Get Rid of corrupt Excel File

Summary: What to do when an Excel file is corrupted? This is a common question that is often asked by Microsoft Excel users. If you too are seeking an answer to this question, read the blog to learn about a few manual workarounds and a specialized Excel file repair tool to resolve the Excel file corruption issue.

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

When Microsoft Excel detects corruption in a workbook, it attempts to repair the workbook by starting ‘File Recovery mode’.

Tip! If the file recovery mode doesn’t start, you may use the manual repair process or an Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel to repair a corrupted Excel file. The software can help you quickly retrieve contents from a damaged, corrupt, or inaccessible Excel file and restore the file to its original state.

There even exist a few manual tips that can be used to recover data from damaged MS Office Excel files.

Workarounds to Use When an Excel File is Corrupted

Note: Before carrying out any of the repair and recovery workarounds, it is advised that you must save a backup copy of the damaged file. This is to prevent your files from turning completely inaccessible in case the methods fail to give desired results.

Workaround 1: Use the Open and Repair Method

If MS Excel cannot repair a corrupted workbook automatically, you can try to do it manually. To do so, perform the following:

• Open the corrupt file, like you normally open any file, by clicking File > Open.
• Browse and locate the folder containing the corrupted document.
• When the Open dialog box is displayed:
• Select the Excel document.
• Click on the arrow present to the right side of the Open button and select Open and Repair option.

Figure 1 – Open and Repair Feature

If this doesn’t help repair the broken Excel file or you encounter  Open and Repair does not work issue, proceed with the next workaround.

Tip! Try an alternative solution, i.e. Stellar Repair for Excel software to repair and recover corrupt Excel files (.xlsx or .xls) when the ‘Open and Repair’ method won’t work.  

Workaround 2: Restore an Excel File with a Shadow Copy

If you’re a Windows 7 or Vista user, you can try restoring the corrupted spreadsheet by using a shadow copy (or a previous version). [Shadow copy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Copy#:~:text=Shadow%20Copy%20(also%20known%20as,the%20Volume%20Shadow%20Copy%20service .) is basically a snapshot (backup copy) of computer files or volumes. The snapshot may contain an older version of your Excel file that has become damaged now. To find out, do the following:

• Launch File Explorer, and right-click the folder in which the file is saved.
• Choose Properties.
• Look for and click the Previous Versions tab. This will display a list of entries under Folder versions or File versions, going back a few days or weeks.
• Double-click one with a date when the file was accessible and could be read. Then, try to open its older version. If it opens, save the older version with a new name and execute the procedure with new file/folder entries.

Figure 2 – Volume Shadow Copy

You would have to repeat the process until you reach the point where the file became damaged. With this, you will get a baseline version of the file, but data may still have been lost.

Workaround 3: Test your Assumptions

If you receive a message saying “Excel file corrupted and cannot be opened”, you would probably believe it. However, there could be other reasons besides corruption that may cause Excel to throw this error message.

Your Office suite, which Excel is a part of, maybe having some primary issues in it causing problems while opening one Excel document. So, try opening another Excel file to check if the problem exists with all the files or just one.

If other Excel documents work correctly, it means that only the particular document is corrupt. On the contrary, if the issue is with your Office suite, repairing the current Office installation may help fix the issue. For this, perform these steps:

• Go to Control Panel and click Uninstall the Program.
• Choose Office.
• Click Change, and hit the Repair button.

You can reinstall the entire Office package. Once reinstalled, try to open the file to check if the issue has been fixed and the Excel file repaired.

Click here


Figure 3 – MS Office Repair

Workaround 4: Use Excel File Repair Tool

If the above manual solutions fail, use Excel repair software to successfully repair your damaged Excel workbook and recover all its data. Essentially, the software rebuilds damaged Excel workbook data at a granular level to recover every single object & all the original properties of the workbook.

Suggested Read: How to repair corrupt Excel files using Stellar Repair for Excel?

Why Use Stellar Repair for Excel Software?

• Repairs severely corrupted XLSX and XLS files.
• Can handle corrupt Excel files of any size.
• Demo version allows previewing recoverable Excel file items for free.
• Supports Microsoft Excel 2019 and all lower versions.
• Compatible with Windows 10 and lower versions.
• Tested and recommended by Microsoft Excel MVPs.

