.

none00225 · Aug 29, 2021

Christal Hogar said:
I have a similar issues, wrote to support already. I even found a whatsapp phone number and think if i should give them a call. Never had anything like that with other messengers

I did speak to them, they essentially said they don't support dual messengers.

Issue opening file in WhatsApp

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