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 Repair Multiple Excel Files by Using Stellar

With Stellar Repair for Excel, it is quite easy and simple to repair multiple MS Excel (XLS and XLSX) files that are damaged. This is because the software has a self-explanatory interface and hence is a Do-it-yourself software. Nonetheless, when using this software to repair multiple Excel files, you would have to add all of the files into the software by following a few pre-defined steps. Follow the steps mentioned below:

• Launch Stellar Repair for Excel software.
• Under Home menu, click Select file

• Click Browse and select corrupt Excel files. Select the checkbox to repair multiple files.

• Click Repair
• The software provides the preview facility. You can check the it on left pane.

• Save the repired filr ether Default location or Select New Folder radio button.

Stellar Repair for Excel Stellar Repair for Excel is the best choice for repairing corrupt or damaged Excel (.XLS/.XLSX) files. This Excel recovery software restores everything from corrupt file to a new blank Excel file.

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How to fix runtime error 424 object required error in Excel

The Runtime error 424: Object required occurs when Excel is not able to recognize an object that you are referring to in a VBA code. The object can be a workbook, worksheet, range, variable, class, macro, etc. Some users have also reported that this error occurred when they tried to copy the values of the cells from one workbook to another.

Let’s understand the error through a small scenario. Suppose, I want to check the last field row in a table in a spreadsheet named “First” using the VBA code. To do this, I have added a command button and double-clicked on it and entered the below code in the backend:

Private Sub CommandButton2_Click()

Dim LRow As Integer

LRow = Worksheets(“First”).Cells(Rows.Count, 2).End(xlUp).Row

MsgBox (“Last Row “ & LRow)

End Sub

In this code, Worksheets(“First”) is a data object. If I mistakenly delete this data object and insert any random name (for example - kanada), then it will not be recognized by Excel. When I run this code, I will get the “Run-time error 424”.

Causes of Runtime Error 424 in Excel

The Runtime error 424: Object required can occur due to the following reasons:

• Incorrect name of the object you are trying to refer to in a code.
• You have provided an invalid qualifier to an object.
• You have not used the Set statement while assigning an object reference.
• The object is corrupted.
• Missing objects in a workbook.
• Objects you are trying to call in a code are mistakenly deleted or unavailable.
• You have used an incorrect syntax for object declaration.
• You are trying to perform an invalid action on an object in a code.
• Workbook is corrupted.

Solutions to Fix Runtime Error 424: Object Required in Excel

The VBA error ‘object required’ may occur due to different reasons. Based on the reason, you can follow the solutions mentioned below to fix the error.

1. Check the Name of the Object

The Runtime error 424 can occur when you run the VBA code using an incorrect name of the object. For example, the object name is ‘MyObject’ but you’re using “Backcolor”.

 When you click the Debug button, the line with the error will highlight.

To fix the issue, you need to provide the correct name of the object.

2. Check if the Object is Missing

 The Runtime error 424 can occur if the object you are referring to as a method is not available or you are using the wrong object in a code. In the below example, you can see that the error occurs when an object named “Employee” is not available in the Project list.

 You can check and mention the object which is available. For instance, Sheet2 in the below code.

3. Check All References are Declared in the Code

You can get the Runtime error 424 if all the references are not declared. So, make sure you have declared all the references in the code. To verify this, you can use the debug mode by pressing F5 or clicking on the Debug option.

4. Check the Macro Security Settings

Sometimes, the error can occur if macros are disabled in the Macro Security settings. You can check and change the settings by following these steps:

• On the Developer tab, in the Code section, click Macro Security.
• In the Trust Center window, select Enable all macros.

• Click OK.

5. Repair your Workbook

Sometimes, the ‘Object required’ error can occur if your Excel file is damaged or corrupted. In such a case, you can try repairing the file using Microsoft’s in-built utility - Open and Repair. To use this utility, follow these steps:

• In Excel, go to File > Open > Browse.
• In the Open dialog box, click on the corrupted Excel file.
• Click the arrow next to the Open button and select Open and Repair from the dropdown.
• Select Repair to recover as much data from the file as possible.

