Filter Not Working Error in Excel [Fix 2024]

Summary: The filter is not working issue in Excel can occur due to several reasons, like blank rows, hidden rows, merged cells, corrupted data, etc. In this post, we will mention the reasons why the filter is not working correctly in Excel and several fixes to resolve the issue. We will also mention an advanced Excel repair tool to repair the Excel file if corruption in file is the cause of the issue.

You can use the Filter function in Excel to filter data in large-sized Excel files quickly. While using Excel filters, sometimes, you face a situation where the filter is disabled or may fail to function properly.

The Excel filter usually fails to work if you have not selected the complete and correct range of data. Let’s learn more about the “Sort and Filter not working in Excel” issue and look at the possible methods to fix it.

Why the Filter is not Working in Excel?

You can face the “filter is not working” issue if you are applying the filter on a protected worksheet or trying to find the data from a hidden row. Besides this, there could be many other reasons contributing to this issue, such as:

• The data you are trying to filter is in merged cells.
• The Excel file automatically selected the data up to the first empty cell, excluding the remaining rows.
• Grouped sheets in Excel file.
• Blank row in the Excel sheet.
• You are trying to apply a filter on an invalid data range.
• The workbooks in which you’re facing the filter issues are corrupted.
• You are specifying incorrect criteria in the filter columns.

Solutions to Resolve the Filter is not Working Issue in Excel

There might be two scenarios: the Excel filter option is disabled/grayed out or the filters fail to function properly. You can follow the given troubleshooting solutions to resolve the issue based on the scenario you’re facing.

Scenario 1 – Filter Option is Disabled or Grayed Out

Method 1: Check and Un-group the Worksheet

When you apply filters to a single sheet in a grouped set, Excel disables the filter option in other sheets within the group. You can check the grouped sheets and try ungrouping them to enable the filter option. Here’s how to do so:

• In the Excel file, go to the Group section.

• Right-click on the Ungroup Sheets.

Alternatively, you can press the Shift + Alt + Left keys to ungroup the sheets.

Method 2: Unprotect Worksheet

The “disabled Excel filter” issue can also occur if your worksheet is protected. You can unprotect the worksheet to enable the filter option. To do so, go to the Review tab and then select Unprotect Sheet.

Method 3: Check and Uninstall Excel Add-ins

Sometimes, the Excel filter gets disabled due to faulty or corrupted Excel add-ins. You can run the Excel in Safe mode to check whether the issue has occurred due to add-ins. To do this, type excel /safe in the Run window and click OK.

In safe mode, if you see the filter option, it indicates some problematic Excel add-ins were causing the issue. In such a case, you can check and uninstall the faulty Excel add-ins to fix the issue.

Scenario 2 – Filter is not Working

Method 1: Try Clearing Filters

Sometimes, the Excel filter fails to work correctly if some filters from the previous sessions are still active. In such a case, you can clear the applied filters. Follow the below steps:

• In Excel file, click Sort & Filter option.
• Select clear.

Method 2: Select Entire Data

The filter not working issue in Excel can occur when the range selected for filtering is incomplete or incorrect. You need to make sure that you’ve selected the entire data range in Excel. You can use the Ctrl+A keys to select the entire content in the worksheet.

Method 3: Check and Delete Blank Cells from the Table’s Columns

When you apply a filter to the data, Excel expects data to be in a continuous range. Excel filters do not consider the blank cells, thereby resulting in incorrect functioning of the filter. To resolve this issue, check and delete all blank cells. In case your Excel file is too large to delete the blank cells, then you can add a “Serial number” row as an alternative. Adding serial number row creates a data continuity, thus helping in fixing the filter-related issue.

Method 4: Unhide Hidden Rows and Columns

Hidden rows or columns in worksheets can also affect the filter functionality. You can check and unhide rows/columns to troubleshoot the issue. Here is how to do so:

• In the affected Excel file, go to Home.
• Click on Format > Hide & Unhide.

• Click Unhide Rows or Unhide Columns (as required).

Method 5: Unmerge Cells

You can experience the filter in Excel is not working issue if you are using the filter to extract data from merged cells. Ensure to unmerge the “merged cells” before applying a filter in Excel. Follow the below steps to unmerge the merged cells in Excel:

• Navigate to the Home option.
• In the toolbar, select the Merge & Center option.
• Click Unmerge Cells.

Method 6: Repair the Workbook

Sometimes, the Filter Not Working in Excel issue can occur due to inconsistencies in file structure. If these issues occurred due to corruption in the worksheet, you can repair it using the Open and Repair tool. It is an in-built tool in Excel that is used to repair corrupted Excel files. Here are the steps to use this tool:

• In the Excel application, navigate to the File option.
• Click Open and then click Browse to choose the Excel file.
• In the Open dialog box, click the problematic Excel file.
• Click the arrow next to the Open option and select Open and Repair.
• Click Repair to recover as much data as possible.
• The application prompts a message after the repair process is complete. Click Close.

