How to Open .XML Files in Internet Explorer
.XML is the extension that all Extensible Markup Language (XML) files have. The .XML file format is used to create common information formats and to share both the formats and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets and any and all other networks using standard ASCII text. In many ways, XML is pretty similar to HTML. .XML files can be opened not only in Notepad (where they can also be edited) but also in almost every single internet browser out there, including Internet Explorer – the default internet browser for most versions of the Windows Operating System, including Windows 7.
However, some Windows 7 users are prone to suffering from an issue in which .XML files don’t open in Internet Explorer. Users affected by this issue see that .XML files open exactly the way they are supposed to in all other internet browsers (including Mozilla Firefox). If .XML files suddenly stop opening in Internet Explorer on Windows 7, a few logical first steps would definitely be to make sure that the .XML file association is set to Internet Explorer, ensure that the Enable native XMLHTTP support is checked in Internet Explorer > Internet Options > Advanced > Security and to reset all of Internet Explorer’s settings to their factory defaults.
However, what if none of that works and what if everything is in order, but .XML files still don’t open in Internet Explorer for you? Well, have no fear because if that is indeed the case, you can fix the problem by simply running an SFC scan! Yeah, that’s right – running an SFC scan is going to repair whatever corrupted or damaged component is inhibiting .XML files from opening successfully in Internet Explorer on your computer, and all will be well again. To run an SFC scan on a Windows 7 computer, you need to:
Open the Start Menu.
Type “cmd” into the Search
Right-click on the program named cmd and click on Run as administrator. This will launch an elevated Command Prompt that has administrative privileges.
In the elevated Command Prompt, type the following and press Enter:
sfc /scannow
The SFC scan will begin. Allow the scan to run its course, and once it is completed, restart your computer because the repairs made by the SFC scan don’t take effect until the computer reboots.
Once your computer boots up, try opening an .XML file in Internet Explorer, and it should open successfully.
