‘Unable to Save Excel Workbook’ Issue [Fix 2024]

Summary: You may unable to save your Excel Workbooks due to several reasons. Many users have reported this issue on the Tech Forums. This blog will discuss a few instances when users cannot save their Excel files. It lists the causes behind the issue and their possible solutions. It also mentions the Stellar Repair for Excel to fix the saving error if it is due to corruption in the Excel file.

It is easy to work with Microsoft Excel but sometimes, the application may create issues thereby hampering the smooth functioning of the workbook. One such issue is “unable to Save Excel Workbook”.

Let’s take a look at the issue of Unable to Save Excel Workbook

Instance 1:

In an organization, users connected to one of the servers (Windows 2008 R2) using Citrix – a Terminal Server configured with Windows 2008 R2 –and accessed their data through a File Server, also configured with Windows 2008R2. Since the connectivity to Shared Drive was established through a Terminal server, any conflict amongst the server configuration may create conflict in shared file.

This issue was discussed at length at one of the Tech Forums , where the users were unable to access their workbooks stored on the shared drive. The File menu did not work. As a result, the users were forced to save the workbook by creating quick access shortcuts or locally on the desktop. In many cases, the saving option was ruled out completely.

Instance 2:

A similar problem was reported, wherein the users received an error when saving an Excel workbook after inserting a chart in an existing workbook (previously saved) or copying values from an existing workbook. A system is configured with Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 10 configuration. The issue arises when the user is unable to save the changes after editing in a saved spreadsheet. The following message displays on the screen:

Figure: Unable to Save Excel WorkBook Issue

Further, if the user clicks ‘Continue’, the following error message is received:

“Excel encountered errors during save. However, Excel was able to minimally save your file to <**filename.xlsx**>”.

Note: This issue impacts build Version 1707 (Build 8326.2086) and later, and also only occurs with files that are stored locally, such as on the desktop. This problem does not occur if you manually enter values or insert a chart in a newly created workbook.

Plausible reasons for the ‘Unable to save Excel workbook’ Issue

1. The issue was detected in Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 32-bit, Service Pack 14.0.6029.1000.
2. Excel version on the user system may or may not match with Excel version on File server.
3. The issue of ‘Unable to Save Excel Workbook’ impacts only the Build Version 1707 (Build 8326.2086) and later.
4. In case of Issue 2, the problem surfaces when the user adds files, tables or charts in the locally saved excel files, such as on the desktop.

Methods to fix the ‘Unable to Save Excel Workbook’ Issue

There may be an issue with the Build version or the Registry Values settings may not be appropriate, which does not allow the Excel workbooks to save.

But, before starting to resolve the issue, verify the following:

1. The location where the file is to be saved may not have enough space to save the Excel file: Check the available space and save again. You may also use the option of ‘Save As’ to save the file at a new location.
2. Excel file may be a shared one where edits are not allowed by a specific user: There are restrictions attached to documents and other files shared over the network. Check for these restrictions.
3. Antivirus may interrupt in during file saving: Antivirus in the system may not allow saving of the files. Request the system administrator to uninstall the antivirus and reinstall after saving.
4. The file is not saved within 218 characters: If the file is not saved due to the naming issue, then check the character length and try again.
5. Differences in Windows versions of the local system and those on network drive may cause excel not saved issues. Check that all the systems have the same configuration and are updated to the recently available versions.
6. Excel spreadsheet is corrupt: If none of the above factors have not caused hindrance in saving the file, then there may be a probability of corruption in the Excel spreadsheet .

Once verified, look for a healthy and restorable backup. If backup is missing, resolve the issue of “Unable to open Excel File” with manual settings on local system or through a reliable Excel repair software.