If the Open and Repair utility fails or stops working, then you can try a professional Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel . It is an advanced tool that can repair severely corrupted Excel files (.xls, .xlsx, .xltm, .xltx, and .xlsm). It helps recover all the file components, including images, charts, tables, pivot tables, cell comments, chart sheets, formulas, etc., without impacting the original structure.

Conclusion

The Runtime error 424 usually occurs when there is an issue with the objects in your VBA code. In this article, we have covered some effective methods to resolve the “object required” error in Excel. If the error occurs due to corruption in Excel file, then you can repair the corrupt file using Stellar Repair for Excel. It is a reliable tool that can repair severely corrupted Excel file without changing its actual formatting. You can download the free trial version of the software to evaluate its functionality.

Excel AutoRecover not working, what is next?

Consider a Scenario

A professional with Windows 10 computer had MS Office 2016 installed on it. For an official purpose, he worked on an Excel workbook and saved it as an XLSX file. After working for hours on it, which was saved with a file name, a power outage occurred in his building for quite some time. After the power was back, he reopened Excel to find a list of recovered files in ‘Document Recovery’ section on the screen’s left side. However, the file that he had worked on recently was the ‘Original version,’ i.e. the last version saved by him and not the auto-saved Excel file. This meant the Excel document did not have any new data that was entered since the last time he saved it. Consequently, he lost hours of work. According to him, this happened despite the fact that the ‘AutoRecover’ feature was enabled. (Still, this needs to be checked and ensured.)

The ‘AutoRecover’ feature might not work in any of these cases:

• AutoRecover Feature is disabled - With this feature disabled, the Excel files are not auto-saved if the document is closed without saving, or the document closes unexpectedly due to an untoward incidence. To check, see if ‘Save AutoRecover information every * minutes’ and ‘Keep the last auto-saved version if I close without saving’ checkboxes are checked or unchecked. If either one is unchecked or both are unchecked, it signifies that the AutoRecover feature is disabled. Else, the AutoRecover is enabled.
• Corruption in the Excel XLSX file – If ‘AutoRecover’ is enabled, most probably the cause is ‘damaged Excel XLSX file.’

Before discussing solutions to resolve the ‘Excel AutoRecover not working’ issue, let’s have an overview of the ‘AutoRecover’ and ‘AutoSave’ features.

A Brief Overview of Excel AutoRecover and AutoSave Feature

AutoRecover is an inbuilt feature in MS Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2003, and 2007 that allows saving all of the ‘open Excel files’ at a fixed-interval in a user-specified location or AutoRecover file location. Besides, AutoSave is an add-in that exists in Excel 2002 and earlier versions to save all open Excel files in case of a crash, power outage, or accidental closure of Excel files without saving. Users can recover these files if Excel closes suddenly, for instance, at the time of power outage or failure. The auto-recovered Excel files are saved at a default location.

Methods to Fix ‘Excel AutoRecover Not Working’ Issue

Manual Methods

Method 1 - Enable the ‘AutoRecover’ Feature if Disabled

Make sure that you have the ‘AutoRecover’ feature enabled in your Excel application. If not, follow these steps to enable it:

• Open Excel with MS Excel 2016/2019
• Click on File and then on Options tab
• In ‘Excel Options’, click on Save tab
• Check ‘Save AutoRecover information every * minutes’ and ‘Keep the last auto saved version if I close without saving’ box
• Set the time in ‘Save AutoRecover information every * minutes’
• Click on the OK button

Note: With this method, it is not possible to recover data from the current Excel file. From next time onwards, the AutoRecover feature starts working following which Excel shall start auto-saving Excel files as per the time set in ‘Save AutoRecover information every * minute’.

