Solutions to Repair Corrupt Excel File

Summary: MS Excel can throw various errors due to corrupted Excel files. This blog discusses the error messages that indicate Excel file corruption and the methods to prevent data loss due to a corrupt file. It also discusses the reasons behind the corruption in Excel file and their solutions. It also mentions a “Stellar repair for Excel” tool that can help to repair the corrupt or damaged Excel file.

Is your Excel file corrupted? And you don’t have backup of your data? There is no need to worry. There are some simple solutions to repair Excel file 2019. But before heading towards the solutions, let’s discuss the possible reasons for Excel file corruption and how you can prevent losing your data.

Error Messages that Indicate Excel File Corruption

When an Excel file gets corrupted, different error messages appear. For example:

• “Excel found unreadable content in . Do you want to recover the content of this workbook, click Yes.”
• “Can’t find project and library.”
• “The workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted.”
• “Microsoft Excel has stopped working.”

Reasons Behind Excel File Corruption

The reasons for corruption in Excel file could be any of the following:

• Improper system shutdown
• Computer virus/malware attack/Hacker attack
• Outdated anti-virus definition
• Hardware failure
• Unintentional deletion of files
• Large Excel files
• Bad sectors on storage media

How to Avoid Data Loss Due to Excel File Corruption?

Excel users should follow the below precautionary measures to prevent data loss due to Excel file corruption:

1. Create an Automatic Backup Copy

When you create an Excel spreadsheet, it is advised to Save As your document, as follows:

1. In Save As window, click Tools next to Save option.
2. Select General Options from the drop-down menu.
3. Then check the dialogue box Always create back up and click OK.

This will always create a backup of your Excel. If it’s deleted or corrupted at any time, it can be recovered.

2. Create Recovery File at Different Time Periods

Steps are as follows:

1. Go to File and then click Excel Options.
2. Click Save and then select the Save Auto Recover information every checkbox
3. Add the required minutes and location. Ensure that Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only box is unchecked.

Methods to Repair Corrupted Excel 2019 File

Try using these 5 methods to restore your Excel file and recover data:

Method 1: ‘Open and Repair’ Excel Files

Excel automatically opens the corrupted file in Recovery Mode. If not, you can repair Excel file manually through the following steps:

• Click on the File and select Open.

• Go to the location where the corrupt workbook is stored. In the Open window, select the corrupt file.
• Click Open and then select Open and Repair.
• In the window that opens, click Repair.

If the Repair option doesn’t work, you can select Extract Data and try to extract the values and formulae safely from the corrupt file.

Method 2: Recover Data from Open Workbook

If you face issues while working in an Excel file, you can choose to return to the last saved version of the Excel file. For this:

• Click File. Then select Open.
• Double click on the name of the workbook (the one that is open in your Excel).
• Click Yes to reopen it.

• The workbook will now appear.

Please note that it will show the last saved version and changes made after that won’t be recovered.

Method 3: Set Calculation Option as Manual

You can also recover data from Excel workbooks that you’re unable to open. For this, you need to configure the calculation option as manual in Excel. You can do this through the following steps:

• Click on File. Select New and open a Blank workbook.
• From File, select Excel Options.

• From the Formulas category, under the section Calculation options, select Manual. Now click OK.

• Then click File, and select Open to open the corrupted or damaged Excel file.

Method 4: Recover Content by Using External Links

You can also recover specifically the content (leaving formulas/calculated values) from the workbook by using external references (to link Excel workbook). For this:

• Click on File, Select Open.
• Navigate to the folder that contains the corrupted workbook.
• Now, right-click on the file name of the corrupted workbook and click Copy.
• Click File button. Then, select New and create another blank workbook.
• In the first cell (A1), type =!A1 and press Enter.
  • Select the corrupted workbook in the Update Values dialogue (if it appears). Then click OK.
  • Select the relevant sheet in the Select Sheet dialogue (if it appears). Then click OK.

• Again, select the cell A1, go to Home and select Copy.
• Now select (start from the cell A1) an area equal to that of the data in the original workbook.
• Go to Home now and select Paste.
• Again, go to Home, and Copy the data (the same selection of cells).
• Go to Home, and then click on the arrow below Paste. Then click on Values.

By pasting values, you removed the links to the corrupted workbook and only the data is left behind.

Method 5: Excel Repair Software

If the above-mentioned methods do not help in repairing the corrupt Excel file, try an Excel repair software.