Method 1: Modify Registry Entries

If multiple users are unable to access their workbooks stored on the shared drive and facing unable to save Excel file problem (see Instance 1 above), then follow the below steps:

1. Go to ‘Registry Entry’. To do this, type ‘regedit’ in the Start Search box, and press ENTER

Figure: Edit Registry

2. You are prompted for the administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue
3. Locate the following registry subkey, and right-click it: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CSC

Figure: CSC Location

4. Point the cursor to New, and click Key

Figure: Create new key

5. Type ‘File Parameters’ in the available box

Figure: File parameters

6. Right-click Parameters, point the cursor to New, and click DWORD (32-bit) Value

Figure: File parameter (DWORD – 32 bit) value

7. Type ‘FormatDatabase’, and press ‘ENTER’. Right-click ‘FormatDatabase’, and click ‘Modify’

Figure: Modify format database

8. In the Value data box, type ‘1’, and click ‘OK’

Figure: Value data

9. Exit ‘Registry Editor’
10. Restart the system and verify if the files can be saved now

Method 2: Try Google Uploads

If the user is unable to save the changes after editing in a locally saved spreadsheet (see Instance 2 above), then follow these steps:

1. Upload the unsaved Excel file to Google Docs. Ensure that the file gets converted to Google Sheets format.
2. Check if all the formulae are active and working.
3. Make changes to the Google Sheet and verify that all the changes are working fine.
4. Use the Google Sheets export feature to download the file in Excel format.

Method 3: Resolve manually with Open and Repair

If the Excel file is found to have corruption, try out the Excel Open and Repair utility:

1. Open a blank Excel File. Go to File and Click Open.
2. Go to Computers and click Browse.
3. Access the Location and Folder and click the arrow icon beside Open followed by Open and Repair.

Figure: Illustrates Steps to use ‘Open and Repair’ method

The Open and Repair utility is not competitive enough and may not fix corruption in severely corrupted files. Hence, if you are unable to save Excel workbook after applying the manual methods, then you can search for a useful software-based repair utility.

Method 4: Excel File Repair Software

Specifically meant to resolve Excel file corruption. Stellar Repair for Excel helps you to repair every single object including charts, tables, their formatting, shared formulae and rules and more.

1. Install and Open the software and select the corrupt Excel File. You can also click the Find option if the file location is not known.
2. Click Scan and allow the software to scan and repair the corrupt Excel file.
3. Once repaired, the software displays the fixed file components to verify its content.
4. Click Save to save the file data in a blank new file as ‘Recovered_abc.xls’, where abc.xls is the name of the original file.

See the working of the software which has been declared as a tool that provides 100% integrity and precision.

The Excel repair software takes care to save the repaired data in a new file to minimize the chances of further corruption.

Conclusion

‘Unable to save Excel file’ is a generic problem that may appear due to various reasons. In this blog post, we presented some of the actual instances reported by users on community forums.

Windows updates, the Build versions, the Service Packs of the local systems and those on the network drive must be either similar or in sync with each other. Any deviation may cause issues in accessing or saving the Microsoft files, as reported in Instance 1 is caused where user is unable to save Microsoft Excel file on the Network Drive. In case, the user is unable to save the file on network drive then the problem lies with the Registry value.

Another case is when the users receive an error while saving an Excel workbook after they insert a chart in an existing workbook or copying values from an existing workbook. This issue is known to affect build Version 1707 (Build 8326.2086) and later, and only occurs with locally stored files.

When a user is unable to save a specific Excel file, then the problem can be resolved using the manual methods or the software based utility. The mode of repair depends upon the level of corruption in Excel file.

Hence, it is suggested to analyze the nature of the problem and decide an appropriate resolution method.

Best Excel Repair Software till Date - Try Now

Summary: In this blog, we overview and conclude Stellar Repair for Excel as Best Excel Repair software till date – based on its distinctive features and capabilities. Also, you’ll get to know what makes it the top Excel repair software from the perspective of recognized review websites, tech community forums, and users. In addition, you’ll find the simple and step-wise process of repairing Excel by using the software.

Corruption in Excel files can hamper workflow, bringing productivity to a halt. And what can be more concerning is that you may lose sensitive data if the corrupt or damaged file is not repaired on time. An Excel file may get corrupted due to various reasons.