Method 2 - Repair Corrupt Excel File

If corruption in Excel XLSX file has resulted in ‘Excel AutoRecover not working’ issue, you will need to repair Excel file . Use ‘Open and Repair’ inbuilt utility to fix and repair the damaged (corrupt) Excel file and extract its data. To use the inbuilt utility, execute the following steps:

• Go to location “C:\Users\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles” to find Excel TMP files and save it as XLSX file

Note: In Windows 8, the location is the same as mentioned above that is for Windows 10. In Windows 7, the location is “C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\”

• Open a blank Excel sheet; click File >> Open
• Go to the location and folder containing the damaged Excel file
• In the Open dialog box, choose the damaged Excel file and click the arrow next to the Open button, and then click Open and Repair
• In the window that appears, click Repair to recover as much data as possible

Now, open the Excel (XLSX) file to check if the Excel file is repaired and its data is recovered.

Use a Professional Excel File Repair Tool

Using a third-party Excel file repair tool can help you repair damaged Excel XLSX file and recover all the data. Stellar Repair for Excel  is one tool you can rely on to repair severely corrupt Excel files (XLSX or XLS).

Here are a few other reasons why you should choose Stellar Repair for Excel software:

• Repairs Excel file while keeping the worksheet properties and cell formatting same as before.
• Recovers all of the Excel file components like tables, forms, reports, charts, chart sheets, cell comments, formulas, images, etc.
• Can batch repair multiple Excel files simultaneously
• Supports Excel 2019 and earlier versions

Conclusion

To help resolve the problem of ‘AutoRecover not working’, different methods have been discussed, depending on the cause of the problem. These solutions can be implemented to check the possibility of getting back maximum data added in last saved version of the Excel file. However, to fix corruption in the excel file, using a specialized tool such as Stellar Repair for Excel software recommended by MS Excel Experts and MVPs can help. The software can repair severely damaged Excel file easily and efficiently.

[Fixed] Excel Found a Problem with One or more Formula

Summary: The error ‘Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet’ may appear while saving the Excel workbook. It occurs when Excel found a problem with the formula used in the sheet. However, it may also occur when the Excel workbook gets damaged or corrupt. In this guide, we’ve explained the reasons that may lead to this Excel error and methods to resolve the error, by using various Excel options and a third-party Excel file repair software.

If you are experiencing the ‘Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet’ error message in the Excel workbook, it indicates that the Excel file is corrupt or partially damaged. However, it may also occur due to incorrect reference to a wrong cell or object linking, which is not working. The complete error message says,

‘Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet. Check that the cell references, range names, defined names, and links to other workbooks in your formulas are all correct.’

In any case, resolving the error is critical as it doesn’t let you save the file and may result in loss of information from the Excel workbook.

Reasons for Excel Formula References Error

A few reasons that may lead to such error are as follows,

• Wrong formula or reference cell
• Incorrect object linking or link embedding OLE
• Empty or no values in named or range cells
• Multiple Excel files (not common)

Methods to Resolve ‘Excel Found a Problem with One or More Formula References in this Worksheet’ Error

Following are a few methods that you can follow to fix Excel file that can’t be saved due to problems with one or more formula references in the worksheet.

Method 1: Check Formulas

If the problem has occurred in a large Excel workbook with multiple sheets, it’s quite hard to pinpoint the problem cell. In such cases, you can use the Error Checking option that runs a scan and checks for a problem with formulas used in the worksheet.

To run Error Checking in the Excel sheet, follow these steps,

• Go to Formulas and click on the ‘Error Checking’ button

• This runs a scan on the sheet and displays the issues, if any. If no issue is found, it displays the following message,

The error check is completed for the entire sheet.

In such a case, you can try saving the Excel file again. If the error message persists, proceed to the next method.

Method 2: Check Individual Sheet

The problem may also occur due to an issue with one of the sheets in the workbook. To find the faulty sheet and fix the problem, you can copy each sheet content in a new Excel file and then try to save the Excel file.

This will help you find the faulty sheet from the workbook that you can review. This method makes the entire process of troubleshooting Excel formula reference error quite easy and convenient.