In most cases, the Open and Repair tool can easily fix corruption issues in the Excel file. However, for any reason, if the open and repair tool doesn’t work you can consider repairing the file using a professional Excel Repair tool. Stellar Repair for Excel is one such advanced and secure tool to repair Excel files. With this tool’s powerful scanning capabilities, you can repair highly corrupted Excel files and recover all their objects with complete integrity. The tool is compatible with all Windows editions, including the latest Windows 11.

Closure

Several reasons are associated with the filter not working issue in Excel. The filter option may not work as expected if you have not selected the complete and correct range of data or for many other reasons. You can follow the troubleshooting methods discussed above to fix the issue. If the filter fails to work due to corruption in the workbook, then try Stellar Repair for Excel . It is an advanced tool that can even repair severely damaged files. It also helps to recover all the data from corrupted files without changing the original formatting. You can check the tool’s functionality by downloading its demo version. It allows you to preview all the repairable objects in the corrupted Excel file.

Solutions to Repair Corrupt Excel File

Summary: MS Excel can throw various errors due to corrupted Excel files. This blog discusses the error messages that indicate Excel file corruption and the methods to prevent data loss due to a corrupt file. It also discusses the reasons behind the corruption in Excel file and their solutions. It also mentions a “Stellar repair for Excel” tool that can help to repair the corrupt or damaged Excel file.

Is your Excel file corrupted? And you don’t have backup of your data? There is no need to worry. There are some simple solutions to repair Excel file 2019. But before heading towards the solutions, let’s discuss the possible reasons for Excel file corruption and how you can prevent losing your data.

Error Messages that Indicate Excel File Corruption

When an Excel file gets corrupted, different error messages appear. For example:

• “Excel found unreadable content in . Do you want to recover the content of this workbook, click Yes.”
• “Can’t find project and library.”
• “The workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupted.”
• “Microsoft Excel has stopped working.”

Reasons Behind Excel File Corruption

The reasons for corruption in Excel file could be any of the following:

• Improper system shutdown
• Computer virus/malware attack/Hacker attack
• Outdated anti-virus definition
• Hardware failure
• Unintentional deletion of files
• Large Excel files
• Bad sectors on storage media

How to Avoid Data Loss Due to Excel File Corruption?

Excel users should follow the below precautionary measures to prevent data loss due to Excel file corruption:

1. Create an Automatic Backup Copy

When you create an Excel spreadsheet, it is advised to Save As your document, as follows:

1. In Save As window, click Tools next to Save option.
2. Select General Options from the drop-down menu.
3. Then check the dialogue box Always create back up and click OK.

This will always create a backup of your Excel. If it’s deleted or corrupted at any time, it can be recovered.

2. Create Recovery File at Different Time Periods

Steps are as follows:

1. Go to File and then click Excel Options.
2. Click Save and then select the Save Auto Recover information every checkbox
3. Add the required minutes and location. Ensure that Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only box is unchecked.

Methods to Repair Corrupted Excel 2019 File

Try using these 5 methods to restore your Excel file and recover data:

Method 1: ‘Open and Repair’ Excel Files

Excel automatically opens the corrupted file in Recovery Mode. If not, you can repair Excel file manually through the following steps:

• Click on the File and select Open.

• Go to the location where the corrupt workbook is stored. In the Open window, select the corrupt file.
• Click Open and then select Open and Repair.
• In the window that opens, click Repair.

If the Repair option doesn’t work, you can select Extract Data and try to extract the values and formulae safely from the corrupt file.

Method 2: Recover Data from Open Workbook

If you face issues while working in an Excel file, you can choose to return to the last saved version of the Excel file. For this:

• Click File. Then select Open.
• Double click on the name of the workbook (the one that is open in your Excel).
• Click Yes to reopen it.

• The workbook will now appear.

Please note that it will show the last saved version and changes made after that won’t be recovered.

Method 3: Set Calculation Option as Manual

You can also recover data from Excel workbooks that you’re unable to open. For this, you need to configure the calculation option as manual in Excel. You can do this through the following steps:

• Click on File. Select New and open a Blank workbook.
• From File, select Excel Options.

• From the Formulas category, under the section Calculation options, select Manual. Now click OK.

• Then click File, and select Open to open the corrupted or damaged Excel file.

Method 4: Recover Content by Using External Links

You can also recover specifically the content (leaving formulas/calculated values) from the workbook by using external references (to link Excel workbook). For this:

• Click on File, Select Open.
• Navigate to the folder that contains the corrupted workbook.
• Now, right-click on the file name of the corrupted workbook and click Copy.
• Click File button. Then, select New and create another blank workbook.
• In the first cell (A1), type =!A1 and press Enter.
  • Select the corrupted workbook in the Update Values dialogue (if it appears). Then click OK.
  • Select the relevant sheet in the Select Sheet dialogue (if it appears). Then click OK.

• Again, select the cell A1, go to Home and select Copy.
• Now select (start from the cell A1) an area equal to that of the data in the original workbook.
• Go to Home now and select Paste.
• Again, go to Home, and Copy the data (the same selection of cells).
• Go to Home, and then click on the arrow below Paste. Then click on Values.