Common Reasons Behind Excel File Corruption

• Abrupt system shutdown
• Human errors such as accidental deletion, formatting, or overwriting an Excel workbook
• Damaged Excel installation
• Hardware failure
• Virus infection or malware attack
• Bad sectors on the hard drive on which Excel files reside
• Large-sized Excel file

Regardless of the reason, manually troubleshooting corruption errors in an Excel file can drain time, resources and may even cause data loss. However, using a third-party professional tool such as Stellar Repair for Excel can save you the manual efforts and time in repairing Excel files, keeping the original data intact.

What Makes Stellar Repair for Excel the Best Software?

While there is no dearth of Excel file repair tools, Stellar Repair for Excel software has garnered considerable interest and positive reviews by MVPs . The software has remarkable features that make it the Excel file repair specialist.

Key Features of Stellar Repair for Excel Software

Though the software encompasses several great features and a simple-to-use and intuitive user interface, some of the key features that make it the best Excel repair software are:

• Restores Excel (XLS / XLSX) File in Original, Intact State

The software repairs corrupt Excel files and restores all the data in the original format. Also, it helps restore the original properties of cell formatting of the workbook.

• Capability to Resolve all Excel Related Errors

Most errors that crop up unexpectedly while working with Excel files are the result of damages caused due to human errors, virus infection, power surges, etc. The software can help you easily fix corrupted Excel files to get rid of errors such as “Excel is not responding ”, “Excel found unreadable content in name.xls ”, “Excel cannot open the file filename.xlsx”, etc.

• Real-Time Pre-Recovery Preview

It provides users with the opportunity to preview recoverable Excel file items before saving them. This helps users estimate how much data they will be able to salvage by using the tool, thus helping them make an informed decision about investing in the software.

Besides these features, some other aspects that make the software a recommended choice for Excel repair are as follows:

• 100% Secure****: Downloading and installing this software is 100% safe and secure, since Norton antivirus security comes installed with it.
• Tested by MVPs****: Stellar Repair for Excel software is tried and tested by credible MVPs.
• Allows Testing before Purchase: The software’s demo version lets you understand the tool and its advantages before buying it.
• Stellar is Microsoft Gold Partner****: The software’s vendor, Stellar Data Recovery, is a certified Gold partner for Microsoft.

Stellar Repair for Excel – The Most Recommended Software

Check out the user ratings and reviews to understand why Stellar Repair for Excel ranks as the top Excel file repair software, and why you should choose it over its competitors:

• Capterra – 4/5

A user has shared how effectively the Stellar Repair for Excel software repaired and restored the corrupted Excel file.

• g2.com – 4.5/5

The Excel Repair software got a rating of 4.5/5 on g2.com based on the positive reviews of the users.

• Softpedia – 3.5/5

Softpedia gave the product a rating of 3.5/5 and reported it as 100% clean (meaning without malware).

Support and Compatibility
Stellar Repair for Excel software supports the latest MS Excel versions 2019, 2016, 2013, and lower versions. It can operate smoothly on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and earlier operating systems.
System Requirements
Stellar Repair for Excel requires a minimum Pentium Class Processor with 2 GB minimum memory and 250 MB of free storage drive space.

How to Use Stellar Repair for Excel Software to Repair Excel Files?

Follow these steps for repairing damaged or corrupt Excel files:

• Run the software and from the main software screen, select the corrupt Excel files you want to repair by clicking Browse or Search.

• Once the file is selected, click Repair to begin repairing the corrupt file.

• When the scanning finishes, all recoverable data is displayed in the left-pane of the preview window. Click on any item to preview its content in the right-pane.

• For saving the file, click the Save File button on the Home menu.
• When prompted, select a target location to save the repaired file and click OK.

The repaired Excel file will now get saved in the selected target location.

Concluding Lines

Stellar Repair for Excel  software empowers users to repair Excel (.XLS/.XLSX) files and restore worksheet data in the event of file corruption and data loss. More importantly, the software performs granular-level recovery to restore the complete file items while preserving worksheet properties and visual representation.