In case the error is not fixed, you can back up the faulty sheet content and remove it from the workbook to save the Excel file.

Method 3: Check Links

When the Excel file contains external links with errors, MS Excel may display such error messages. To check and confirm if external links are causing the error, follow these steps,

• Navigate to Data Tab > Queries & Connections > Edit Links
• Check the links. If you find any faulty link, remove it and then save the sheet

Method 4: Review Charts

You can review the charts to check if they are causing the formula reference error in Excel. It may take a while based on the size of the Excel file. Sometimes, it’s not practically possible to track down which Excel chart object is causing the error. Thus, you need to check specific locations, such as:

1. Check horizontal axis formula inside Select Data Source dialog box
2. Check Secondary Axis
3. Check linked Data Labels, Axis Labels, or Chart Title

Method 5: Check Pivot Tables

To check Pivot Tables, follow these steps,

• Navigate to PivotTable Tools > Analyze > Change Data Source > Change Data Source…

• Check if any of the formula used is problematic. Sometimes small typo, such as misplaced comma, can lead to such problems in Excel. Thus, check each formula thoroughly and correct the formulas wherever needed.

Method 6: Use Excel Repair Software

When none of the methods resolve the error, then you can rely on advanced Excel repair software , such as Stellar Repair for Excel. It’s a powerful tool that is recommended by several MVPs and IT administrators for resolving common Excel errors, such as ‘Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet.’

It repairs corrupt or damaged Excel (.xls/.xlsx) files, recovers Pivot tables, charts, etc., and save them in a new Excel worksheet. It helps Excel users, facing formula reference error, restore their Excel file without any risk of data loss, while preserving the sheet properties and formatting with 100% precision.

Conclusion

Although the error ‘Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet’ can be resolved by using various options in MS Excel, it may lead to a partial loss of information. Thus, you must perform these operations after taking a backup of the Excel worksheet. Also, if the MS Excel options fail to resolve the problem, you can use an Excel file repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Excel. The software helps fix Excel file corruption and restores the information and data from corrupt or damaged Excel files (.xls/.xlsx) to a new worksheet.

Resolve Compile Error in Hidden Module in Excel: Causes & Solutions

The hidden module in Excel refers to a container with VBA codes, custom queries, and complex macros. The compile error in a hidden (protected) module in the Excel worksheet usually occurs when doing different activities on a macro-enabled sheet, such as merging .xls files. The error can result in macros execution failure. You need to quickly resolve this compile error to restore full functionality of the VBA code. Below, we’ll be discussing the solutions to fix this Excel error. But before that, let’s see why this error occurs.

You may encounter the Compile error in hidden module due to one of the following reasons:

• The code in the workbook is not compatible with the Excel application.
• Manual queries created in a previous version are no longer compatible with your current version of Excel.
• Missing references.
• Invalid .exe files (control information cache files) are automatically created with ActiveX control insertion in Excel file.
• Protected module is corrupted.
• The workbook with hidden module is damaged or corrupted.
• Incompatible add-ins.
• Incompatible Excel file version.
• The module is protected or password-protected.
• Missing or corrupted mscomctl.ocx file.

Excel can throw the compile error while compiling the code that exists in the protected module. So, first check the error and identify the hidden module that is creating the issue. You can unprotect the module. Also, ensure that you have permission to access the VBA code in the module. If the error still exists, follow the below troubleshooting methods.

Method 1: Re-register ActiveX Control Files or mscomctl.ocx Files

You can get the compile error in the Excel file, containing the VBA code related to ActiveX controls or OCX files. The ActiveX control files and OCX files (mscomctl.ocx files) are the components of Microsoft’s standard controls library. The compile error in the hidden module can occur if these files are missing. In this case, you can use the Regsvr32 tool to re-register the OCX files. The Regsvr32  is a command-line utility to register and unregister OLE controls in the Windows registry.

