Cannot place this file. No filter found for requested operation.

[XOXO2020]

"Cannot place this file. No filter found for requested operation." I am using InDesign 2020 on Mac. Please advise.

[default4jskvcgnmnd9]

Thanks George, unfortunately changing the file from .eps to .ai didn't work, I get the same error message (I can't open the file in Illustrator to save it as a .ai file so I did it manually).

[BobLevine]

These files sound like they've become corrupted somehow. BTW, you cannot open an EPS in InDesign, you can only place it.

[default4jskvcgnmnd9]

Correct, I'm unable to place the file in Indesign. I downloaded another copy of this same file and it still won't open in InDesign. BTW, these are files I use regularly. Today InD won't open them!

[Geоrge]

This "Cannot place this file. No filter found for requested operation." error looks like an old bug from times of version CS2 when you can't place file that contains cyrrylic or other non-english symbols in the name of file or in the name of the folder, check all the path of folders and file names and exclude such symbols. 

[default4jskvcgnmnd9]

Thanks George, it's using the same file name as before when I was able to open it so I don't think that's the issue. I'll have to figure out some type of workaround. It seems like a difficult problem.

[Laubender]

Hi default4jskvcgnmnd9,
if you placed the EPS file before, open the InDesign document where you placed it once and copy/paste it to your new document. Will this work?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[default4jskvcgnmnd9]

I'll give it a try, thank you.

[ItsAj]

I know this is an old thread but I had the same problem and opened the photo with an edit session in Windows Photos (right-click on photo and "Edit with Photos". I'm sure Mac has the same type of default easy photo editing?) and "Save a Copy". I didn't make any actual edits, I just figured if I re-saved it, it would fix it and I wanted to do it quickly and simply rather than open it in Photoshop and it worked.

[ItsAj]

I should add that I was able to view the photo with Windows native photo viewer and says it was a .jpg but it kept giving me this error. Once I re-saved the photo this way, I was able to Place the photo in the document.

[Payton28655592c16a]

I'm having this issue, too. It's a docx file, using InDesign 2023 on PC, and the file was one provided by an online course I'm taking. Any tips at all?

[Randy Hagan]

I'd suggest opening up the file in MSWord and exporting it as a Rich Text Format (RTF) file.

That's traditionally given me the best results with wonky .docx files.

Hope this helps,

Randy

[Payton28655592c16a]

Okay, I'll give it a try! Thank you!

[Payton28655592c16a]

Okay, it's not even letting me open it in MSWord. The document extension is .docx, though, and this was given to me by a, seemingly, reliable source, and given the OK by my instructor, so I'm not sure what the issue. It said something about an unreadable character, but I'm not sure what exactly it meant by that.

[Randy Hagan]

The file could flat-out be corrupted. Maybe nothing can open it. It sucks, but it happens.

Another thing you could try is to open it in Windows WordPad. You'll likely get a lot of extraneous junk (the background data for the .docx formatting), but it might let you at least clean out the junk (it'll be lots, by the way) and find the real content in the document file.

Good luck,

Randy

[Payton28655592c16a]

I can try that! Thank you! If this doesn't work, I think I might just try and ask the instructor for more help. And if she can't figure it out, I'll just leave it as-is.

[raklotv]

I am having this issue with an excell file. I renamed the file to musik.xlsx  - I downloaded it from google sheets where it was created. I just really need to set up a graphic version of this document in ID- Any idea what the issue is?

[leo.r]

I am having this issue with an excell file. I renamed the file to musik.xlsx  - I downloaded it from google sheets where it was created.

By @raklotv

Do I understand correctly that it's not an Excel file but a Google Sheets file to which you assigned an Excel extension? This can, potentially, cause the error you experience. Try to open it in Excel and resave from there. (Unless you can't use the original Sheets file as is?)

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

@leo.r  AFAIK, you can't save a google sheet file--it's automatically saved.

You can only download them into other formats including Excel.

[Geoffrey30561928bf9k]

I am getting the same message when I download an .xlsx file - I am on a mac - I am sure it is an .xlsx exported from apple Numbers. I am attaching the file. 

[Geoffrey30561928bf9k]

I meant 'place' the file, not 'download'

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Geoffrey30561928bf9k,

This particular error can show up when the file being placed isn’t in a format that InDesign fully recognizes, even if the extension looks correct. Since you mentioned the file was exported from Apple Numbers, it might not be structured exactly like a native Excel .xlsx file, which could be causing the issue.

Could you try opening the file in Microsoft Excel (if available), and simply saving it again as a new .xlsx file? That step often helps clean up any formatting quirks and makes the file more compatible with InDesign.

Also, you might want to check out these similar threads shared by other users who ran into the same issue:
Solved: Betreff: Cannot Place this file. No filter found f... - Adobe Community - 14228737

Solved: Error: Cannot Place this file. No filter found for... - Adobe Community - 11933059

They include some useful workarounds and context that might help with your specific case.

Let me know how it goes after trying this. 

Abhishek 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Microsoft files downloaded from the internet are automatically protected. For the file up in the appropriate program (Excel in this case), unprotect the file (button at top in yellow bar), and do a save as. Then it will import.