One of the most commonly used Excel repair tools is Stellar Repair for Excel. Its trial version is available for free download, which lets you scan and preview the repaired Excel files. Once you’ve ascertained the effectiveness of the software, you can save the file after activating the software.

Here’s the complete repairing process of the corrupt Excel file

Conclusion

This post shared the reasons behind Excel file corruption and precautionary measures to prevent data loss. It also outlined different methods to repair corrupt Excel file 2019. There are several in-built utilities in Microsoft Excel to repair corrupt workbooks and recover data from it. In case these methods didn’t work, you can use Stellar Repair for Excel – an easy-to-use DIY tool that can fix all Excel corruption errors and restore data with all original properties.

Easy Steps to Make Excel Hyperlinks Working

Summary: This blog discusses why hyperlinks won’t work in Excel and solutions to fix it. If nothing works, try using Stellar Repair for Excel software to recover your workbook with hyperlinks and all the data intact.

Hyperlinks in your Excel file could be references to a file’s location on the computer or a location within the same worksheet. Or, hyperlinks might be pointing to a URL. Sometimes, the hyperlinks won’t work and any of the following errors may pop up on your screen on clicking a hyperlink:

‘Cannot open the specified file.’

‘This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.’

Causes of ‘hyperlinks not working in Excel’ problem, and solutions thereof

Here are some of the possible causes behind the ‘hyperlinks not working’ issue and solutions to fix it:

Cause 1 – Change in the name of the hyperlinked file

If the file name that appears in the hyperlink text is different than the actual file name, it will prevent the hyperlink from working.

Solution – Link to the renamed file

Ensure that the links in the Excel file are updated and points to the renamed file. For this, right-click the hyperlink and select ‘Edit the hyperlink’. Next, in the hyperlink address, replace the current filename with the renamed one in the hyperlink address.

Cause 2 – File name has a pound (#) sign

When you create a hyperlink for a file in Excel, you cannot use a pound character (#) in the file name that appears in the hyperlink. That is because the pound sign is not accepted in hyperlinks and may lead to the ‘Cannot open the specified file’ error.

Note: While you can use a pound character in a file name, it cannot be used in hyperlinks in an MS Office document.  

Solution – Rename the file name and remove the pound sign

Open the file that contains the ‘#’ sign and rename it by following these steps.

• Right-click the cell containing the hyperlink that is not working, and click Edit Hyperlink.
• From the Address box, copy the address of the file you are linking to.
• Go to the location where the file is stored, right-click on the file, and click Rename.
• Remove the ‘#’ character from the name of the file.
• Go back to the Excel file, right-click on the problematic hyperlink, and choose Edit Hyperlink. Next, browse and select the renamed file.
• The renamed file without the pound sign will be added in the Address box.
• Click OK.

Now try opening the hyperlink.

Cause 3 – Sudden system shutdown causes abrupt closing of Excel

There may be a discrepancy in the data in hyperlinks when a system shut down suddenly, without properly closing the Excel file. And so, when trying to open a link, it won’t open.

Solution – Enable the option to save hyperlinks

There is an inbuilt option in Excel to update hyperlinks every time the workbook is saved. Follow these steps to enable that option:

Note: The steps may vary based on the Excel version you are using.

For Excel 2013, 2016, or 2019:

• Open Excel Workbook -> Go to File->Options->Advanced
• Scroll down to find the General tab and click on Web Options
• Web Options Window pops-up
• In the Web Options Window, go to Files Tab and select the ‘Update Links on save‘ checkbox
• Click on OK button and your option is saved

The steps are also explained in the image below:

For Excel 2007:

• Click the Office button
• Select Excel Options, then follow Step 1) to Step 5), as mentioned above and get the Excel Hyperlinks to work again.

Still unable to open hyperlinks in Excel?

If you fail to make Excel hyperlinks work using the above-discussed solutions, use an Excel repair tool to fix the hyperlinks issue. Download the Stellar Repair for Excel to repair an XLS/XLSX file and restore the hyperlinks.

See the working of the tool here:

The tool recovers all components of the Excel file including tables, charts, chart sheets, cell comments, images, formulas, and more. You can repair multiple worksheets and fix all dysfunctional Excel hyperlinks across multiple worksheets in a single workbook. Click on the workbook, select all worksheets and start repairing

Conclusion

Carefully read the possible causes behind the ‘Excel Hyperlinks not working’ issue to understand what resulted in the issue in the first place. If nothing helps, use Stellar Repair for Excel to restore the hyperlinks and save the result in a new Excel file, without interfering with worksheet properties and cell formatting.