Method 2: Delete .exd Files

 The .exd files are temporary files created by Excel when inserting ActiveX controls objects. These temporary files can lead to a compile error if they are corrupted. So, if this issue has occurred, particularly in the Excel file containing ActiveX controls, then deleting .exd files might fix the issue. To delete the .exd file, follow the below steps:

• First, open the Run window by pressing the Windows+R keys.

• In the Run window, type %appdata%.

• In the Roaming window, click on the Microsoft option.

• Under Microsoft, you will see a list of folders. Search and click on Forms.
• Right-click on a file with .exd extension and select Delete.
• Once you delete the .exd files, restart your Excel application.

Method 3: Rollback the Office Updates

MS Office updates or upgrades may also cause the compile error in hidden module in Excel. If the error has occurred after downloading the recent Microsoft Office updates, try reverting to the previous version or uninstalling the recent updates to fix the issue.

Method 4: Unselect Missing References

The compile error in hidden module determine path in Excel can also occur if your file contains a reference to object library/type library, which is labelled as Missing. You can locate, check, and uncheck the references marked as ‘Missing’ to fix the issue. Here are the steps:

• Open your Excel and press Alt + F11 keys.
• The Visual Basic Editor is displayed.

• Go to the Tools option and then click References.

• In the References-VBAProject window, under Available References, search and unselect the references starting as “Missing”.

• Click OK.

Method 5: Check the Code in Module

The compile error in hidden module can occur if there are issues in the code within the module. The problems include incorrect or missing syntaxes, missing parameters/references, or the code contains incompatible functions or a wrong name of the object. You can check and fix these issues in the code by opening the VBA editor.

Method 6: Check and Remove Add-ins

In Excel, the compile error in macro-enabled files can also occur due to incompatible add-ins. You can check and disable the add-ins in Excel using the below steps:

• First, open the Run window and type excel /safe and then click OK. The Excel application will open in safe mode.
• Now try to open the affected Excel file. If it opens without the error, then check and remove the latest installed Excel add-ins.
• Navigate to the File option and then select Options.
• In the Excel Options window, click Add-ins.

• Under Add-ins, search and select the latest add-ins, and then click on Go.
• In the Add-ins window, uncheck the add-ins and then click OK.

• Restart Excel and then check if the error is fixed or not.

Method 7: Repair the Corrupt Excel File

Corruption in the Excel file can affect the macros in the hidden module, which may result in the compile error. In such a case, you can try repairing the Excel file using Microsoft’s inbuilt utility -Open and Repair. To use this tool, follow these steps:

• Open your Excel application.
• Click the File tab and then click Open.
• Click Browse to select the affected workbook.
• The Open dialog box will appear. Click on the corrupted file.
• Click the arrow next to the Open button and then Open and Repair.
• You will see a dialog box with three buttons - Repair, Extract Data, and Cancel.

• Click on the Repair button to recover as much of the data as possible.
• After repair, a message is displayed. Click Close.

What if None of the Above Solutions Works?

If the above methods fail to get rid of the “compile error in hidden module” in Excel, then use an Excel repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Excel. This tool is specifically designed to repair the corrupted Excel file. It can recover all the components from corrupted Excel file (macros, queries, formulas, etc.) without changing their original formatting. The tool is compatible with all Excel versions and can be downloaded on a Windows system. You can download the free trial version of Stellar Repair for Excel to scan the corrupted Excel file and preview the data.

Closure

You can get the “compile error in hidden module” when Excel detects any issue while compiling the code in a protected module. It can occur when there is an issue with the macro-enabled Excel workbook or Excel add-ins. You can follow the above-mentioned methods to fix the issue. If the error occurs due to corruption in the database file, then you can try Stellar Repair for Excel . It can repair severely corrupted Excel files. It also helps recover all the Excel workbook’s components, including macros and queries. The tool has a simple and user-friendly interface.