Final Word

When an Excel file is corrupted, it won’t open at all or you won’t be able to access all the file data. Such a situation can lead to unnecessary halts, impacting work productivity.

There are manual workarounds that may help fix the corrupt Excel file and recover its data, such as the ones covered in this blog. However, these solutions might not work in severe corruption cases and may require technical assistance. Also, they may result in some data loss.

To overcome the limitations of manual workarounds, it is recommended to go for a professional Excel file repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Excel . It helps repair corrupt Excel (XLS or XLSX) files and restores all worksheet data, such as the table, chart, chart sheet, cell comment, sort and filter, image, formula, etc. in a few simple clicks. Moreover, the software provides a free preview of the recoverable data with its demo version. You can check the preview to evaluate how the software works.

How to repair corrupt Excel file

Stellar Repair for Excel is an excellent tool to repair corrupt or damaged MS Excel files. Mentioned below are the steps to perform Excel repair with this tool:

• Download & Run the Stellar Repair for Excel.

• A dialog box appears on your screen, click ‘OK’ to proceed.

• To select your corrupt .XLS or .XLSX file, click ‘Browse’ button. However, if you do not know the location of your .XLS or .XLSX file, the software provides you the option ‘Search’ to search for your corrupt Excel files.

• Select the checkboxes against the files that you want to repair and click ‘Repair’. This starts the scanning process.

• The list of all the files that the software has scanned is displayed in the tree-view in the left pane. Click on a file from this tree-view to see its preview in the middle pane. From this list, you can select the file that you want to recover.

• You can either select the ‘Default location of file’ or ‘Select New Folder’ in the ‘Save Document’ dialog box to save the repaired files.

Stellar Repair for Excel Stellar Repair for Excel is the best choice for repairing corrupt or damaged Excel (.XLS/.XLSX) files. This Excel recovery software restores everything from corrupt file to a new blank Excel file.

Learn More

[Fixed] The Workbook Cannot Be Opened or Repaired By Microsoft Excel

An MS Excel workbook (.XLS/.XLSX) file may not open due to damage or corruption caused by various reasons, such as:

• Sudden power failure
• System crash
• Virus or malware intrusion
• Large or oversized Excel file
• Incompatible add-ins
• Drive errors
• Damaged MS Office/Excel program files

As a result, when you try to open or access a corrupt Excel document, the program displays errors, such as “The workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupt.” This may lead to a data loss situation.

Methods to Fix ‘The Workbook Cannot Be Opened’ Error

When an Excel workbook gets corrupt, MS Excel automatically detects and starts the file recovery mode to open and repair the file. However, when it fails to repair the corruption or recover the Excel file automatically, it displays the error message, “The workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupt.” In such a situation, you can follow these methods to repair and recover the Excel document manually.

If the manual methods fail to resolve the error, you can use an Excel repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Excel. The software repairs corrupt XLS/XLSX file, recovers all the data, and saves it in a new Excel document with 100% precision, while keeping the cell formatting and properties intact.

NOTE: Before performing the below methods to repair or recover Excel documents, create a backup copy of the original file. This will help you recover data by using an Excel repair tool and avoid permanent data loss.  

1. Repair Excel Workbook Manually

If the automatic repair fails, you may try manual repair to fix the damage or extract the data from the damaged Excel workbook. The steps are as follows:

• Navigate to File > Open and then go to the location where the spreadsheet is located.
• In the Open window, select the corrupted workbook that you want to fix and then click on the arrow next to the Open button.
• From the available options, choose Open and Repair…

• Then click ‘Repair‘ if you want to recover maximum data from the workbook or click ‘Extract data‘ if the repair option fails to fix the issue. It will extract all the values, formulas, tables, etc., from the corrupt workbook.

If both options fail to fix the issue, head to the next method.

2. Remove Faulty or Incompatible Add-ins

Faulty or incompatible add-ins may also cause this error. To find and remove such add-ins, follow these steps:

• Press **Windows key + R.
  **

• Type Excel /safe and press ‘Enter‘ or click ‘OK.’ This opens MS Excel in Safe Mode.
• Go to File > Options and then select ‘Add-ins.‘

• Choose ‘Excel Add-ins‘ from Manage: option and then click on the Go button to view all Add-ins.

• Uncheck the checkboxes of Add-ins and then click ‘OK‘ to disable them.