By pasting values, you removed the links to the corrupted workbook and only the data is left behind.

Method 5: Excel Repair Software

If the above-mentioned methods do not help in repairing the corrupt Excel file, try an Excel repair software.

One of the most commonly used Excel repair tools is Stellar Repair for Excel. Its trial version is available for free download, which lets you scan and preview the repaired Excel files. Once you’ve ascertained the effectiveness of the software, you can save the file after activating the software.

Here’s the complete repairing process of the corrupt Excel file

Conclusion

This post shared the reasons behind Excel file corruption and precautionary measures to prevent data loss. It also outlined different methods to repair corrupt Excel file 2019. There are several in-built utilities in Microsoft Excel to repair corrupt workbooks and recover data from it. In case these methods didn’t work, you can use Stellar Repair for Excel – an easy-to-use DIY tool that can fix all Excel corruption errors and restore data with all original properties.

How to fix Pivot Table Field Name is not Valid error in Excel?

The Pivot Table field name is not valid error can occur while creating, modifying, or refreshing data fields in the pivot table. It can also appear when using VBA code to modify the pivot table. It usually occurs when there is an issue with the field name in a code or if there is a hidden or empty column in the pivot table. However, there could be many other reasons behind this error.

Why the “Pivot Table Field Name is not Valid” Error Occurs?

You can get the “Pivot Table field name not valid” error in Excel due to several reasons. Some possible causes are:

• Excel file is corrupted
• Damaged fields in the pivot table
• Pivot table is corrupted/damaged
• Hidden columns in the pivot table
• Macro (referring to the pivot table) is corrupted
• Preserve formatting option is enabled
• Missing or incorrect fields in the VBA code
• Issue with workbook.RefreshAll method syntax (if using)
• Pivot Table contains empty columns
• Header values or header column is missing in the Pivot Table
• Pivot table is created without headers
• Columns/rows are deleted from the Pivot Table

Methods to Fix Pivot Table Field Name is not Valid Error in Excel

You can get this error if you have selected the complete data sheet and then trying to create the Pivot Table. Make sure you choose only the data fields that you want to insert in the Pivot Table. If this is not the case, then follow the troubleshooting methods mentioned below.

Method 1: Check the Header Value in the Pivot Table

The “Pivot table field name is not valid” error can occur if you have not set up the pivot table correctly. All the columns having data in them should have header and header values. A pivot table without a header value can create issues. You can check the header and its value from the Formula bar. Change the header if the header value is too lengthy or if it contains special characters.

Method 2: Check and Change the Data Range in the Pivot Table

The “Pivot Table field name is not valid” can occur while modifying a field in Pivot Table. It usually occurs if you’re trying to add or modify the field by selecting an incorrect data range in the Create PivotTable dialog box. The “Create PivotTable“ feature helps define how data would be displayed within the pivot table.

Let’s take a scenario to understand this. Open the Excel file with PivotTable. Click on the fields (you want to add), go to the Insert option, and click PivotTable.

If you select an incorrect range, i.e. A1:E18, instead of correct range - “Expenses**!$A$3:Expenses!$A$4**,” you will immediately get the error message.

So, type the correct range under the Select a table or range option and click OK.

Method 3: Unhide Excel Columns/Rows

The error can also occur if some columns/rows of the Pivot Table’s data source are hidden. When you try to add a hidden column as a field in the PivotTable, the Excel application will fail to read the data of the hidden column. You can check and unhide the Excel columns by following these steps:

• Open the Excel file.

• Locate the hidden column number.

• Move your cursor on the hidden column number and right-click on the space between the columns. Click Unhide.

  

Method 4: Check and Delete Empty Excel Columns

Sometimes, you can get the “Pivot Table field name is not valid” error if you are trying to use an empty column as a field in your Pivot Table. Check the columns with no values in all cells. If found, then delete the empty columns. This method is ideal for small-size Excel files. However, for large-sized files, it is a time-consuming process.

Method 5: Unmerge the Column Header (If Merged)

The “Pivot Table field name is not valid” error can also occur due to merged column headers. The pivot table references headers to identify the data inside the rows or columns. The merged headers can sometimes create data inconsistencies. You can try unmerging the column headers to fix the issue. Follow these steps:

• In the Excel file, go to the Home

• Click the Merge & Center option and select Unmerge Cells from the dropdown.

  

Method 6: Disable the Background Refresh Option

If the “background refresh” option in the Excel file is enabled, it may also create issues with Pivot Table. The Excel updates all the pivot tables in the background even after a small change if the background refresh option is enabled. This may create issues if the Excel file is large with too many tables. You can try turning off the “background refresh” option in the Excel file to troubleshoot the issue. Here is how to do so:

• In the Excel file, go to the Data tab and then click Connections.

  

• In the Workbook Connectionsdialog box, click on the ‘Add’ dropdown to add the workbook (in which you need to modify the refresh settings).

