How To Repair Corrupted Excel Files

1
Brand sure that you lot're using a Windows figurer. You can only repair an Excel file in the Windows version of Excel.
- If you're using a Mac, try one of the other methods in this article.
2

Open Excel. Its app icon resembles a green box with a white "X" on it.

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Click Open Other Workbooks . This pick is adjacent to a binder-shaped icon in the lower-left corner of the window.
4

Click Browse . Information technology's a folder-shaped icon in the middle of the page. Doing so opens a File Explorer window.
5

Select your Excel file. Get to the folder in which your corrupted Excel file is stored, then click the Excel file to select information technology.
6

Click the "Bill of fare" icon . It's the downward-facing arrow to the correct of the Open up push. A drop-down menu will appear.
7
Click Open and Repair… . This option is at the lesser of the drib-down menu.
- If Open and Repair... is greyed out, make certain that your Excel file is selected and endeavour over again. If it's still greyed out, you tin can't repair this file.
8
Click Repair when prompted. It's in a pop-upwardly window. Windows will brainstorm attempting to repair your file.^[one]
- If you don't have this pick, click Extract Data instead, then click either Convert to Values or Recover Formulas. This will recover any salvageable data.
9
Await for the file to open. This may take a few minutes if your Excel file is large.
- If the file still won't open, go back through this procedure and click Extract Information instead of Repair when prompted.
10
Salvage your file. Once the repaired file opens, printing Ctrl+Due south , double-click This PC, select a salve location, enter a file name, and click Save.
- Be sure to select a different file name than the ane which yous used for the corrupted Excel file.
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1

Empathise why the file type matters. Sometimes, Excel documents created on older computers or versions of Excel get unstable on newer versions; similarly, Excel documents tin be saved in many unlike file formats. Past changing the Excel file format to "xlsx" (or "xls" for older programs), y'all can fix this problem.
2

Open Start . Click the Windows logo in the lesser-left corner of the screen.
three

Open File Explorer . Click the folder-shaped icon in the lower-left side of the Kickoff window.
4

Click the View tab. It's at the summit of the File Explorer window. A toolbar will appear below this tab.
5

Check the "File name extensions" box. This pick is in the "Bear witness/hibernate" department of the toolbar. Doing so will let yous to see the file type extensions at the end of files, including your Excel document.
half-dozen

Select your Excel file. Go to the location of the Excel document that you want to recover, then click the document to select it.
seven

Click Habitation . It'southward a tab in the upper-left side of the File Explorer window. This volition prompt a toolbar to appear.
8

Click Rename . This option is in the "Organize" section of the toolbar. Clicking Rename will cause the Excel file's name to become highlighted.
ix
Alter the file blazon. Replace whatsoever comes afterwards the period at the end of the file name with xlsx and and so printing ↵ Enter .
- For instance, if the certificate was named "Spreadsheet1.docx", you would change it to "Spreadsheet1.xlsx".
- If the file extension already is "xlsx", effort using "xls" or "html".
10

Click Yes when prompted. This volition confirm your changes and change the file extension.
eleven
Effort opening the file. Double-click the file to open up information technology. If the file opens in Excel (or, if y'all selected "html" as the extension, a web browser), your file has successfully been recovered.
- If yous chose the "html" extension, yous can convert the webpage into an Excel document by dragging the html file onto the Excel icon and so saving the file that opens every bit a new "xlsx" file.
- If the file yet won't open, proceed to the adjacent Windows method.
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1

Understand why the file blazon matters. Sometimes, Excel documents created on older computers or versions of Excel become unstable on newer versions; similarly, Excel documents can exist saved in many different file formats. By changing the Excel file format to "xlsx" (or "xls" for older programs), you can set this problem.
2

Open Finder. Click the bluish, confront-shaped app icon in your Mac's Dock.
three

Select the Excel file. Go to the folder in which your Excel file is located, and then click the Excel file that you want to recover.
4

Click File . This card item is in the top-left corner of your Mac's screen. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.
5

Click Become Info . Information technology's in the File drop-down menu. This will open up a pop-upwardly window.
6

Expand the "Proper name & Extension" section if necessary. If you don't see whatever file name or extension below this category, click the triangle to the left of the "Name & Extension" heading to view the file'southward name and extension.
7
Alter the file type. Replace any comes afterward the period at the end of the file name with xlsx and then press ⏎ Return .
- For example, if the document was named "Spreadsheet1.txt", you would modify it to "Spreadsheet1.xlsx".
- If the file extension already is "xlsx", try using "xls" or "html".
8

Click Use .xlsx when prompted. This will ostend your conclusion and change the file type.
9
Attempt opening the file. Double-click the file to open it. If the file opens in Excel (or, if y'all selected "html" as the extension, a web browser), your file has successfully been recovered.
- If you chose the "html" extension, you can convert the webpage into an Excel certificate past dragging the html file onto the Excel icon so saving the file that opens equally a new "xlsx" file.
- If the file still won't open, keep to the next Mac method.
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1

Understand the limitations of this method. Like most Microsoft Office products, Excel volition automatically salvage recovery versions of files, meaning that you lot may exist able to restore a partial version of your corrupted Excel certificate. However, Excel doesn't ever save these files in time, and you lot most likely won't be able to recover the whole document in this way.
2

Open Beginning . Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
3

Blazon in this pc. This will search your estimator for the "This PC" program.
four