Now close the Excel program and run it normally. Click ‘File > Open‘ and choose the Excel file you want to access.

3. Repair MS Office Installation

Damaged Excel program files may also lead to such errors. However, you can easily repair MS Office installation to fix the problem. The steps are as follows:

• Open Control Panel and select ‘Uninstall a program.‘

• Search and choose MS Office from the programs list. Then click on the ‘Change’ button.

• Select ‘Repair’ and follow the wizard to fix the damaged program files.

If this fails to address the issue, you can uninstall and then fresh install MS Office on your system. Alternatively, try accessing the file on another PC.

Click here

### 4\. Use Excel Repair Software

The best option is to use an Excel repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Excel , to repair the file, resolve the error, and access the Excel (XLS/XLSX) worksheet. The software can repair an Excel file without any size limitation.

After recovering the Excel file using the software, you can open it in any MS Excel program without encountering the error message.

Conclusion

A corrupt or damaged Excel workbook may lead to errors, such as “The workbook cannot be opened or repaired by Microsoft Excel because it is corrupt,” and cause a data loss situation. The most efficient way to fix such corrupt Excel files is to repair them by using an Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel.

Unlike manual methods that may fail to resolve the issue or lead to further damage, this software extracts the data from the damaged Excel file and saves it in a new Excel workbook. Thus, it is 100% safe to run on an original Excel file, as it does not overwrite or alter the original file.

The software is free to download. You can scan, repair, and preview a corrupt Excel file by using the demo version. Once you are satisfied with the results, activate the software to save the repaired Excel workbook data in a new sheet.

Ways to Fix the “Failed to Parse the Corrupted Excel File” Error

Summary: While parsing an Excel file, you may experience the “Failed to parse the corrupted Excel file” error. It usually occurs if the Excel file is corrupt. This blog covers some easy fixes to fix this Excel error. It also mentions an advanced Excel repair tool that can help fix the issue by repairing the corrupted file.

You may encounter the “Failed to parse the corrupted Excel file” error when parsing (extracting or converting) the data in an Excel file. This error usually occurs if the Excel file is corrupted – either completely or partially (some of its objects, like formulas, macros, and values are corrupt). However, there are various other reasons that may lead to this Excel error. Let’s know the possible causes behind the “Failed to parse the corrupted Excel file” error and how to fix it.

Causes of the “Failed to parse the corrupted Excel file” Error

This error could occur due to any of the following causes:

• Damaged or corrupted macros
• Excel document is closed suddenly
• Issues with Excel application installation
• Virus or malware attack
• Hardware failure
• Bad sectors on the hard drive

Ways to Fix the “Failed to parse the corrupted Excel file” Error

Here are some possible ways to fix this error and recover the Excel file.

Method 1: Try to Save the File in a Different Format

Sometimes, the error can occur if the file format is not compatible with your Excel version. You can try saving the file to a different format. To do this, follow the below steps:

• Open the Excel file.
• Click on the File option and then select Save As.
• Click on Browse option and then click Save as Type.

• Select the desired Excel file format and click Save.

Method 2: Revert to the Previously Saved Version of the Excel File

You can try reverting to the previously saved version of the Excel file. Here’s how:

• Open your Excel application.
• Navigate to File > Info > Manage Workbook.

• Click Recover unsaved workbooks.

• Click on the Restore option you see at the top of the file.

Method 3: Set the Calculation Option to Manual

When the calculation mode is set to automatic, Excel automatically recalculates all the formulas in the file even if you make a minor change. It can take time to load the file and stop you from parsing data in your Excel file. You can change the calculation option to manual so that Excel only recalculates when you explicitly tell the application to do it. Here are the steps:

• Open your Excel application.
• Navigate to File and then click Options.
• In Excel Options, select Formulas.
• Under Workbook Calculation, select Manual and click OK.

Method 4: Use Open and Repair Utility

You can try repairing the corrupted Excel file with Excel’s inbuilt tool – Open and Repair . To use the tool, follow the steps cited below:

• In Excel, go to the File tab and then click Open.
• Click Browse to select the corrupted file.
• The Open dialog box will appear. Click on the corrupted file.
• Click on the arrow next to the Open button and then click 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 your work as possible.
• After repair, a message will appear (as shown in the below figure).

• Click Close.

What If None of the Above Methods Works?