Solutions to open Excel Read Only Documents

‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ is an error message that usually appears when you try to open an Excel (XLS or XLSX) file downloaded from the Internet, email, or the network server. It may also appear when you try to open an encrypted or password-protected Excel document. In such a case, MS Excel prevents the user from making any changes to the document.

Reasons behind the “Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be read-only or encrypted” Error

There could be several reasons that may cause the error. Some of them are as follows:

• Corrupt or damaged Excel workbook
• Incompatible or unsupported add-in
• Antivirus or malware software conflict
• Read-Only Excel file
• The file is encrypted
• File or drive read/write permissions issues
• Protected Excel workbook
• Damaged or missing MS Office (MS Excel) program files

Solutions to Open and Edit Read-Only Excel Documents

Below are a few solutions that can help you fix the ‘Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be read-only or encrypted’ error and allow you to open and edit Excel documents.

• Remove Read-only Attribute from Excel File Properties

The ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ error message may appear when the Excel file property is set to read-only. To check if this is the case, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the particular Excel (xls/xlsx) document and select ‘Properties’.
  • Uncheck the ‘Read-only’ attribute and then click the ‘OK’ button.

Now try to open the Excel document and check if the problem is fixed.

• Adjust Antivirus Settings

A few antivirus programs block Excel files and other Office documents by opening those in ‘read-only’ mode. In such cases, try adjusting the antivirus settings to open the Excel files normally. This will allow you to edit, modify, and save the Excel workbook without encountering the “Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be a read-only or encrypted” error message.

• Disable Protected-View

The error may appear when you try to open an Excel file received as email attachments or downloaded from unsafe source. The file may potentially contain viruses, worms, or other types of malware that could damage the system or the server.

To safeguard the system, MS Excel opens such files in Protected View. It may also open an Excel workbook in Protected Mode when it detects a problem with the file. This security feature allows you to read or view Excel files and reduces the risks to the computer system or PC.

However, you can click File > Info and then click ‘Edit Anyway‘ to access and edit file content. You may also disable the Protected View setting via File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings…> Protected View. However, we do not recommend this.

• Renew/Activate Microsoft Office

If MS Office is in a deactivated state or its subscription has expired, the Office documents, including the Excel, could be in ‘read-only reduced functionality mode.’

In such a scenario, activate Microsoft Office or renew the Office subscription. Then open the Excel workbook and check if the problem of ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ is resolved.

• Check if OneDrive Storage is Full

If Excel files are saved on OneDrive with low or no storage space, you may encounter such issues with your files.

To know the amount of free space on OneDrive, follow these steps:

• On your PC, open Settings and navigate to OneDrive.
  • Click ‘Sync Settings > File Storage‘ to see available space.

You may also visit onedrive.live.com, sign in to the account, and then check the available space. If there’s no space available or the drive is full, empty the storage space and see if the problem is resolved.

• Check and Update MS Office and Windows

Microsoft releases updates to fix known errors. Thus, it is critical to update both Windows and MS Office to the latest release and avoid issues, such as ‘Excel cannot access ‘xxx.xls.’ The Document may be read-only or encrypted.’

• Repair MS Office (MS Excel)

The error ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ may appear due to a problem with your MS Office (MS Excel) program. You can repair the MS Office program to resolve such errors. The steps are as follows:

• Open Control Panel and click Uninstall a Program link under Programs.
• Choose Microsoft Office from the list and click the Change button.

• Select Quick Repair and then click Repair to fix problems with MS Office and MS Excel. It will also restore any missing or damaged program files.

After the Repair, open the Excel workbook and check if the error is resolved.

• Check Permissions

The error message may also appear if you access an Excel workbook from a network or shared drive due to lack of write permission. Make sure you have read and write permissions assigned for the particular network drive. Alternatively, you can copy the file from the network drive and save it in your local folder to access and edit it without encountering this error message.