  

• Once you have chosen the Excel file, click Properties.

  

• In the Connection Properties window, unselect the **”Enable background refresh”**option, select the “Refresh data when opening the file“, and click **OK.

  

  **

Method 7: Check the VBA Code

The error can also occur when working with PivotTable using VBA code in Excel. Some Excel users reported this error on forums as run-time error 1004: The PivotTable field name is not valid. This error usually occurs when there are issues in the VBA code, affecting the PivotTable data source or field references. You can check field names referring to PivotTable or Workbook.RefreshAll function syntax and other errors in the code.

Method 8: Repair your Excel File

One of the reasons behind the “Pivot Table field name is not valid” error is corruption in the Excel file, containing the Pivot Table. You can repair your Excel file using Microsoft built-in utility - Open and Repair. Here’s how to use this utility:

• In Excel, navigate to File > Open.

• Click Browse to choose the affected workbook.

• The Open dialog box will appear. Click on the corrupted file.

• Click the arrow next to the Openbutton and then select Open and Repair.

• You will see a dialog box with three buttons - Repair, Extract Data, and Cancel.

  

• Click on the Repair button to recover as much of the data as possible.

• After repair, a message is displayed. Click Close.

Method 9: Use a Professional Excel Repair Tool

If the Excel file is heavily damaged or corrupted, then the “Open and Repair” utility may not work or provide the intended results. In such a case, you can opt for a professional Excel repair tool. Stellar Repair for Excel is an advanced Excel file repair tool, which is highly recommended by experts. It can repair severely corrupted Excel files and restore all the data from corrupt file, including pivot tables. This tool comes with a user-friendly interface that even a non-technical user can use. You can try the software’s demo version to check how it works. The software is fully compatible with all Excel versions, including Excel 2019.

Conclusion

The Excel error “Pivot Table field name is not valid” can occur due to hidden or merged column/row headers, empty columns/rows, corrupted pivot table, and various other reasons. You can try the methods mentioned above to fix the error. If this error has occurred due to corruption in the Excel file, then you can use Stellar Repair for Excel - an advanced tool to repair corrupted pivot table, macros, fields, or other elements in an Excel file. It is compatible with all Windows editions, including the latest Windows 11. It can help fix the error if the data source or Pivot table configuration is affected by corruption.

Quick Fixes to Repair Microsoft Excel 2013/2016 Content related error

Summary: The blog outlines some quick tips to fix ‘We found a problem with some content’ error in Microsoft Excel 2013/2016. It explains manual procedure to resolve the error and also suggests an automated tool to perform the repair process to retrieve all possible data from a corrupt workbook.

Sometimes, when opening an MS Excel file, you may receive an error message that reads:

“**We found a problem with some content in ‘filename.xlsx’. Do you want us to try to recover as much as we can? If you trust the source of this workbook, click Yes.**“

Figure 1 – Excel ‘found a problem with some content’ Error Message

What Causes ‘We Found a Problem with Some Content’ Error?

There is no clear answer as to what results in the Excel error – ‘**We found a problem with some content in <filename.xlsx>**’. However, based on some user experiences, it appears that the error occurs due to corruption in an Excel workbook. It may turn corrupt when:

• You try opening the Excel file saved on a network-shared drive.
• A string is added in a cell in Excel, instead of a numeric value.
• Text values in formulas exceed 255 characters.

How to Resolve ‘We Found a Problem with Some Content’ Error?

Follow these tips to fix the Excel error:

IMPORTANT! Before you follow the tips to resolve the Excel error, keep these points in mind: Make sure you have closed all of the opened Excel workbooks. Try restoring Excel file data from the most recent backup copy. If you don’t have a backup copy, make a copy of the corrupt Excel file and perform repair and recovery procedures on that backup copy.

Tip #1: Repair Corrupt Excel File

File Recovery mode is a native Excel recovery utility that automatically opens whenever any inconsistencies are found in the worksheet. If Microsoft doesn’t detect any issue or fails to open the File Recovery mode, you can start it manually to recover the corrupt Excel file. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the File menu, and then select Open.
2. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the folder location where the corrupt Excel file is saved.
3. Select the corrupt file, and then click on arrow sign available next to Open button to select Open and Repair option.

Figure 2 – Open and Repair Feature in Excel

1. Next, click Repair to recover maximum possible data.
2. If the repair is not able to recover the data from the workbook, select Extract Data to extract all possible formulas and values from the workbook.

If repairing the corrupt Excel file doesn’t work, you can try an Excel file repair tool to fix corruption errors. You can also try to recover data from the corrupt file manually by following the next tips.

Read this: What to do when Open and Repair doesn’t work?

Tip #2: Set Calculation Option to Manual

To make the file accessible, try setting the calculation option in Excel from automatic to manual. As a result, the workbook will not be recalculated and may open in Excel. For this, perform the following:

1. Click File, and then click New.
2. Under New, click the Blank workbook option.
3. When a blank workbook opens, click File > Options.
4. Under the Formulas category, pick Manual in the Calculation options section, and then click OK.

