The list cannot be imported because a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation-compatible spreadsheet application is not installed or is not compatible with your browser

Recently, while working with the “Import Spreadsheet” app in SharePoint, I got the below error: The list cannot be imported because a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation-compatible spreadsheet application is not installed or is not compatible with your browser.

I was trying to create a list using the Import Spreadsheet option in SharePoint 2013 using Internet Explorer. But still, I was getting the error.

the list cannot be imported because a Microsoft sharepoint foundation-compatible spreadsheet

The solution to this problem is to use 32-bit Internet Explorer. IT WORKS PERFECTLY when I open my site in IE 32-bit and try using the “Import Spreadsheet” option.

Also, check the below add-ons are enabled in Internet Explorer. Open IE, click on Settings Icon -> Manage Add-on, and check the below add-ons are enabled.

• SharePoint Export Database Launcher
• SharePoint Spreadsheet Launcher
• SharePoint Stssync Handler

After this, the error The list cannot be imported because a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation-compatible spreadsheet application is not installed or is not compatible with your browser will not appear.

Use the Internet Explorer 32-bit version to solve. The list cannot be imported because a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation-compatible spreadsheet application is not installed or is not compatible with your browser

If the above solution does not work, Open IE (Internet Explorer) in 32-bit mode and then use the Import spreadsheet app to create the app.

Add SharePoint site to Trusted Sites Zone

The last thing you can try is to add the SharePoint Site to the Trusted Sites Zone.

Open Internet Explorer, then Click on “Tools” -> Internet Options.

Then click on the Security tab -> Trusted Sites -> click on the “Sites” button, Enter SharePoint Site URL, and then click on “Add“.

Import Excel spreadsheet into SharePoint list

Let us see how to import an Excel spreadsheet into SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016/2019, or SharePoint Online.

Here, I have Excel which has a few columns as Name, EmailID, and Course. And also it has 2 records. The Excel spreadsheet looks like below:

To work with an import Excel spreadsheet, use a 32-bit version of Internet Explorer 10 or 11. You will get an error like the one below: The list cannot be imported because a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation-compatible spreadsheet application is not installed or is not compatible with your browser

Open SharePoint 2016/2013 or the SharePoint online site. Then, from the Settings icon -> Add an app. And then, select the “Import Spreadsheet” app. Then in the New app, give a name and description and choose the Excel file that we created earlier. The screen looks like below: Then click on import.

Then you can choose from Table Range, Range of Cells, or Named Range, choose Range of Cells, and then click Select Range manually. Then click on Import.

After that, you can see the list will be created with the columns and data. The list looks like below:

The types of columns created for a list are based on the kinds of data in the spreadsheet’s columns.

The specified file is not a valid spreadsheet or contains no data to import into SharePoint

Suppose you get the below error while importing a spreadsheet in SharePoint 2016/2013 or SharePoint online. The error comes as The specified file is not a valid spreadsheet or contains no data to import. Also, the error can come as: an unexpected error importing spreadsheet SharePoint 2013.

The error looks like the following:

The solution is to add the site to “Trusted sites” in Internet Explorer. Open Internet Explorer. Click on the Settings icon and then click on Internet options.

Then go to the Security tab. Then choose Trusted sites and then click on the Sites button. There, add the site in the Add this website to the zone. Click on Add like below:

Now, it should work fine.

This is how we can fix the error, “The specified file is not a valid spreadsheet or contains no data to import in SharePoint”.

I hope this tutorial will help you to fix the below errors:

• the list cannot be imported because a Microsoft sharepoint foundation-compatible spreadsheet
• Import Excel spreadsheet into SharePoint list
• The specified file is not a valid spreadsheet or contains no data to import in SharePoint

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