• Repair MS Excel File

If none of the solutions worked, the Excel workbook could be damaged or corrupt. To repair such damaged Excel workbook or spreadsheet, you can use the inbuilt ‘Open and Repair…’ option in MS Excel or install an Excel repair software , such as Stellar Repair for Excel. The software comes in handy when the Open and Repair option fails to fix the Excel workbook problems. It repairs the corrupt or damaged Excel workbook, extracts all components and content from the file with 100% integrity, and saves them in a new Excel workbook.

Conclusion

Sometimes, the ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ error can be resolved by a simple restart. But if it doesn’t work, you can follow the solutions discussed in this article to resolve the ‘Excel cannot open read-only documents’ issue.  However, if the issue is caused due to a damaged or corrupt Excel workbook, these methods may not work. In such a case, you can use Excel’s inbuilt repair utility, i.e., Open and Repair, or install Stellar Repair for Excel software recommended by MVPs and industry experts to fix all kinds of problems with MS Excel workbooks.

Recover Excel Files from Virus-Infected Pen Drives for Free

Summary: Imagine you lost your important Excel file on which you had been working since the morning and in the next moment you realized that the file was not saved and you just lost hours of work. Wondering how to deal with this situation? Read this blog to know how Stellar free data recovery software can help you.

From making annual reports to business growth representation figures, excel is a commonly used program for organizing data, creating pivot tables, charts etc. People from all walks of life, know the importance of Excel and the part it plays. Although it is a common file, there is a probability that you may accidentally delete excel files while working or are unable to access it due to unexpected errors. In addition, one of the major issues users face is to recover excel files from a virus infected pen drive.

Pen drives have made it possible to store and carry our important files such as excel, word document, photos, videos, etc. with us day in and day out. They just fit perfectly in our pockets and are compatible with almost every device; hence, they are widely used for transferring data from one system to another. But what if your pen drive is infected by a virus and due to it you end up losing your excel files, how will you recover your excel files for free?

A user reported that his pen drive got virus-infected and to remove the virus from it, he ran an antivirus program which removed the virus but also deleted excel files stored on it.

When your pen drive is infected by a virus, the first thing you ought to do is stop using it, even not for removing virus as an antivirus utility may remove your files as well. Further, if you have a backup, then you can recover your excel files from it, else you can use these free data recovery methods to recover your excel files.

1. Free File Recovery Software Approach

Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition is an easy to use tool to recover files from a virus-infected pen drive. The software is equipped with powerful utilities to recover lost and deleted files for free. Further, it supports a wide range of file systems and is efficient in recovering files such as Excel, emails, word files, photos, audio and video files.

Using Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition, you can recover your files from all storage devices for free. Here’s how the software works:

• From the website, download Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition. Connect your pen drive to your system and launch the software
• On ‘Select What to Recover’ screen, select file types from the given option that you wish to recover. For instance, if you want to recover photos, then under Multimedia Files, select ‘Photos’ and click on ‘Next’

• From ‘Select Location’ screen, select the connected pen drive and click ‘Scan’

• The scanning process starts and once the process is complete, software lists all the recoverable files

• Select the files from the list and click on ‘Recover’ to save the files

2. Restore Excel File from the Previous Version

If excel files are deleted from your pen drive or from your system; then you can recover them from the previous version. This feature works when Windows Backup option is enabled, else, it will not work.

Follow these steps to recover excel files:

• Connect your pen drive to your system, go to This PC and navigate to the folder of excel files
• Select the folder, right-click on it and select ‘Restore previous versions’
• From the available version of excel files, select the required one and click on ‘Restore’

3. Use Command Line to Recover Excel Files

The Command prompt should be your first choice to recover excel files from the virus-infected pen drive. Here’s how command prompt recovers your files:

• Connect your virus-infected pen drive to your system and then in the search box type ‘CMD’ and hit ‘Enter’
• In the command window, type in attrib –h-r-s /s/ drive letter:\*.*”, for example, “attrib -h -r -s /s /d G:\*.*” and hit ‘Enter’

• Windows starts repairing the virus-infected pen drive and once the process is complete, you can access your pen drive and recover excel files.

Even after following the above-mentioned steps you’re unable to recover your excel files, then try a Home approach i.e. a data recovery tool.

To Sum Up

It is always a good idea to create a backup of important files since no one can anticipate what might go wrong. The scenario presented in the blog paints a clear picture of how you can recover your Microsoft excel files for free from a virus-infected pen drive. For quick and better results, you can always go with Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition.