The above methods may fail to work if the Excel file is severely damaged. In such a case, we recommend using an efficient Excel repair tool , such as Stellar Repair for Excel. It can quickly repair corrupted Excel (.XLS/.XLSX) files. It can recover all the objects from the file, including charts, tables, formulas, etc. You can download the free trial version of the tool to preview the recoverable data.

Conclusion

Above, we have discussed some tried and tested methods to fix the “Failed to parse the corrupted Excel file” error. If the Excel file is severely damaged or corrupted, you can try repairing it using a third-party Excel repair software, like Stellar Repair for Excel . It can repair multiple Excel files without affecting the original formatting. The tool is compatible with all Excel versions.

How to fix Microsoft Excel not responding error and save your data

Summary: This guide helps you resolve Excel not responding and frequent Excel freeze issues in Excel on Windows 10. It mentions some effective solutions to repair Excel and resolve Excel is not responding problem. These solutions will also help you fix Excel crashing problem while working on the spreadsheet.

Similar to any other program, you may experience problems with Microsoft Excel while opening or working on a document. Sometimes, it may not start at all or freeze and display an error message such as ‘Excel is not responding’. When it happens, you may want to wait for the program to respond.

‘Microsoft Excel is not responding’ problem

Tip: If you are experiencing Excel not responding problem with a particular Excel file, it’s quite possible that the file is corrupt or partially damaged. And thus, leading to an Excel freeze or crash problem. Use Stellar Repair for Excel software to quickly repair and restore Excel (.xls/.xlsx) file in its original, intact form. You can download the free trial version of the software from the below link.

But if Excel doesn’t respond after a while and remains stuck, you need to force close the program from “Task Manager”. Now, this could be disastrous if happens while you are working on an important Excel document that took you hours to prepare. Force closing Excel due to such error can damage the Excel document and it may fail to open next time.

Why Excel is Not Responding?

Excel may stop responding, freeze, or crash suddenly due to several reasons. It can happen while saving a spreadsheet or opening an Excel document. It may also occur while editing or inserting images, graphs, etc. But usually, it occurs when the system crashes or shuts down abruptly while you are working on a document. Here’s an instance,

Suppose, you worked overnight on a critical document which is to be presented at a meeting the next day. This Excel spreadsheet includes critical graphs and charts, and much more. When you are about to save it, there is a power failure, and your system shuts down without warning. When the power is up, you restarted the system to check your Excel. To your dismay, a message pops up – “Excel Crashed” or “Microsoft Excel not responding”.

This could be frustrating. However, there is no need to despair as there are solutions to not just overcome this error but other corresponding issues such as Excel freezing, hanging, crashing, etc. Below is an infographic that quickly briefs all the possible solutions to fix Excel not responding error.

Solutions to Fix ‘Microsoft Excel is not responding’ Error

Follow the solutions discussed below in the given order to fix Excel freezing and hanging issues.

Solution 1: Open Excel in Safe Mode

If Excel is not working as intended and frequently stops responding, you may try to start Excel in Safe Mode. It is a common DIY way to fix ‘Excel is not responding’ problem.

In Safe Mode, Excel starts with only essential services, bypasses certain functionalities and doesn’t load the add-ins, which might be the reason behind the error in MS Excel . To open and troubleshoot Excel in Safe Mode:

• Press Windows + R keys, type excel.exe /safe and press ‘Enter’ or click ‘OK’

MS Excel in Safe Mode

Open the Excel file and check if it still crashes. If not, the problem could be a faulty add-in or formatting and styling error.

Proceed to the next solution to check and fix the problem.

Solution 2: Check for Faulty and Unwanted Add-ins

In Microsoft Excel, there are two types of add-ins:

• COM add-ins
• Other Add-ins Installed as XLAM, XLA, or XLL File

Both types of add-ins can cause the freezing problem in Excel . Follow the steps below to disable unwanted and faulty add-ins:

• In Excel , click File and go to Options to open ‘Excel Options’ window
• Click Add-ins button to view and manage ‘Microsoft Office Add-ins’
• Uncheck required add-ins to disable them
• At this stage, you can also click the ‘Remove’ button to remove any unwanted add-ins

Disable COM Add-Ins

• Now enable an add-in and check the Excel performance. Observe Excel for not responding error or freezing problem

If Excel doesn’t freeze, enable subsequent add-in and then again use Excel to observe it. Repeat the steps until you find the faulty plugin, which is causing the problem.