How to repair corrupt Excel file

Stellar Repair for Excel is an excellent tool to repair corrupt or damaged MS Excel files. Mentioned below are the steps to perform Excel repair with this tool:

• Download & Run the Stellar Repair for Excel.

• A dialog box appears on your screen, click ‘OK’ to proceed.

• To select your corrupt .XLS or .XLSX file, click ‘Browse’ button. However, if you do not know the location of your .XLS or .XLSX file, the software provides you the option ‘Search’ to search for your corrupt Excel files.

• Select the checkboxes against the files that you want to repair and click ‘Repair’. This starts the scanning process.

• The list of all the files that the software has scanned is displayed in the tree-view in the left pane. Click on a file from this tree-view to see its preview in the middle pane. From this list, you can select the file that you want to recover.

• You can either select the ‘Default location of file’ or ‘Select New Folder’ in the ‘Save Document’ dialog box to save the repaired files.

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 Excel Formulas Not Working Properly | Step-by-Step Guide

Summary: Excel formulas sometimes fail to function correctly and even return an error. This article explains what you might be doing wrong that prevents Excel formulas from working properly and solutions to resolve the issue. If your formulas have disappeared from the Excel spreadsheet and you are having trouble recovering them, you can use an Excel repair tool to recover the formulas.

When working with Excel formulas, situations may arise when the formula doesn’t calculate or update automatically. Or, you may receive errors by clicking on a formula.

Problems Causing the ‘Excel Formulas not Working Properly’ Issue and Solutions

Let’s check out the possible reasons that cause Excel formulas to work properly and solutions to resolve the issue.

Problem 1 – Switching Automatic to Manual Calculation Mode

Automatic and manual are the two modes of calculation in Microsoft Excel.

By default, Excel is set to automatic calculation mode. Everything is recalculated automatically when any changes are made in a worksheet in this mode. You may switch from automatic to manual mode to disable the recalculation of formulas, particularly when working with a large Excel file with too many formulas.

Excel will not calculate automatically when set to manual calculation mode. And this may make you think that the Excel formula is not working properly.

Solution – Change Calculation Mode from Manual to Automatic

To do so, perform these steps:

• Click on the column with problematic formulas.
• Go to the Formulas tab, click the Calculation Options drop-down, and select Automatic.

Problem 2 – Missing or Mismatched Parentheses

It’s easy to miss or incorrectly place parentheses or include extra parentheses in a complex formula. If a parenthesis is missing or mismatched and you click Enter after entering a formula, Excel displays a message window suggesting to fix the issue (refer to the screenshot below).

Clicking ‘Yes’ might help fix the issue. But Excel might not fix the parentheses properly, as it tends to add the missing parentheses at the end of a formula which won’t always be the case.

Solution – Check for Visual Cues When Typing or Editing a Formula with Parentheses

When typing a formula or editing one, Excel provides visual cues to determine if there’s an issue with the parentheses inserted in a formula. Checking for these visual cues can help you fix missing/mismatched parentheses.

• Excel helps identify parenthesis pairs by highlighting them in different colors. For instance, the pair of parenthesis outside is black.
• Excel does not make the opening parentheses bold. So, if you’ve inserted the last closing parentheses in a formula, you can determine if your parentheses are mismatched.
• Excel helps identify parentheses pairs by highlighting and formatting them with the same color once you cross over them.

Problem 3 – Formatting Cells in an Excel Formula

When adding a number in an Excel formula, don’t add any decimal separator or special characters like $ or €. You may use a comma to separate a function’s argument in an Excel formula or use a currency sign like $ or € as part of cell references. Formatting the numbers may prevent the formula from functioning correctly.

Solution – Use Format Cells Option for Formatting

Use Format Cells instead of using a comma or currency signs for formatting a number in the formula. For instance, rather than entering a value of $10,000 in your formula, insert 10000, and click the ‘Ctrl+1’ keys together to open the Format Cells dialog box.