Figure 3 – Select Manual in Calculation options

1. Now, again click on the File menu and then click Open.
2. Navigate to the corrupt workbook, and double-click it.

When the workbook opens, check if it contains all the data. If not, proceed to the next tip.

Tip #3: Copy Excel Workbook Contents to a New Workbook

Several users have reported that they were able to fix ‘We found a problem with some content in ’ error message by copying contents from the corrupt workbook to a separate workbook. Detailed steps are as follows:

1. Open the Excel workbook in ‘read-only’ mode, and copy all its contents.
2. Create a blank new workbook and paste the copied contents from the corrupt file to the new file.

Tip #4: Use External References to Link to the Damaged Workbook

Use external references to link to the corrupted workbook. By implementing this fix, data contents can be retrieved. However, it is not feasible to recover formulas or calculated values using this solution.

Follow the steps below:

1. In Excel 2013/2016, click File > Open.
2. Navigate to the folder where the corrupt file is saved.
3. Right click the file, select Copy, and then click on Cancel.
4. Again, click on File and then New.
5. Under New option, click on Blank workbook.
6. In the cell A1 of new workbook, type =File Name!A1 (where File Name indicates the name of the damaged workbook being copied in Step 3).
7. If Update Values dialog box appears, click the corrupt workbook, and choose OK.
8. If Select Sheet dialog box appears, click the appropriate sheet, and then click OK.
9. Select cell A1.
10. Next, click Home, and then click Copy (or, press Ctrl +C).
11. Starting in cell A1, select area approximately the same size as that of the cell range that contains data in the damaged workbook.
12. Next, click Home and select Paste (or click Ctrl + V).
13. Keep the range of cells selected, click Home and then Copy.
14. Finally, click on Home, click on the arrow associated with Paste and under Paste Values click on Values.

This will remove the link to the corrupt workbook and will retrieve data. But, keep in mind, the recovered data will no longer contain formulas or calculated values.

Alternative Solution – Stellar Repair for Excel

If the above manual methods fail to fix the ‘We found a problem with some content in Excel error’, try using the Stellar Repair for Excel software to resolve this error. The software helps repair and recover corrupt Excel files in just a few clicks. It can be used on a Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP/NT machine to repair a corrupted workbook and recover every single bit of data from all the versions of the Excel workbook.

Read this: How to repair corrupt Excel file using Stellar Repair for Excel?

Conclusion

In this blog, we discussed some possible reasons behind Microsoft Excel 2013/2016 ‘We found a problem with some content’ error. The error may occur when an Excel file becomes corrupt. You may try repairing the corrupted Excel file manually by using the built-in ‘Open and Repair’ feature. Or, try the manual workarounds to extract data from the corrupt file discussed in this post. If the manual solutions don’t work for you, using Stellar Repair for Excel can come in handy in repairing the corrupt Excel (.xls/.xlsx) file and recovering the complete file data.

[Fixed] Excel VBA Runtime Error 9: Subscript Out of Range

Summary: The runtime error 9 in Excel usually occurs when you use different objects in a code or the object you are trying to use is not defined. This post will discuss the reasons behind the Excel VBA error “Subscript out of Range” and the solutions to resolve the issue. It will also mention an Excel repair tool that can help fix the error if it occurs due to corruption in worksheet.

Many users have reported encountering the error “Subscript out of range” (runtime error 9) when using VBA code in Excel. The error often occurs when the object you are referring to in a code is not available, deleted, or not defined earlier. Sometimes, it occurs if you have declared an array in code but forgot to specify the DIM or ReDIM statement to define the length of array.

Causes of VBA Runtime Error 9: Subscript Out Of Range

The error ‘Subscript out of range’ in Excel can occur due to several reasons, such as:

• Object you are trying to use in the VBA code is not defined earlier or is deleted.
• Entered a wrong declaration syntax of the array.
• Wrong spelling of the variable name.
• Referenced a wrong array element.
• Entered incorrect name of the worksheet you are trying to refer.
• Worksheet you trying to call in the code is not available.
• Specified an invalid element.
• Not specified the number of elements in an array.
• Workbook in which you trying to use VBA is corrupted.

Methods to Fix Excel VBA Error ‘Subscript out of Range’

Following are some workarounds you can try to fix the runtime error 9 in Excel.

Method 1: Check the Name of Worksheet in the Code

Sometimes, Excel throws the runtime error 9: Subscript out of range if the name of the worksheet is not defined correctly in the code. For example – When trying to copy content from one Excel sheet (emp) to another sheet (emp2) via VBA code, you have mistakenly mentioned wrong name of the worksheet (see the below code).

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Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
Worksheets("emp").Range("A1:E5").Select
Selection.Copy
Worksheets("emp3").Activate
Worksheets("emp3").Range("A1:E5").Select
ActiveSheet.Paste
Application.CutCopyMode = False
End Sub

When you run the above code, the Excel will throw the Subscript out of range error.