Data Disappears in Excel - How to get it back

Summary: You may face the issue of ‘Excel spreadsheet data disappeared’ after changing Excel file properties and formatting rows and columns. This blog discusses the possible reasons for data disappearance and the solutions to fix the issue. Also, it mentions an Excel file repair tool to retrieve the data from the file. Sometimes, while editing or formatting a cell in an Excel spreadsheet, the data may go missing or disappear. Let’s discuss in detail the reasons that may cause the ‘Excel data disappeared’ issue along with the solutions.

Probable Reasons for Data Disappearing in MS Excel and Solutions Thereof

Reason 1 – Unsaved Data

While entering data in an Excel spreadsheet, it is important to save the data at frequent intervals. Doing so prevents any unsaved data from disappearing if you lose power or accidentally click ‘No’ when prompted to save the file. Unfortunately, such a situation is quite common as users often close the file without saving the recently made changes to a spreadsheet.

Solution – Use the ‘AutoSave’ Feature

With the AutoSave feature enabled in Excel, data won’t be lost in the event of power failure or abruptly closing the Excel program. By default, Excel automatically saves the information in a spreadsheet after every 10 minutes. You can reduce the limit to a few seconds to reduce the chances of Excel file data lost after being saved.

Reason 2 – Changing Excel Format

You can save an Excel file in various formats, like spreadsheet, text, webpage, and more. However, at times, saving the spreadsheet in a different format may lead to missing data. For example, when you save a workbook to a text file format, all formulas and calculations applied to the data will be lost.

Solution – Adjust a Spreadsheet for the Changed Format

If you’re changing the format of a spreadsheet, make space for the rows and columns. Also, remove all calculations before saving the file.

Note: If the sheet is shared on multiple computers, then save the file in compatibility mode.

Reason 3 – Merging Cells

You can combine two or more cells data to make one large cell. This technique is primarily used to fit the text of a title in a sheet. If there is data in two or more cells, then only the data in the top-left cell is displayed and the data in all other cells is deleted. If the other merged cells have been populated with data after merging, the data is not featured and it does not appear even after remerging the cells.

Solution – Merge Cells inside One Column

To merge cells without data loss, combine all the cells you want to merge within a column and do the following:

• Select the cells to be combined.
• Ensure that column width is wide enough to fit the contents of a cell.
• In the spreadsheet, under the Editing group, click ‘Fill,’ and then click ‘Justify.’

• Under Alignment, click on the ‘Merge & Center’ option to center align the text. Or, click on ‘Merge Cells’.

Note: This solution works for text only. You cannot use it to merge formulas or any numerical values. If you need to combine two or more cells with formula into a single cell, try using the Excel CONCAT function .

Reason 4 – Cell Formatting

Cells and text in the cells can be displayed in different colors to make the spreadsheet simple to create and infer. You may experience data loss when you try to modify the data or change the color or size of the data. Though the information may exist, the data may show an error due to the following reasons:  

• White-colored text will not show in a white-colored cell
• Large font-sized data may not appear in small-sized cell
• Calculations may show (#VALUE) error after cell-formatting

Solution – Check and Clear Formatting

Make sure to use dark-colored text on a white-colored cell. Also, resize the cell to fit the text size. Check if numbers in a cell are entered as text. If so, you need to apply a number format to the text-formatted numbers. Read more about it, from here .

What Else You Can Do to Resolve the ‘Excel Data Disappeared’ Issue?

If you can’t recover the missing Excel file data, try to repair or extract the data from the file using the built-in Excel repair tool. Follow the below steps to use the tool:

• Open MS Excel, click File > Open > Computer > Browse.
• On the ‘Open’ window, select the file you want to repair and then click on the Open dropdown.
• Select Open and Repair.

Use the ‘Repair’ option to repair the file and recover as much data as you can from the repaired file. If this doesn’t work, use the ‘Extract’ option to recover the data.

If you fail to retrieve the disappeared data from that file using the above-listed steps, opt for an Excel repair tool , like Stellar Repair for Excel. This software has a proven track record of repairing corrupt or damaged Excel files and recover all the data.

The software helps:

• Fix all corruption errors. It helps in getting back the data which has disappeared.
• Repair a single as well as multiple Excel files.
• Recover all components of XLS/XLSX files – tables, chart sheet, cell comment, image and more.
• Preserve the worksheet properties and cell formatting.
• Support the latest Excel 2019 and earlier versions.