Problem 4 – Formatting Numbers as Text

Numbers are displayed as left-aligned in a sheet in a worksheet, and text formatted numbers are right-aligned in cells. Excel considers numbers formatted as text to be text strings. Thus, it leaves those numbers out of calculations. As a result, a formula won’t work as intended. For example, in the following screenshot, you can see that the SUM formula works correctly for normal numbers. But, when the SUM formula is applied to numbers formatted as text, the formula doesn’t return the correct value.

Sometimes, you may also see an apostrophe in the cells or green triangles in the top-left corner of all the cells when numbers in those cells are formatted as Text.

Solution – Do Not Format Numbers as Text

To fix the issue, do the following:

• Select the cells with numbers stored as text, right-click on them, and click Format Cells.
• From the Format Cells window, click on Number and then press OK.

Problem 5 – Double Quotes to Enclose Numbers

Avoid enclosing numbers in a formula in double-quotes, as the numbers are interpreted as a string value.

Meaning if you enter a formula like =IF(A1>B1, “1”), Excel will consider the output one as a string and not a number. So, you won’t be able to use 1’s in calculations.

Solution – Don’t Enclose Numbers in Double Quotes

Remove any double quotes around a number in your formula unless you want that number to be treated as text. For example, you can write the formula mentioned above as “1” =IF(A1>B1, 1).

Problem 6 – Extra Space at Beginning of the Formula

When entering a formula, you may end up adding an extra space before the equal (=) sign. You may also add an apostrophe (‘) in the formula at times. As a result, the calculation won’t be performed and may return an error. This usually happens when you use a formula copied from the web.

Solution – Remove Extra Space from the Formula

The fix to this issue is pretty simple. You need to look for extra space before the equal sign and remove it. Also, ensure there is an additional apostrophe added in the formula.

Other Things to Consider to Fix the ‘Excel Formulas not Working Properly’ Issue

• If your Excel formula is not showing the result as intended, see this blog .
• When you refer to other worksheets with spaces or any non-alphabetical character in their names, enclose the names in ‘single quotation marks’. For example, an external 5reference to cell A2 in a sheet named Data enclose the name in single quotes: ‘Data’!A1.
• You may see the formula instead of the result if you have accidentally clicked the ‘Show Formulas’ option. So, click on the problematic cell, click on the Formula tab, and then click Show Formulas.
• If you’re getting an error “Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet”, find solutions to fix the error here .

Conclusion

This blog discussed some problems you might make causing an Excel formula to stop working properly. Read about these common problems and solutions to fix them. If a problem doesn’t apply in your case, move to the next one. If you cannot retrieve formulas in your Excel sheet, using an Excel file repair tool like Stellar Repair for Excel can help you restore all the formulas. It does so by repairing the Excel file (XLS/XLSX) and recovering all the components, including formulas.

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.

[Fix] Excel formula not showing result

Summary: Is your Excel spreadsheet showing text of a formula you’ve entered and not its result? This blog explains the possible reasons behind such an issue. Also, it describes solutions to fix the ‘Excel formula not showing result’ error. You can try Stellar Repair for Excel software to recover engineering and shared formulas.

Sometimes, when you type a formula in a cell of worksheet and press Enter, instead of showing the calculated result, it returns the formula as text. For instance, Excel cell shows:

But you should get the result as:

Why Does Excel Show or Display the Formula Not the Result?

Following are the possible reasons that may lead to the ‘Excel showing formula not result’ issue:

1. You accidentally enabled “Show Formulas” in Excel.
2. The cell format in a spreadsheet is set to text.
3. ‘Automatic calculation’ feature in Excel is set to manual.
4. Excel thinks your formula is text (Syntax are not followed).
5. You type numbers in a cell with unnecessary formatting.

How to Fix ‘Excel Showing Formula Not Result’ Issue?

Solution 1 – Disable Show Formulas

If only the formula shows in Excel not result, check if you have accidentally or intentionally enabled ‘show formula’ feature of Excel. Instead of applying calculations and then showing results, this feature displays the actual text written by you.

