“File not supported” Android Fix

The following guide and all the information you will find below are intended to help you solve the frequent Android “Unable to Find Application to Perform this Action” or “File not supported” error. The guide below should work successfully on all Android devices.

Sometimes Android device users may receive some alarming, or annoying error messages like  “Unable to Find Application to Perform this Action”  or  “File not supported”.  It is possible to fix this problem, however, first of all, you need to investigate the cause of the matter a little. Each of the possible solutions you will see below directly depends on the type of file you are attempting to access.

“File not supported” Android Fix


file type not supported

  • The first step is to determine the location of the file or the program you need to access. For that purpose you will have to run the File Manager application.
  • After opening the File Manager, locate the file/application you are attempting to access.
  • Then, all you need to do is to hold down on the necessary item until you see a popping up page. It normally contains various options and possibilities. Here is an example:File Type not supported on android menu
  • The next step is to select “Details“. This feature could have plenty of names on the different devices. After that you need to focus on the end of the name of the file. Usually there is a file extension after the file name. For instance, you may have a file named “jdgagd.rtf”, so the extension in this case is ‘rtf’.File type not supported details
  • Of course there could be many other file extensions and names. The usual extensions contain three letters (sometimes more). This information is there to help you determine how to open a certain file.
  • What you need to do after that is to copy this particular file’s extension. Then you have to paste it into the Google Play Store. If we take the .rtf extension as an example, then we are looking for a “rtf viewer” in the search box of the Play Store. In a different particular case you might be looking for something else, depending on the file format.
  • Once the results of your search are generated, find a suitable one that could open your file. In the case with our example, this is the Microsoft Word app. Then all you have to do is to install the chosen program on your device. The file you want to open should now be opened easily with the help of the new app.File type not supported apps android

What if you cannot find a compatible app…

To yours and our disappointment as well, Android still does not support all file formats. For instance, the Windows program files with .exe extensions will not be opened on an Android device. It is possible NOT to be able to find a suitable app in the Play Store. In such a case, the file type is probably not supported on Android devices. If something like that is happening to you, what you need to do in order to access this particular file is to use another device.

If you are aware of a different successful solution to this Android issue, please let us know in the comments below. We will include it in our instructions and will assist even more people in dealing with this issue.

11 Replies to ““File not supported” Android Fix”

  1. Thanks,
    I have got a new tablet that gives this popup message ‘The file format is not supported’ when ever I tap on epub file.

  2. Phone is an LG G5 running Android 7.0.

    I tap on a .gpx file in the file manager and get the “File type is not supported OK” message.

    But I have several apps that should open the file: GPX viewer in particular (but also Bikemap, Ride with GPS, OSMAnd+, GPSies and at least 1 or 2 of these should open the GPX file too).

    Any ideas how to fix?

  3. Hello, I’m trying to play an mp4 video on my android that I downloaded from my drone. It shows a thumbnail image but says file unsupported when i press play. Not sure why.

    1. Are you sure it’s an mp4 file? Try converting the file to some other format and then try playing it again. Another possibility is that your Android might need some sort of update.

  4. I cant open mobi files through the file manager. But I can through the app (read era). Wonder why android doesnt automagically fire up the app.?

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