File_Name.numbers” is damaged and can’t be opened, ever since Numbers v11 installed on any of my devices (iPhone, iPad and MacBook)

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File_Name.numbers” is damaged and can’t be opened, ever since Numbers v11 installed on any of my devices (iPhone, iPad and MacBook)

I’ve recently updated my devices to Numbers v11.0 and the most important spreadsheets can’t be open anymore due to error ‘File_name is damaged and can’t be opened. Try restoring this spreadsheet to a previous version.’

Although previous versions can be restored, it’s impossible to update any of those files since they become ‘damaged’ as soon as they are closed again (actually, with or without changes applied to them)!

The only way I have found so far to recover and work from those files, was to fully restore my MacBook (thanks to the TimeMachine!) to a version that contained Numbers v10 version!

Yet, I would like to use my iPad but I unfortunately didn’t make any backup and it already has Numbers v11.0. (working on re-installing v10 somehow... but as my iPad is only 5months old, even this solution might give me problems over time with new iOS software versions...).

I thought of re-creating the template of my spreadsheet from scratch, but that means hours of work (they include many sheets, each one full of different formulas...).

If someone could provide me with a solution... I would really appreciate it!!!!

I’ve searched for solutions online but only found out that others have faced the same issue...

Posted on Apr 9, 2021 9:15 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

sylvaine42 Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 10, 2021 2:16 PM in response to Badunit

Thank you so much for pointing out export/import as a possible solution!

Exporting to Excel was worrying me for the same reasons you mentioned, but since I had to find a solution... I thought it was worth giving it a try...

But it turned out that there are other possible export formats from MacBook, and among them: export to Number ‘09.

And guess what: that has fixed the issue, files can now be opened and updated from Numbers v11.0 (tested successfully from the iPad) without any corruption happening while saving (YESSS!!!!!).

Only one of my graph has been impacted (displayed as ‘2D Column’ instead of ‘Interactive Column’) which I could fix in a split second!!

Thank you so much for your help!!!! You’re a lifesaver!!!

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Answer 2

Badunit

Level 7

28,006 points

Apr 9, 2021 5:34 PM in response to sylvaine42

These are the worst kinds of problems. Most definitely make backups/copies of your files before trying to open any of them in Numbers until you figure this one out.

I have absolutely no idea why it would be doing this. It is odd that it is happening on more than one device and more than one type of device and with all documents made in the previous version(s). The typical recommendations of rebooting, deleting then reinstalling Numbers, etc. don't seem to apply when it is a problem on an iPad and iPhone as well as a Mac.

Are your documents stored in iCloud? Can they be opened properly in iCloud Numbers? I don't know where to go from here if the answer is "yes". Maybe duplicate them there and see if that "fixes" them. This doesn't really answer the mail, though, because you don't want to have to do this for every old document.

If they are stored in iCloud, try copying one to local storage on one of your devices (not your Mac because you downgraded it) and see if it works from there.

Hopefully someone else has some ideas. This is a new one.

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Answer 3

sylvaine42 Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 10, 2021 2:55 AM in response to Badunit

Thank you for your reply Badunit.

Unfortunately, duplicating the files, reinstalling Numbers (iPad), using the iCloud (or not) doesn’t change anything (tried all of this before I posted this thread).

Those files are so important to me (all my accounting of the past 10 years), I always made copies which I stored everywhere (local drive, external drives and iCloud).

But any of those files or their copies, even the ones which have not been opened or updated for years end up ‘damaged’ when open and close from Number v11.0

As the very first version was created about 10 years ago from Numbers, and every year since, the latest version was used as a template to create the new year to come, my only guess is that it contains a formula or something that gets modified automatically before the file is closed and causes the spreadsheet to be corrupted...

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Answer 4

Badunit

Level 7

28,006 points

Apr 10, 2021 9:06 AM in response to sylvaine42

Is it a handful of similar documents that are the problem?

Have you tried exporting to Excel then importing back into Numbers? It will mess up formatting and table names and stuff, some formulas might not translate, and your charts, if any, should probably be remade afterward but it should at least preserve the data which is the most important part. Still, you shouldn't have to be doing this.

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Answer 5

Badunit

Level 7

28,006 points

Apr 10, 2021 2:48 PM in response to sylvaine42

I am very happy to hear you found a workable solution exporting to Numbers '09.

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File_Name.numbers” is damaged and can’t be opened, ever since Numbers v11 installed on any of my devices (iPhone, iPad and MacBook)

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