You can use the ‘Show Formulas’ feature to quickly view all formulas, but if you are not aware of this feature, and enabled it accidentally, it can be a headache. To disable this mode, go to ‘Formulas’ and click on ‘Show formula enabled.’ If it’s previously enabled, it will be disabled by just clicking on it.

Solution 2 – Cell Format Set to Text

Another possible reason that only formula shows in Excel not result could be that the cell format is set to text. This means that anything written in any format in that cell will be treated as regular text. If so, change the format to General or any other. To get Excel to recognize the change in the format, you may need to enter cell edit mode by clicking into the formula bar or just press F2.

Solution 3 – Change Calculation Options from ‘Manual’ to ‘Automatic’

There is an “automatic calculation” feature in Excel, which tells Excel to do calculations automatically or manually. If ‘Excel formula is not showing results’, it may be because the automatic calculations feature is set to manual. This issue is not easily detected because it results in calculating formula in one cell but if you copy it to some other cell, it will retain the first calculation and will not recalculate on the base of the new location. To fix this, follow these steps:

• In Excel, click on the ‘File’ tab on the top left corner of the screen.
• In the window that opens, click on ‘Options’ from the left menu bar.
• From ‘Excel Options’ dialog box, select ‘Formulas’ from the left side menu and then change the ‘Calculation options’ to ‘Automatic’ if it’s currently set as ‘Manual’.

• Click on ‘OK’. This will redirect you to your sheet.

Solution 4 – Type Formula in the Right Format

There is a proper way to tell Excel that your text is a formula. If you don’t write the formula in a particular format, Excel considers it as simple text and hence no calculations are performed according to it. For this reason, keep the following in mind when typing a formula:

• Equal sign: Every formula in Excel should start with an equal sign (=). If you miss it, Excel will mistake your formula as regular text.

• Space before equal sign: You are not supposed to enter any space before equal sign. Maybe a single space will be hard for us to detect, but it breaks the rule of writing formulas for Excel.

• Formula wrapped in quotes: You need to make sure that your formula is not wrapped in quotes. People usually make this mistake of writing a formula in quotes, but in Excel, quotes are used to signify text. So your formula won’t be evaluated. But you can add quotes inside formula if required, for example: =SUMIFS(F5:F9,G5:G9,”>30″).

• Match all parentheses in a formula: Arguments of Excel functions are entered in parenthesis. In complex cases, you may need to enter more sets of parenthesis. If those parentheses are not paired/closed properly, Excel may not be able to evaluate the entered formula.

• Nesting limit: If you are nesting two or more Excel functions into each other, for example using nested IF loop, remember the following rules:

  • Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007 versions only allow to use up to 64 nested functions.
  • Excel 2003 and lower versions only allow up to 7 nested functions.

Solution 5 – Enter Numbers without any Formatting

When you use a number in the formula, make sure you don’t enter any decimal separator or currency sign, e.g. $, etc. In an Excel formula, a comma is used to separate arguments of a function and a dollar sign makes an absolute cell reference. Most of these special characters have built-in functions so avoid using them unnecessarily.

What to Do If the Manual Solutions Don’t Work?

If you’ve tried out the manual solutions mentioned above but still unable to resolve the ‘Excel formula not showing result’ issue, you can try repairing your Excel file with the help of an automated Excel repair software , such as Stellar Repair for Excel.

This reliable and competent software scans and repairs Excel files (.XLSX and .XLS). It also helps recover all the file components, like formulas, cell formatting, etc. Armed with an interactive GUI, this software is extremely easy to work with, and its advanced algorithms allow it to fend off Excel errors with ease.

Conclusion

This blog outlined the possible reasons that may cause ‘Excel not showing formula results’ issue. Check out these reasons and implement the manual fixes, depending on what resulted in the problem in the first place. If none of these fixes help resolve the issue, corruption in the Excel file might be preventing the formulas from showing the actual results. In that case, using Stellar Repair for Excel tool might help.

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.

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