So, check the name of the worksheet and correct it. Here are the steps:

• Go to the Design tab in the Developer section.
• Double-click on the Command button.
• Check and modify the worksheet name (e.g. from “emp” to “emp2”).

• Now run the code.
• The content in ‘emp’ worksheet will be copied to ‘emp2’ (see below).

Method 2: Check the Range of the Array

The VBA error “Subscript out of range” also occurs if you have declared an array in a code but didn’t specify the number of elements. For example – If you have declared an array and forgot to declare the array variable with elements, you will get the error (see below):

To fix this, specify the array variable:

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Sub FillArray()
Dim curExpense(364) As Currency
Dim intI As Integer
For intI = 0 to 364
curExpense(intI) = 20
Next
End Sub

Method 3: Change Macro Security Settings

The Runtime error 9: Subscript out of range can also occur if there is an issue with the macros or macros are disabled in the Macro Security Settings. In such a case, you can check and change the macro settings. Follow these steps:

• Open your Microsoft Excel.
• Navigate to File > Options > Trust Center.
• Under Trust Center, select Trust Center Settings.
• Click Macro Settings, select Enable all macros, and then click OK.

Method 4: Repair your Excel File

The name or format of the Excel file or name of the objects may get changed due to corruption in the file. When the objects are not identified in a VBA code, you may encounter the Subscript out of range error. You can use the Open and Repair utility in Excel to repair the corrupted file. To use this utility, follow these steps:

• In your MS Excel, click File > Open.
• Browse to the location where the affected file is stored.
• In the Open dialog box, select the corrupted workbook.
• In the Open dropdown, click on Open and Repair.
• You will see a prompt asking you to repair the file or extract data from it.
• Click on the Repair option to extract the data as much as possible. If Repair button fails, then click Extract button to recover data without formulas and values.

If the “Open and Repair” utility fails to repair the corrupted/damaged macro-enabled Excel file, then try an advanced Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel. It can easily repair severely corrupted Excel workbook and recover all the items, including macros, cell comments, table, charts, etc. with 100% integrity. The tool is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Excel.

Conclusion

You may experience the “Subscript out of range” error while using VBA in Excel. You can follow the workarounds discussed in this blog to fix the error. If the Excel file is corrupt, then you can use Stellar Repair for Excel to repair the file. It’s a powerful software that can help fix all the issues that occur due to corruption in the Excel file. It helps to recover all the data from the corrupt Excel files (.xls, .xlsx, .xltm, .xltx, and .xlsm) without changing the original formatting. The tool supports Excel 2021, 2019, 2016, and older versions.

Excel Repair Tool to Repair Corrupt Excel files (.XLS/.XLSX)

When to Use Stellar Excel File Repair Tool?

Unable to Open an Excel File Due to Invalid Extension?

You may face an error - “Excel cannot open the file .xlsx” in Excel 2021, 2019, 2016, etc., leading to data loss. This error occurs when you try to open corrupt Excel file or an invalid file format. Using the correct extension can resolve the issue, if there is no corruption. However, you need an Excel repair tool if the file is corrupt. Stellar Repair for Excel can repair the corrupt file and recover all objects in intact form.

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Excel File Not Opening Due to Corruption?

You cannot open an Excel file if it is corrupted. For example, opening an Excel file created in a lower version like Excel 2007 in Excel 2010 or later version can throw a corruption error message. Or, the file may open in a ‘protected view,’ not allowing any write operations. The Excel repair tool from Stellar provides a comprehensive solution to fix corrupt Excel files across all versions, including Excel 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, and older.

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Excel Found Unreadable Content?

You may encounter an error message – “Excel found unreadable content in filename.xls”, with a message to recover the contents of the workbook. Clicking ‘Yes’ to recover the contents may lead to loss of formatting, replacement of formulas, and inconsistencies. Stellar Phoenix Excel Repair software now Stellar Repair for Excel can scan the workbook and recover its contents.

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KEY FEATURES FOR REPAIR FOR EXCEL

Software Important Capabilities

Repair Large-sized Excel Files

Stellar Repair for Excel software previously known as Stellar Phoenix Excel Repair can repair & fix corrupt Excel files of any size. It removes corruption from individual objects, fixes the damage, and restores the Excel file back to its original state. The Excel repair tool can repair multiple Excel files in a batch.
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Resolves All Excel Corruption Errors

This Excel file repair tool fixes all types of Excel corruption errors, such as unrecognizable format, Excel found unreadable content in name.xls, Excel cannot open the file filename.xlsx, file name is not valid, the Excel file is corrupt and cannot be opened, etc. It provides a comprehensive solution for fixing Excel file issues.
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Preview the Repaired Excel File

The software shows a preview of the repaired Excel file and its recoverable contents in the main interface. This functionality allows you to verify the data in your repaired Excel file, including all of its objects, before saving the file. The Excel File Recovery software helps in determining the final state of data you will receive after repairing the corrupted Excel file.
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Recovers All Excel file Objects

The software repairs the corrupt Excel file and recovers all objects, including tables, charts, series trendline, conditional formatting rules, and properties of the worksheet. The software also recovers embedded functions, group & subtotal, engineering formulas, numbers, texts, rules, etc. It recovers Excel file data in its intact form.