How to repair ‘recovered’ Excel file that won’t open

Summary: You may unable to open the Excel file after file recovery. When you try to open the file you may prompt up with error messages. This blog will discuss those errors and their solutions. Besides this, it also mentions Stellar Repair for Excel to repair and recover the severely corrupted Excel file with no data loss.

Consider a scenario: A Windows 10 user accidentally deletes a folder containing multiple Excel (XLSX) files created in Excel 2013. The worst part was all the deleted files were important, and he did not have a backup, which would help him in restoring the data. Nonetheless, he was able to recover those data using a professional data recovery software. Next, he tried opening each of the recovered Excel files one by one. In doing so, his happiness turned into disappointment. And the reason was, some of the recovered Excel files failed to open prompting error messages, of course, due to corruption. In this scenario, all he needed was to repair ‘recovered’ Excel files that did not open. Know how to fix damaged Excel files that were recovered after deletion in this blog!

Before delving into the Excel file repair methods, acquaint yourself with the probable causes leading to damaged or corrupt Excel files. Although not essential, it shall be an added advantage in helping you to prevent Excel file corruption issues in the future.

The standard Excel file(s) Corruption Causes

• Power Outage – A power outage due to which a system closes suddenly or unexpectedly is a common cause of damaged Excel files.
• Forced System Shutdown – Shutting down the system forcibly without closing MS Excel files is another common cause of corrupt Excel files.
• PC Virus or Bug – Computer viruses or bugs may affect one or more data file if owners do not protect their PCs with powerful updated antivirus. Same is the case with malware attacks. The chances are that your computer is infected with one of these and has affected a few Excel files.
• Issues with Storage Devices – Damaged or corrupted Excel files can also be the outcome of hard drive issues in the data storage systems. Logical hard drive damage is one of the most significant issues.

The damaged Excel files may prompt up with error messages. These may be:

• ‘Excel unable to read file’
• ‘Filename is not valid’
• ‘This file is not in a recognizable format’
• ‘abc.xls file cannot be accessed. The file may be read-only’
• ‘Excel found unreadable content in (filename)’, ‘The file is corrupt and cannot be opened’
• ‘Microsoft Excel has encountered a problem and needs to close’

There exist multiple methods to repair Excel files which got damaged after recovery, and are as follows: XML method,

• Open Excel files with HTML
• Inbuilt ‘Open and Repair’ feature/tool in Excel
• Repair damaged Excel file from TMP file by using Excel AutoRecover and AutoBackup features
• Recover data by configuring ‘calculation option’ as manual
• Moving/copying or transferring data to a different location
• Stellar Repair for Excel software

Taking Stellar software versus other methods, the former is a software solution that repairs damaged (XLS and XLSX) file quickly in major three steps: Select->Repair->Save, whereas others fall into the category of manual processes and consume both time and resources. Among the manual processes ‘Open and Repair’ method is the least time and resource consuming, which you can try quickly by following the below steps:

Open and Repair method

1. Click MS Excel tab and then the Open tab
2. Select the damaged Excel file for repairing purpose
3. Click the arrow present beside the Open Next, click Open and Repair tab
4. Click either of the following:
   • Repair tab (recovers maximum data)
   • Extract Data tab (Recovers values and formulas if the repair process fails in recovering the complete data.)

Note – Use ‘Extract Data’ if ‘Repair’ is not successful.

If the Manual method is not competent enough to repair recovered Excel files that don’t open then opt for a software-based solution of deploying Stellar Repair for Excel software.

Software with 100% integrity and precision

Conclusion

As an automated software, Stellar Repair for Excel is easy-to-use. You do not need technical know-how and skill set, as required to execute the manual processes. On analyzing all these methods, it is suggested to use Stellar Repair for Excel having a user-friendly GUI to repair Excel files that became damaged after recovery, or if the recovered Excel file(s) that you once deleted accidentally has become corrupt now. Above all, it is an excellent software with multiple features and advantages. Use it to address all your MS Excel issues or if any recovered Excel file is corrupt.