Restore a Damaged Excel Workbook

    1. Launch the Fixo Document Repair tool and select the "File Repair" option. 2. Click on the "Add File" button to upload the problematic file. 3. Click on "Repair" to initiate the repair process.

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For Excel users, it is not a new issue to encounter damaged Excel files due to system issues, viruses, or other unknown reasons. Hence, the question of how to effectively recover corrupted Excel files and retrieve lost data has become a significant concern.

“Yesterday, I was editing an important Excel file on my Windows 10 computer when it suddenly crashed. Then, when I tried to open Excel again, I got an error message: 'There is a problem with this file. We can't open it.' Yes, my Excel file got corrupted all of a sudden. Can anyone help me? – From Microsoft Community

If you're in the same boat, worry not. Here, we'll provide two quick fixes and one comprehensive solution to help you effectively repair corrupted Excel file in Windows 10.

Recovering Corrupted Excel Files in Windows 10 with Document Repair Software

The best way to deal with a damaged Excel file and to fix a corrupted Excel file is by using a document repair software. If you're not very tech-savvy and want to save time, the Fixo Document Repair tool would be your go-to choice.

This Microsoft repair tool can fix severely damaged XLS and XLSX files and restore all content from Excel workbooks without altering the original format. Read on to learn more about the powerful features of this reliable utility:

    • Solve Excel performance issues
    • Fix issue with Excel opening blank documents
    • Resolve problem of invisible content in Excel

Follow the simple steps mentioned below to recover and repair corrupted Excel file:

Step 1. Download and install a reliable Excel Repair Tool. Click on “Repair File” and then select “Add File” to choose the corrupted MS Excel 2016/2019/2021 file.

Repairing a document with Fixo

Step 2. On the next screen, select “Repair All” to fix multiple corrupted Excel files at once. Alternatively, you can use the “Repair” button to restore each damaged Excel worksheet individually.

Select the file to repair

Step 3: Save the repaired Microsoft Excel files and click on the 'Preview Repair Files' option to check them.

Save the repaired document in Fixo

You can share this post on forums like Reddit to help more users in need of repairing corrupted Excel files:

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Recovering Damaged Excel Files Using Microsoft's "Open and Repair" Feature If your Excel file is corrupted, Microsoft Office provides a built-in utility called "Open and Repair." Here's how to use this feature: 1. First, launch the Microsoft Excel application. 2. On the File menu, select the "Open" option. This will open a browsing window. 3. In the browsing window, locate the damaged Excel file and select it. 4. Instead of clicking the "Open" button directly below the filename, click on the downward-pointing arrow next to it. 5. From the dropdown menu, choose the "Open and Repair" option. This will attempt to repair the selected Excel file. 6. The program will try to fix the file and then open it. If successful, you can save the repaired version. Please note that while this method often works, it doesn't guarantee the recovery of all data in every situation. If "Open and Repair" doesn't resolve the issue, you may need to explore other recovery tools or methods.

Microsoft Office has an Open and Repair tool that can fix corrupted Excel files. Try this method first to restore a damaged Excel file. This will also work if Excel crashes. Here's how to recover a corrupted Excel file using this method:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Excel. Click on “File” > “Open” > “Browse.”

Select “Open Browse”. choose open browse

Step 2: Select the damaged file you want to recover from the list, and then click the arrow next to Open.

Step 3: Click “Open and Repair” to begin the repair process.

Click Open and Repair.

However, the success rate for this feature is not very high; if the built-in repair process fails, you can try the more advanced Fixo Document Repair tool:

Recover an Unopened Excel Workbook in MS Excel via Calculation Options In Microsoft Excel, there may be times when you need to recover an unopened workbook, especially after an unexpected program closure or system crash. You can achieve this by adjusting Excel's calculation options. Here are the detailed steps: 1. Open Microsoft Excel. 2. Click on the "File" option in the top menu bar. 3. Select "Options" from the dropdown menu. This will open the "Excel Options" dialog box. 4. In the left pane of the "Excel Options" window, click on the "Advanced" tab. 5. In the list of "Advanced" settings, locate the "General" section. 6. Within the "General" section, find the area labeled "Opening and Recovery." 7. In this area, look for the option "Automatically recover files on startup" and ensure it is checked. 8. Similarly, under "If a workbook fails to open on startup, recover it," make sure the "Show recovery pane" option is also checked. 9. You can set the "Save AutoRecover information every" interval to have Excel save the workbook status periodically. The default is 10 minutes, but you can adjust it as needed. 10. After completing the settings, click "OK" to save the changes and close the dialog box. 11. Now, if you accidentally close Excel, it will attempt to recover any unsaved, open workbooks when you restart the program. Please note that this method can only help recover workbooks that were already open but unsaved when Excel closed unexpectedly. For files that were not yet opened, you would need to rely on recent backups or file recovery tools.

Changing the calculation options from “Automatic” to “Manual” might help fix a corrupted Excel file:

Step 1: Open your Microsoft Excel file and click “File” > “New.”

Step 2: Click on the Blank Workbook under New.

Click "New" and then select "Blank workbook."

Step 3: Click “File” > “Options.” Then, under the “Formulas” category, select “Manual” for “Calculation options,” and click “OK.”

Click the formula drop-down manually Click the formula drop-down manually

Step 4: Locate the corrupted Excel file and double-click to open it. This should allow you to see the data that was saved in Excel.

Don't forget to share this article on social media, for example on Twitter, to let more users know how to recover damaged Excel files:

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Use External References to Open a Corrupted Excel File

If your workbook is damaged, you can use an external preference file to recover your data. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Office Excel, and click “File” > “Open.”