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Option to Find Excel Files

Stellar Excel repair software helps users unaware of the Excel file location to search for all the Excel files on the computer. It provides ‘Find’ option to quickly locate and list all the Excel files for repair. You can select single or multiple files from the list that you want to repair.

Stellar Toolkit for File Repair

Stellar Toolkit for File Repair provides essential tools to repair corrupt Office files via a single interface. It comprises tools like MS Excel Repair, MS Word Repair, MS PowerPoint Repair, and PDF Repair to fix corrupt documents while maintaining the original file format.
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HOW TO USE STELLAR REPAIR FOR EXCEL

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Excel Repair

Repairs corrupted Excel files with 100% integrity.

• Repairs XLS, XLSX, XLTM, XLTX, and XLSM files
• Repairs multiple Excel files
• Previews the repaired file
• Supports Excel 2021 & older versions

File Repair Toolkit

Repairs corrupted Excel, Word, PowerPoint, & PDF files.

• Repairs XLS, XLSX, XLTM, XLTX, and XLSM files
• Repairs multiple files
• Previews the repaired file
• Supports Excel 2021 & older versions
• Repairs .DOC & .DOCX files
• Repairs .PPT, .PPTX, & .PPTM files
• Repairs corrupted PDF file

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File Repair Toolkit Technician

Repairs corrupted Excel, Word, PowerPoint, & PDF files up to 3 systems.

• Repairs XLS, XLSX, XLTM, XLTX, and XLSM files
• Repairs multiple files
• Previews the repaired file
• Supports Excel 2021 & older versions
• Repairs .DOC & .DOCX files
• Repairs .PPT, .PPTX, & .PPTM files
• Repairs corrupted PDF file

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Stellar Repair for Excel

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How do I repair multiple Excel files by using Stellar Repair for Excel software?

After launching the software, click Select File button in the Home tab. Next, click Browse and select the checkbox against all the Excel files you need to repair. Then, click the Repair button to start repairing all the Excel files.

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How do I see the Preview of repaired Excel file using the Demo version of the software?

Browse and select the file(s) to repair. The software will start scanning the Excel files once you click the Repair button. Next, it will display the files in the left pane. You can preview their contents in the right pane.

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How do I find the recovered Excel file?

The software saves the repaired file with the prefix “Recovered” at the user-specified location. You can find the recovered file using the Search box utility in the taskbar.

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Start Using Stellar Repair for Excel Today

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Free download to scan and preview all recoverable Excel data.

[Solved] Excel Spreadsheet Disappears after Opening

Several Excel users have reported about experiencing ‘Excel spreadsheet disappears after opening’ issue. The problem occurs when attempting to open an Excel file by double-clicking on the file icon or name. The Excel file opens blank grey screen.

Figure 1 - Excel Blank Screen

User Instances of ‘Excel Open But Can’t See Spreadsheet’ Issue

Instance 1: The user said that “Excel 2016 opens to a blank screen and everything is greyed out. Ribbons at the top of Excel are also not present”.

Instance 2: The user reported that “Attempting to open a spreadsheet, either by double-clicking the file or by opening Excel, it opens but only a blank Excel window is visible. When trying to save that particular file, Excel behaves as though there is no file open at all and all the file saving options, such as save, save as, print, etc. are greyed out.”

Causes Behind ‘Excel Open But Can’t See Spreadsheet’ Issue & the Solutions Thereof

Following are some of the possible reasons behind the ‘Excel open but can’t see spreadsheet’ issue, along with their solutions:

Cause 1: Excel File is Hidden

You may have saved the Excel sheet as a hidden document.

Solution: Unhide Excel File

Verify if your Excel worksheet is hidden by following these steps:

• In Excel, click the View tab, and then click Unhide.

Note: If the ‘Hide’ tab under the View menu is greyed out, the sheet you’re trying to open is not hidden. In that case, proceed to the next workaround.

Figure 2 - Unhide Excel File

• A dialog box will pop-up showing the worksheet name that can be unhidden. For instance, below is an image of Unhide box that lists ‘Daily_Reports’ spreadsheet under Unhide workbook.

Figure 3 – Select and Unhide Excel Workbook

• Click OK to unhide your Excel sheet.

If this fails to work, there’s a possibility that the spreadsheet window pane may have slided to one side of the visible desktop. To bring back the displayed area, click the ‘Arrange All’ option under the View tab. If the issue persists, try the next solution.

Cause 2: Ignore Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) Option is Enabled

Another reason behind the ‘Excel opens to a blank screen’ issue could be that the “Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)” checkbox is checked in Excel options.

Usually, when you double-click an Excel file, a DDE message is sent to Excel instructing it to open that particular file. But, if you have the ‘Ignore DDE’ option selected, the DDE message sent to Excel to open a workbook is ignored. As a result, the Excel workbook opens a blank screen.