The Excel repair software repairs the Excel file in these simple steps:

• Launch and open the software.
• Select the corrupt Excel file by using the ‘Browse’ option. If the file location is not available, then find the Excel file using the ‘Search’ option.

• Click ‘Repair’ to scan the corrupt file.

• Once the repair process is complete, verify the components of Excel file and check if the available preview shows complete data that disappeared from Excel.

• Save file at default location or preferred location.

The Excel file with all the restored data will be saved at the selected location.

Conclusion

It is better to repair the affected Excel file than suffer the loss when data or text disappears in Excel. A professional software ensures that users get back all the data in the form of a new Excel file. Stellar Repair for Excel software repairs the corrupt file without modifying the original content and file format. The software’s easy-to-use user interface lets you perform the functions without formal software training and technical expertise.

Top 5 Ways to Fix Excel File Not Opening Error

Summary: MS Excel users sometimes face issues while using the MS Excel application. One such issue is the Excel file not opening error. In this post, we’ve mentioned the reasons that may result in this error and the ways to resolve it. Also, you’ll find about an Excel repair software that can help you repair corrupt Excel files.

Several Microsoft Excel users have reported encountering the ‘Excel file not opening’ error when opening their Excel file. There are several reasons that may cause this error. In this post, we’ll be discussing the reasons that may lead to the ‘Excel file not opening’ error and the top 5 ways to fix this error.

Why Does the ‘Excel File Not Opening’ Error Appear?

Following are some possible causes that may result in the ‘Excel file not opening’ error:

1. There may be a problem with an add-in that is preventing you from opening the Excel files.
2. There’s a chance that your Excel application is faulty.
3. Your Excel program is unable to communicate with other programs or the operating system.
4. The file association might have been broken. This is a common problem faced by users who have upgraded their Excel application or operating system.
5. The file you’re trying to open is corrupted.

5 Ways to Fix Excel File Not Opening Error

Let’s explore the ways to resolve the Excel file not opening error:

1. Uncheck the Ignore DDE Checkbox

Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)allows Excel to communicate with other programs. The Excel error may occur due to incorrect DDE settings. You need to ensure that the correct DDE configuration is enabled. Follow the steps provided below:

• Launch your MS Excel file.
• Go to File > Options.

• Now click on Advanced.

• Further, find the General option on the screen.

• Uncheck the option **‘Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)**’.
• Click OK to save the changes.

2. Reset Excel File Associations

When you launch your Excel file, the file association ensures that the Excel application is used to open the file. You can try to reset these associations and see if Excel opens after this. Proceed with the following steps to do so:

• Navigate to Start Menu and launch Control Panel.
• Now, navigate to Programs > Default Programs > Set Your Default Programs.

• A new window will open. Herein, find the Excel program in the list and select it. Now, select the option ‘Choose defaults for this program’. Click OK.

• A new window for ‘Set Program Associations’ will open.
• Check the box against the ‘Select All’ option.
• Further, click Save to reset the Excel File Associations settings.

3. Disable Add-Ins

Many people install third-party add-ins to enhance the application’s functionality. Sometimes, these add-ins can create an issue. Follow the below-mentioned steps to disable the problem creating add-ins:

• Launch MS Excel application.
• Navigate to File > Options > Add-ins.

• In the window that opens, go to the Manage option at the bottom.
• Herein, select the COM Add-ins option from the dropdown list. Click Go.

• In the COM Add-ins window, uncheck all the boxes to disable the add-ins. Click OK.

4. Repair MS Office Program

Sometimes the issue is not with your Excel file. Instead, the reason for the error can be a corrupt MS Office application. You can repair the program to fix the Excel file not opening error. Here are the steps:

• Press the Windows + R keys to launch the ‘Run’ dialog box.

• Enter the text ‘appwiz.cpl’ to launch the program and features window.

• Find the MS Office program in the list of applications.

• Right-click on it and select Change.

• In the new window, select the Quick Repair radio button. Click Repair.

• Follow the on-screen instructions to repair the Office application. Once the repair process is completed, you can try opening the Excel file to see if the problem is resolved.

5. Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

The hardware graphics acceleration assists in the system’s better performance, especially when you use MS Office applications, like MS Excel or Word. Sometimes, this causes the Excel file not opening issue. You can disable this option to try to resolve the issue. Here are the steps:

• Launch your MS Excel application.
• Navigate to File > Options > Advanced.
• Herein, go to the Display option.
• Uncheck the Disable hardware graphics acceleration checkbox. Click OK.

