How can I solve the issue of “application/vnd.msexcel” ?
I am currently working on a web-based application that can generate reports in the Microsoft Excel format. One of my users reported that he was unable to open the file which is downloaded and instead of downloading he is getting an error message mentions that “application/vnd.msexcel”. How can I troubleshoot this particular issue?
If you are getting the issue of “application vnd msexcel” in generating the database into Excel format, then it typically refers that there is an issue with MIME type or in the format of the file itself. Here is how you can troubleshoot this particular issue:-
Correct MIME Type
Ensure that you have correctly downloaded the MIME type set for downloading the Excel file.
File generation
Verify by double-checking the method that is used for generating the Excel file in your web-based application.
HTTP Headers
Do not forget to set appropriate HTTP Headers while serving the file to the browser of the user. This would include specifying the correct context-type header for indicating that the file should downloaded is an Excel document.
Here is the method given in Python programming language by using the flask for setting the correct MIME type while serving a file:-
From flask import Flask, send_file
App = Flask(__name__)
@app.route(‘/download_excel’, methods=[‘GET’])
Def download_excel():
# Generate or fetch your Excel file
Excel_file_path = ‘path/to/your/excel_file.xls’
# Set the appropriate MIME type for Excel files
Return send_file(excel_file_path, as_attachment=True, mimetype=’application/vnd.ms-excel’)
If __name__ == ‘__main__’:
App.run(debug=True)