Click This PC . It's the computer monitor-shaped icon at the superlative of the Start window. Doing then opens the This PC window.
v

Double-click your computer'south hard drive. This is usually the "Os (C:)" selection below the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page.
6

Double-click the "Users" binder. You'll find this in the eye of the hard drive's folder.
seven

Double-click your user folder. This binder is labeled with role or all of your username on your computer.
8
Double-click the "AppData" folder. It's in the "A" section, so you lot'll nigh likely find this binder near the height of the window.
- If you can't detect this folder, click the View tab, and then check the "Subconscious items" box in the "Bear witness/hibernate" section to prompt the "AppData" folder to announced.
9

Double-click the "Local" binder. This selection is near the top of the binder.
x

Roll down and double-click the "Microsoft" binder. You'll discover it in the "G" section.
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Double-click the "Function" folder. It'southward in the "O" section of the Microsoft folder.
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Double-click the "UnsavedFiles" folder. This binder should exist near the summit of the window.
13
Select an Excel file. Look for an Excel file icon that has a name matching your corrupted Excel file, then click information technology to select it.
- If yous don't come across any files here, a recovery version of your Excel document was not saved.
14
Change the Excel file'south extension. To do so:^[2]
- Click View
- Check the "File name extensions" box.
- Click Abode
- Click Rename
- Supercede the .tmp section with .xlsx
- Press ↵ Enter .
- Click Yep when prompted.
fifteen

Open the Excel file. Double-click the file that you just renamed to open it.
16
Salve your file. Once the restored file opens, press Ctrl+Due south , double-click This PC, select a save location, enter a file name, and click Save.
- Be certain to select a unlike file proper name than the 1 which y'all used for the corrupted Excel file.
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i

Understand the limitations of this method. Like virtually Microsoft Office products, Excel will automatically save recovery versions of files, meaning that y'all may be able to restore a fractional version of your corrupted Excel certificate. Even so, Excel doesn't always save these files in time, and you nearly likely won't be able to recover the whole document in this way.
2
Click Go . This menu item is at the acme of the screen. Clicking information technology prompts a driblet-down menu.
- If you lot don't come across the Get menu detail, first open Finder or click the desktop to make it appear.
3

Hold downwardly the ⌥ Option key. After doing this, yous should see the Library folder announced in the Get drop-down menu.
4

Click Library . It'south in the Get drop-down bill of fare. This will open the Library hidden folder.
v

Open up the "Containers" folder. Double-click the "Containers" binder, which is in the "C" section of the Library folder.
vi

Click the search bar. It's in the upper-right side of the window.
vii

Search for the Microsoft Excel folder. Type in com.microsoft.Excel and press ⏎ Render .
viii

Click the Containers tab. You'll discover this to the right of the "Search:" heading near the top of the Finder window.
nine

Open the "com.microsoft.Excel" folder. Double-click this folder to open information technology.
10

Open up the "Data" folder.
11

Open up the "Library" binder.
12

Open the "Preferences" binder. If you don't see this folder, roll downwardly to notice information technology.
13

Open the "AutoRecovery" folder. This will bring up a list of automatically saved versions of your Excel files.
14
Discover a temporary version of your Excel file. The temporary version of your Excel file should have some or all of the file's name in its title.
- If you tin can't find the temporary version of your Excel file, information technology wasn't backed upwards.
15

Select the Excel file. Click the Excel file to do so.
16

Click File . It's a carte du jour detail in the upper-left corner of your Mac's screen. A drop-down bill of fare will appear.
17

Select Open With . This option is near the superlative of the File drop-downwards carte. Y'all should see a pop-out menu open up.
eighteen
Click Excel . It's in the pop-out menu. Doing then will prompt the temporary version of the Excel certificate to open in Excel.
- The temporary version will probably not include some of your nigh recent changes to the original Excel document.
19

Salvage the certificate. Press ⌘ Control+S , so enter a file name, select a salvage location in the "Where" menu, and click Salve.

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Add New Question

Question

I cannot open the file with my Excel file, simply I can open it in some other figurer. Why?

Information technology's likely that the other reckoner has either an older or newer version of Excel, and your document is non compatible with the version yous have on your calculator.
Question

What do I do if my Excel files are save with the extension xls?

Nakamura Rei

Community Answer

You can repair .xls files using methods from this article as well as xlsx.
Question

How practise I recover a deleted excel file in Windows 7?

y\You can use the aforementioned method. However, to alter the file extension you will need to use CMD and run a command like this (make sure you are in the right directory): rename (corrupted excel file, add its file extension at the end) (corrupted excel filename, do Not add together the file extension at the end).(xls, xlsx).

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Video

Windows computers will frequently attempt to repair automatically the corrupted Excel workbook when yous open information technology.^[3]
You lot may be able to open an otherwise corrupted Excel file past placing your calculator in safe mode. If so, a file error or a virus is most likely the reason for your document failing to open.
There are a few paid information recovery software options that y'all can use to recover corrupted Excel files. Stellar Phoenix Excel Repair, which is available for both Windows and Mac computers, is a good example of such a program.

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Unfortunately, some Excel files may be entirely unrecoverable.

Well-nigh This Article

Article Summary X

one. Open Excel.
ii. Select Open Other Workbooks.
3. Select the corrupted file.
4. Click the down-arrow carte next to "Open."
five. Select Open and Repair.
6. Click Repair.
7. Click Close when complete.

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