What If These Solutions Do Not Work?

If you have applied all the methods mentioned above and still cannot open your Excel file, there are chances that your file is corrupted. You can use a specialized Excel repair tool , such as Stellar Repair for Excel to repair the corrupted Excel file. This software has powerful algorithms that can scan and repair even severely corrupt Excel files, without any file size limitation. After repairing the file, it restores all the data, including tables, charts, rules, etc. to a new Excel, with 100% integrity.

To know how the software works, see the video below:

Conclusion

Before you proceed with resolving the Excel file not opening error, try to find out the root cause of this error. If you know the real reason, you can try the method right away. If the reason for the error is corruption in the Excel file, the best option is to repair the file using a professional Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel .

How to Fix a Corrupted .xls File? The Everything Guide

Undoubtedly, Excel is so powerful that it can help you to process, analysis, and store data, in masses.

That’s the reason it has been there for years and helping this world in data.

But…

With all those powers comes some nasty problems which no Excel users like to face. Can you guess what I’m talking about?

Think about a Corrupted Excel File. Nightmare? Isn’t it?

And do you remember that last time when you have opened a workbook and you got a message that this workbook is might corrupt?

The TRUTH is, this is something which you cannot avoid, but, you can prepare yourself in the best way and deal with it like a PRO.

So today, in this post, I’d like to share with you to everything you need to know about a corrupt Excel file (.xls), why it happens, how to fix it like a PRO, and much more.

…let’s get started.

Note: In this post, we’ll be covering the .xls version (which is the extension for the file which is created in Excel 2007 or the earlier versions) and if you want to know about the new version, here’s the quick fix for that.

Why My Excel File Got Corrupted?

There can be one or multiple reasons for an Excel file to get corrupted. Below I have detailed about some of the major of them.

1. Large Excel File

You can store data in a workbook the way you want but sometimes using excessive thing can make an Excel file bigger in size.

And that kind of data files can crash at any point in time. Here are a few things which make the Excel files heavy, like

• Conditional Formatting.
• Colors formatting.
• Using merged cells in place of text alignment.
• Volatile functions: Formulae that iterate every time you open or change a cell value; OFFSET, NOW.
• Using a complete column or row as a reference than the data set range.
• Using complex formulas; VLOOKUP in place of Index/Match, Nested If in place of MAXIFS, MINIFS.
• Calculations or reference across workbooks.

Related: How to Fix Formatting Issues in Excel

2. Abrupt System Shutdown

Shutting down the system without following the procedure can corrupt your data file.

This shut down can be due to a power failure or any other unexpected technical challenges.

So it is always important to follow the procedures and shut down your system properly to avoid data losses.

3. Infected Excel File (Virus Attack)

This is the most common and obvious reason for Excel file corruption.

Although we always keep our system safe using various Antiviruses, still there is always a probability of virus attacks and loss of important files.

It is always advised to use a safe and strong antivirus compatible with your system requirements.

What are the Signs to Know When an Excel File is Corrupted?

In this section, we will discuss what are the signs which you can get when an Excel file is corrupted, let’s dig into it.

1. The File is Corrupt and Cannot Be Opened

This is one of the most common messages you can see when your workbook is corrupted.

But there is also a chance that it is just because of the version compatibility where you have a .xls file but you are using the latest version of Excel check out this detailed post by Priyanka

2. We Found a Problem with some Content in this File…

There’s another error message which you can get while opening a file:

We Found a Problem with some content in Do you want us to recover as much as we can? If you trust the source of this workbook, click yes.

There are a lot of applications out there (I think almost every) which exports the data as a .xls format. Those files have a greater chance of having this kind of error.

3. “Filename.xls” cannot be accessed

There can also be a situation where you get the error:

“Filename.xls” cannot be accessed. The file may be corrupted, located on a server that is not responding.

Well, this message is a bit misleading.

You won’t be able to decide that your file is actually corrupted or just not on the location.

My Excel File Got Corrupted, now What Should I Do?

There are many ways to recover the data from the corrupt excel files. But before you start, it is always advised to create a copy of the corrupted file.

You can save a lot of time with Stellar Repair for Excel, which make data recovery just with few clicks.

But before you go for a data recovery software, let’s try out some manual steps which can help.