Solution: Uncheck the Ignore DDE Option

Make sure that the ‘Ignore DDE’ option is unchecked by performing these steps:

Note: Skip these steps for Excel 2019 and Excel Office 365.

• In your Excel window, click File > Options.

Figure 4 - Select Excel Options

• From the left-side of the ‘Options’ window, choose Advanced.

Figure 5 - Excel Options Window

• In ‘Advanced’ window, locate the General section, and then uncheck the “Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)” checkbox.

Figure 6 - Uncheck Ignore Other Applications that use DDE

• Click OK to apply the changes.

If these steps don’t work, proceed to the next workaround.

Cause 3: Issue within Office Program

Sometimes, problem within your Microsoft Office program might cause Excel to behave oddly and may result in an Excel spreadsheet disappeared issue.

Solution: Repair Office Program

Try repairing your Office program by executing the steps listed below, based on your Windows OS:

For Windows 10:

• Type Settings in the Windows search box.
• Click Settings.
• In ‘Windows Settings’ screen, select Apps.

Figure 7 - Windows Settings Screen

• In ‘Apps & features’ screen, scroll down to your Microsoft Office program and tap on it, and then click the Modify

Figure 8 - Modify MS Office Program

• In ‘How would you like to repair your Office programs’ dialog box, select the Online Repairradio button, and then click the Repair

Figure 9 - Repair MS Office Program

For Windows 8:

• Open Control Panel and click the Uninstall a program option under Programs.
• Select Microsoft Office 365 and then click Change.
• In the window that opens, select Online Repair and then hit the Repair

You may be asked to restart your system after completion of the repair process.

For Windows 7:

• In ‘Control Panel’ window, double-click Programs and Features.
• Under Uninstall or change a program section, select the Office program, and then select Change.
• In the dialog box that appears, choose Online Repair and then choose Repair.

If repairing your Office installation fails to resolve the issue, continue to solution 4.

Cause 4: Problematic Excel and COM Add-ins

Sometimes, Excel and COM add-ins may cause Excel file open a blank grey screen problem.

Solution: Disable the Add-ins

Disabling the Excel and COM add-ins one at a time may help resolve the problem. The steps are as follows:

• Click the File menu in your Excel file and select
• From ‘Excel Options’ left-side panel, click Add-Ins, and then choose COM Add-ins from the ‘Manage’ drop-down. Click the Go

Figure 10 - Select COM Add-ins

• Uncheck one of the add-ins checkbox from the COM Add-ins window, then select OK.

Figure 11 - Uncheck and Disable COM Add-ins

• Restart your Excel program.

If the issue persists, repeat the above steps (1 till 4), except that you need to choose a different add-in in step 3.

If you’re still experiencing the same problem after unchecking all the COM add-ins, repeat all the above steps, except choose ‘Excel Add-ins’ in step 2.

If Excel can load the file, then the add-in that you disabled last leads to the problem. If turning off add-ins does not work, try the next solution.

Cause 5: Problem with Excel File Associations

The Excel file opening a blank screen problem may occur if the file associations are not performing correctly.

Solution: Reset Excel File Associations

Try resetting the file associations in Excel to their default settings. For this, follow the below steps based on your OS.

For Windows 10 and Windows 8.1:

• Select the file that is opening incorrectly and copy it to the desktop.
• Right-click the file and click Properties.
• In the File’s ‘Properties’ window, check your file type next to Type of Filefrom the General tab. For instance, (.docx), (.csv), or (.pdf).
• Next, check to which app your file is associated with from the Opens withoption

If the file type is different than .xlsx, open the file in a different application by following these steps:

• Click the Change button next to the ‘Opens with’ option.
• Click More apps.
• From the list of applications, select the desired app and then check the Always use this app Click OK.

For Windows 8:

• Open Control Panel, click Default Programs, and then select Set your default programs.
• Choose Excel and then tap the Choose default for this program
• In ‘Set Program Associations’ window, choose Select All and then click Save.

For Windows 7:

• In Control Panel, choose Default Programs.
• Click the Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program
• Choose Microsoft Excel Worksheet and click on change program.
• Choose Microsoft Excel under Recommended Programs.
• If you’re unable to find Excel, browse the Excel installation folder.
• Select exe and then choose Excel.

What Next? Use Stellar Repair for Excel to Recover Your File

If the above solutions don’t help recover your Excel file, use an Excel file repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel to recover it. The software can restore the Excel spreadsheet and its components, including tables, pivot tables, charts, formulas, etc. while preserving the spreadsheet properties and formatting.

Check out the video to recover Excel file by using Stellar Repair for Excel software.

Conclusion

This article described the possible causes behind the ‘Excel open but can’t see spreadsheet’ issue, along with their solutions. The manual solutions to resolve the issue require time and efforts. But, if you need to access your Excel file without any delay, use Stellar Repair for Excel software to recover your .xlsx/.xls file in just a few clicks.