How do you fix a corrupt Excel file? (2023)

Why is my Excel File corrupt?

An Excel file gets corrupted due to various reasons such as virus/malware attack, sudden system shutdown when the Excel file is still open, power failure while working with an Excel spreadsheet, etc.

On the File tab, click Open. In Excel 2013 or Excel 2016, click on the location where the spreadsheet is located, and click Browse. In the Open dialog box, select the corrupted workbook that you want to open. Click the arrow next to the Open button, and then click Open and Repair.

Often, a file conversion alone repairs a corrupt file. Use file repair software. If you're desperate to fix the file and recover your information, try a file repair utility. There are both free and paid tools, such as Hetman, Repair Toolbox, or FileRepair.

A corrupted file is always unusable and inoperable. When facing this issue, you can first try to repair them or try to run a virus detection program. However, if they do not work, you can try a third-party file recovery tool - Recoverit Data Recovery program to help recover corrupted files in Windows.

File corruption usually happens when there is an issue during the 'save' process. If your computer crashes the file being saved will likely be corrupted. Another cause might be damaged sections of your hard drive or storage media that might have viruses and malware.

Go to the corrupt file location, right click on the file and choose Copy. Now launch Excel and click on File>> New>> Blank workbook. “Update Values” dialog box will appear where you have to select the damaged XLSX file and click OK. Click on the appropriate sheet in Select Sheet box.

What if open and repair doesn't work?

Best Alternative Option For Excel Repair When Open And Repair Doesn't Work. The easy and trusted way to repair corrupted, damaged, and inaccessible file makes use of the Excel File Recovery Tool. This is a professional recommended solution that is capable to fix various errors and issues in an Excel workbook.

To do this, click “File” on the ribbon, go to the “Info” section, and choose “Manage Workbook”. Choose “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” to display and recover unsaved Excel files. Excel saves unsaved files to the folder C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles. You can also access the files from this folder.

Go to the corrupt file location, right click on the file and choose Copy. Now launch Excel and click on File>> New>> Blank workbook. “Update Values” dialog box will appear where you have to select the damaged XLSX file and click OK. Click on the appropriate sheet in Select Sheet box.

To do this, click “File” on the ribbon, go to the “Info” section, and choose “Manage Workbook”. Choose “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” to display and recover unsaved Excel files. Excel saves unsaved files to the folder C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles. You can also access the files from this folder.

First, find and open the folder in which the deleted files were. Then right-click and click on “History,” then click Previous. Select the desired file. Left-click on "Restore." By now, the files must have been recovered.

Double-click the file you want to open. If the file still won't open, click “Browse” and search for the file. At the bottom of the “Open” dialog box, click the small arrow next to the “Open button”, then choose “Open and Repair” from the context menu.

What causes unreadable content in Excel?

You may encounter the 'Excel file unreadable content' error due to corruption of complete Excel file or corruption in certain areas (like Pivot Table, Formulas, Styles, or other objects) in the file.

Select the worksheet you want to check for errors. If the worksheet is manually calculated, press F9 to recalculate. If the Error Checking dialog is not displayed, then click on the Formulas tab > Formula Auditing > Error Checking button.

Try opening the Pivot Table Options window by right-clicking on the Pivot Table within your Excel file. Select Pivot Table Options from the pop-up menu and make appropriate changes to the options given there. Then check if the issues go away.

Right-click on the Excel or Word file and select "Properties". Step 3. Go to "Previous Versions", find and select the latest version or the version you want back, click "Restore". This is all there is to it, your replaced or overwritten Excel or Word file will be restored with the same file name.

Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Double-click Programs and Features. Click Microsoft 365, and then click Change. Select Quick Repair, and then click Repair.

Step 1: Launch Microsoft Excel on your PC. Step 2: Head to the “files” section, and click “Export.” Step 3: In the section, select “change file type” and click on the file with the error. Step 4: Change the file extension and save the file.