Step 2: Right-click on the folder that contains the damaged Excel file, and select Copy > Cancel.

Step 3: Go to File > New > Blank workbook.

Step 4. Type the following command, and then press Enter.

=filename!A1 in cell A1 (replace "filename" with the name of the corrupted Excel file)

If the Update Values dialog box appears, select the damaged Excel file, and then click OK.

Step 6: Click on cell A1, and then click Home > Copy. Next, select all the cells in the damaged Excel worksheet that contain data.

Select the Home drive and copy it. Select the Home drive and copy it

Step 7: Go to Home > Paste.

Restoring Damaged Excel Files Using Macros

If the chart is linked to a damaged workbook, you might be able to use a macro to extract the source data. This is a bit complicated, because you'll have to enter commands.

Please follow the steps outlined here to recover a corrupted Excel file:

Step 1: Copy and paste the following macro code into a Module in your workbook:

```vbnet
  1. Sub GetChartValues()
  2. Dim NumberOfRows As Integer
  3. Dim X As Object
  4. Counter = 2
  5. ' Calculate the number of rows in the data.
  6. NumberOfRows = UBound(ActiveChart.SeriesCollection(1).Values)
  7. Worksheets("ChartData").Cells(1, 1) = "X Values"
  8. ' Write the X-axis values to the worksheet.
  9. With Worksheets("ChartData")
  10. .Range(.Cells(2, 1), _
  11. .Cells(NumberOfRows + 1, 1)) = _
  12. Application.Transpose(ActiveChart.SeriesCollection(1).XValues)
  13. End With
  14. ' Iterate through all series in the chart and write their values to the worksheet.
  15. For Each X In ActiveChart.SeriesCollection
  16. Worksheets("ChartData").Cells(1, Counter) = X.Name
  17. With Worksheets("ChartData")
  18. .Range(.Cells(2, Counter), _
  19. .Cells(NumberOfRows + 1, Counter)) = _
  20. Application.Transpose(X.Values)
  21. End With
  22. Counter = Counter + 1
  23. Next
  24. End Sub
``` This code is a VBA macro that retrieves data from an active chart and writes it to a worksheet named "ChartData". It first calculates the number of rows in the chart data, then writes the X-axis values and the names and values of each series into different columns of the worksheet.

Step 2. You now need to insert or delete a worksheet within the workbook. Right-click on the worksheet tab and rename it ChartData.

Step 3: Select the chart from which you want to extract the data, and run the macro.

Close; end

This article outlines some viable methods to recover a corrupted Excel file in Windows 10. Interestingly, most of these methods can be executed within Microsoft Excel itself. However, if you're looking to repair a damaged Excel file, you might want to employ professional document repair tools like Fixo Document Repair.

FAQs on How to Repair Corrupted Excel 2016 Files 1. Q: My Excel 2016 file suddenly won't open, and it says the file is corrupted. Are there any ways to fix it? A: Yes, you can try these methods: - Use Excel's "Open and Repair" feature: When opening the file, select "File" > "Open," find your file in the list, click the drop-down arrow next to "Open," and choose "Open and Repair." - Recover an auto-saved version: If auto-save was enabled, Excel might have a backup. Go to "File" > "Info" > "Manage Versions" > "Recover Unsaved Workbooks." - Utilize third-party repair tools: There are dedicated software options like Stellar Repair for Excel that specialize in repairing Excel files. 2. Q: What should I do if "Open and Repair" doesn't work for my file? A: If "Open and Repair" is ineffective, try these steps: - Save the file as a different format, like CSV or TXT, then convert it back to Excel. - Use Excel's "Inspector" tool to identify and resolve potential issues: "File" > "Options" > "Trust Center" > "Trust Center Settings" > "File Inspector." 3. Q: How can I recover a shared network Excel file that's corrupted? A: For network files, ensure all users have closed the file, then attempt to restore the latest backup from the server side. If the server has version control, you might find an undamaged earlier version. 4. Q: Can I recover lost data due to file corruption? A: You can try using data recovery software to retrieve lost data. Regularly backing up important files to external storage devices or cloud services is crucial. 5. Q: Are there ways to prevent Excel file corruption? A: Yes, you can: - Save your file regularly. - Enable AutoSave: "File" > "Options" > "Save," check "AutoRecover information" and set an interval. - Use version control or cloud services like OneDrive, which typically save file versions automatically. Please note that these suggestions may not apply to every situation, and the effectiveness will depend on the extent and cause of the corruption. Persistent issues may require professional technical support.

This part will contain some common questions about repairing corrupted Excel files. Read on!

What should you do when Excel prompts that the file is corrupted?

You can first try to repair the corrupted Excel file using the Open and Repair feature in Excel. If that doesn't work, you can employ document repair software, such as tools like Fixo Document Repair, to resolve the Excel error.

2. How to recover a crashed Excel file in Windows 10?

When your computer or Excel unexpectedly shuts down, you can recover unsaved Excel files by following these steps:

    1. Go to "File" > "Open" 2. Select the most recent workbook 3. Scroll down and click on "Recover Unsaved Workbooks"

How to Fix Excel in Windows?

Use the Open and Repair feature of the Microsoft Office suite:

    1. Open Microsoft Excel, and then navigate through "File" > "Open" > "Browse." 2. Select the file you wish to repair, and then click on the arrow next to "Open." 3. Click "Open and Repair" to fix the corrupted Excel file.