When a workbook get corrupted the first thing comes to the mind is to recover data from it…

…and you what there’s a simple option there in the Excel which you can use to do this. Below are the steps you need to follow:

• First of all, open the Excel and click on the office icon.

• After that, go to the “Open” and select the file which is corrupted.

• Now, click on the open drop-down and select “Open and Repair”.

• At this point, you have two options:

1. Repair File
2. Extract Data

Let’s get into both of these options one by one…

1. Repair File

This option helps you to repair the file and the moment you click on it it takes a few seconds afterward and shows you the result with a message box and also provide you a log file.

And once it is done with repairing, you’ll get your file opened and you can save that file as a new copy.

Yes, that’s it.

2. Extract Data

If somehow you aren’t able to get your file repaired, you can also extract data from that file using “Extract Data” option.

Even in this option, you can get data in two ways.

1. As Values
2. With Formulas

In the first option, Excel simply extracts data as value ignoring all the formulas driving those value (which is the best way if you just need to have that data back ).

But in the second option, Excel tries to recover the formulas as much as possible.

Check out this smart technique by Jyoti which you can use it you aren’t able to recover data from the file.

Preventions to Not to have any Excel File Go Corrupt in Future

Future is fragile, what I’m trying to say is the more you work in Excel and process data there could be a chance that your workbook goes corrupt.

If there’s no security then what an EXCEL POWER user should do?

Well, there are few things which you can do or take care of while working with Excel so that you won’t have to worry about corruption of Excel workbooks.

Let’s see what you can do…

1. Change Recalculation Option

Now here’s the thing when you work with a hell lot of data, there a common thing that you gotta using formulas. Right?

But, the thing these formulas are something which makes your Excel file slows down sometimes make them go corrupt.

There’s one small tweak you can do in your workbook is change the calculation method.

Now with the manual calculation, you just need to whenever you open your file it won’t recalculate all the formulas.

And when you update your data you can simply click on the “Calculate Now” and it will calculate all the formulas again.

Quick Tip: Beware of Volatile Functions and use them with caution as recalculates them every time you change something in the worksheet.

2. Use VBA Codes Instead of Formulas

Now, this is what I do when I need to use complex formulas in a workbook.

Here’s how you can do this: Let’s say you have a formula in the cell A1, like below, which calculates the age.

=“You age is “& DATEDIF(Date-of-Birth,TODAY(),”y”) &” Year(s), “& DATEDIF(Date-of-Birth,TODAY(),”ym”)& “ Month(s) & “& DATEDIF(Date-of-Birth,TODAY(),”md”)& “ Day(s).”

Now, instead of simply entering it into the cell A1 which I would write a macro code which inserts this formula into the cell A1 and then convert it into the a value.

Here’s the code:

Sub CalculateAge()
Range(“B1”).Value = _
“=””Your age is “”” & _
“&DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),””y””)” & _
“&”” Year(s), “”” & _
“&DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),””ym””)” & _
“&”” Month(s), and “”” & _
“&DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),””md””)” & _
“&”” Days(s).”””
Range(“B1”) = Range(“B1”).Value
End Sub

Note: To write these code you need to have basic understading of VBA (make sure check out this guide for this).

3. Use a File Recovery Application

Recently we asked a quick question to our readers on ExcelChamps that if they have ever faced a situation where they got a corruption message in Excel.

You’ll be astonied to hear that 50% percent of the people said “YES” they faced this thing in the past.

Now, this is alarming, if you are heading a team or you have a bunch of people in your company who use Excel…

…there’s a high probability that half of them gonna face this issue. So the best way to deal with this to have an App FIX your Excel file for you.

With STELLAR REPAIR FOR EXCEL, you just need a few clicks, yes that’s right. Let me show you with the below steps:

• First of all, download the app and install it (it’s simple).

• After that, open the app and click on the “Browse” and simply select the file which is corrupted.

• In the end, click on the REPAIR to let the Excel repair software fix your file (it takes a few seconds).

Once you complete repairing your file, you’ll get a message in your on the status bar and after that, you can open your file.

Final Thoughts

If you are a POWER Excel user then there’s a must for you to have known how to deal with a situation where you got a corrupt Excel file.

But I must recommend you to TRY OUT Stellar Repair for Excel so that’s you don’t have to worry about your Excel files anymore.

I’m sure you found this post helpful, and please don’t forget to share this tip with your colleagues, I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.