However, while using the program, you can encounter different unexpected problems, one of them being file corruption errors due to the system, virus infections, or other unknown reasons.
Can you repair a corrupted Excel File?
Yes, you can surely rescue your corrupted Excel files using the various methods we defined in this article. As a shortcut, it’s possible to recover corrupted Excel files using the native repairing functionality or by erasing temporary Excel files from your operating system.
How can I repair a corrupted Excel file?
If you face this situation, you can find below several possible solutions that can help you solve the problem.
1. Check your computer for malware to repair Excel files
It is very likely that your document could malfunction due to a virus attack. In this case, it might be a good idea to run a deep systems scan using the software you have on your computer. The program should eliminate any viruses found and you should be able to open the document. If you are looking for a security tool, you will be happy to know that some of the best antivirus software have free trial versions. If you are not completely sure which one would be best for your own needs, you can try out a few. The most important thing to look for in antivirus is its threat database. Along with that, make sure that the security tool of your choice has multi-layered protection. This ensures that you are protected on all fronts. Additional requirements any antivirus should check are a transparent privacy policy, low resource usage, and non-intrusive notifications. Once you decide on the antivirus program and install it, run a full PC scan and remove/quarantine all threats found.
2. Use third-party software to recover corrupted Excel files
Another possibility is to use professional data recovery software that can fix corrupted Excel documents. Data recovery software scans your whole device for lost or corrupt files. They typically offer an overview of everything they can find and let you know which files can be restored. When it comes to Excel documents, dedicated software is able to detect and eliminate the cause of corruption, thus allowing you to open your spreadsheets without any issue. These tools are very powerful and they come with additional recovery features that can help you restore full lost disks and lost files on removable media.
3. Use the Open and Repair tool to fix the Excel file
Note: To recover as much of the workbook data as possible, pick Repair. If Repair is not able to recover your data, pick Extract Data to extract values and formulas from the workbook.
4. Restore the corrupted Excel file to a previous version
Note: The workbook opens without any changes you made that might have caused the workbook to become corrupted.
5. Recover corrupt Excel files by changing the calculation method
A corrupted Excel file could be accessed by changing the Workbook calculation method to be manual. This calculation is set to be automatic by default, which means the Workbook is calculated every time you try to open a file. Turning this off can help fix the error and allow you to open the corrupt Excel file.
Open Microsoft Excel.
Click on File and choose New. SPONSORED
Click Blank workbook under New.
Navigate to File and go to Options.
Click Manual under Calculation options in Formulas category.
Press OK to apply and save the changes.
Try to open the previously corrupted Excel file.
6. Use external references to link to the corrupted workbook
Note: Pasting values will remove the links to corrupted excel and leave you only with the data by then. By using the method, you won’t be able to recover formulas, formats, charts, macros, and so on, but recovering the data is better than recovering nothing.
7. Recover the TMP file to repair the corrupted Excel file
8. Delete the TEMP folder to fix corrupted files in Excel
If saving a temporary excel file did not work, another suggestion is to delete some of the temporary files and folders on your computer. These files and folders can be found in C:/Windows/temp directory. Once you have deleted these files, restart your computer and then try opening the Excel document again. If you can’t delete temporary files, use our guide to fix the problem.
9. Save the corrupted Excel file in HTML format to try to repair it
10. Save the corrupted file in SYLK format to recover it
Note: Using the SYLK format only saves the active worksheet. You will have to save each worksheet individually and repeat this procedure.
11. Recover the corrupted Excel file by opening it in WordPad or Word
Another solution that we recommend is to try opening your corrupt file in WordPad. If it works, WordPad will convert everything to text but unfortunately, this method will not recover formulas. On the other hand, the good news is that, unlike many other data recovery methods, WordPad will recover your macros. Simply search the recovered text for Sub and Function to find them. You might also be able to open the corrupted .xls file in Word, but the results will be limited. In order to do so, you first have to make sure you have the Microsoft Excel Converter installed. You can download it from Microsoft’s official page.
12. Use the XML format to open and recover the corrupted Excel file
13. Open the Excel file in Safe Mode to remove corruption signs
This method may disable your macros and Add-ins but it is a great solution because you can move the data to a new document.
14 Use newer Excel versions to try to recover a corrupter file
Although it seems like a very simple solution, you should definitely try it as well. Try to use a later Excel version because as the versions increase, the ability for the program to recover a file increases also, so you might be able to recover your file using this simple method. So, have any of these solutions helped you to fix your corrupted Excel file? Let us know in the comments section below.
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