Last Updated: May 28, 2025
ISSUE
When attempting to open an Excel file from outside Excel that contains a square bracket [ ], a question mark ?, less-than or greater-than signs < >, a colon :, a pipe |, or an asterisk *, you may receive the following error message:
The file could not be accessed. Try one of the following:
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Make sure the specified folder exists
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Make sure the folder that contains the file is not read-only.
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Make sure the filename and folder path do not contain any of the following characters: < > ? [ ] : | or *.
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Make sure the filename and folder path do not contain more than 218 characters.
STATUS: WORKAROUND
Using File Explorer, rename the file, removing the special character(s).
Note: While you may be able to open files with the special character(s) via the open command in Excel, it is not recommended.
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