Then remove it from Excel add-ins to resolve the problem.

Solution 3: Install the latest Windows and Office Updates

This problem may also occur if Windows and MS Office are not updated. Therefore, install the latest updates for both Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office.

You can set the installation and update option to ‘Automatic mode’ in Windows. This will download and install critical updates for MS Office, which might fix the Excel performance issue. The steps to enable automatic updates are as follows:

1. Go to Settings> Update & Security> Windows Update

Enable Automatic Windows updates

• Click Advanced options and enable all the toggle switches to automatically download and install updates for Windows and other Microsoft products

Update Microsoft Products

After update, restart Excel and check if the problem is resolved.

NOTE: From now on, MS Excel will also get the latest update consistently, without the need for manual intervention.

Solution 4:  Check and Disable Anti-virus

Antivirus is important for device safety. However, if your antivirus conflicts with MS Office apps such as Excel, it could lead to Excel freezing and not responding errors.

To check if the problem is due to anti-virus, disable it and reopen the Excel document. Check if Excel performs well or if it still hangs.

Example of Antivirus conflict with Microsoft Excel

If the problem is resolved, contact your antivirus software provider for help to keep antivirus running without affecting the system and other programs such as MS Excel.

Solution 5: Change the ‘Default Printer’

Although it may seem irrelevant, changing the default printer is another easy and effective solution to overcome the error. Reason being, Excel communicates with the printer to find supported margins when we open an Excel sheet.

If Excel doesn’t find the supported margin, it may stop responding or crash. The steps to change the default printer are as follows:

1. Open Control Panel on your Windows system
2. Click Printer and Devices
3. Right-click Microsoft XPS Document Writer to set it to the default printer

Change in Default Printer Setting

Reopen the Excel document to check whether the error occurs or not.

Solution 6: Repair Microsoft Office

A corrupt or damaged Microsoft Office can also cause the ‘Excel is not responding’ problem. You can resolve this by repairing the Microsoft Office files. The steps are as follows:

1. Close all running MS Office programs
2. Go to Control Panel on your Windows system
3. Click Programs and then Programs and Features
4. Select Microsoft Office and in the Microsoft Office window, click ‘Change’
5. Then select the ‘Repair’ option and click ‘Continue’

Repair MS Office

This may take a while. After the repair is done, check your Excel program and file for the error.

Solution 7: Remove and Reinstall Microsoft Office

Sometimes, repairing MS Office may not work. In such a case, removing and reinstalling Microsoft Office can resolve the ‘Excel is not responding’ problem. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Close all running MS Office programs
2. Go to Control Panel on your Windows system
3. Click Programs and then Programs and Features
4. Right-click on Microsoft Office and choose Uninstall

Uninstall MS Office

Then run the MS Office installation setup to re-install MS Office on your system.

Solution 8: Repair Microsoft Excel (XLS/XLSX) file

In several situations, a corrupt or partially damaged Excel (XLS/XLSX) file is the cause of this error. In such a case, you can download and install Stellar Repair for Excel to repair the corrupt or damaged Excel file. By repairing the Excel file, you can resolve the Excel freezing error quickly without applying much efforts.

The steps to use the software for Excel file repair are as follows:

1. Download, install and launch the Excel file repair software
2. Browse and select the corrupt Excel file

• Click ‘Repair’ to start repairing the damaged Excel file
• After file repair, it provides a preview. Check your file

• Then click the ‘Save File’ option in the main menu
• You can either choose default location or browse a new folder location to save the repaired Excel file

• After repair, open the file in Excel and continue with your work

And keep Stellar Repair for Excel installed on your system. You never know when you might need this handy tool.

You may also refer to Microsoft support for more details on Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working issues.

Conclusion

Now that the methods for fixing the ‘Excel is not responding’ error are before you, try all these and see which one works for you. If the cause of this error is a damaged or corrupt Excel file, only repairing the XLS/XLSX file can resolve the issue.

For this purpose, it’s recommended to use a reliable software such as Stellar Repair for Excel as it offers an easy-to-use interface, thereby making Excel file repair process a seamless experience.

The software recovers table, chart, chart sheet, cell comment, number, text, shared formulas, image, formula, sort and filter, and other objects. It also preserves worksheet properties, layout, and cell formatting. It can repair multiple XLS/XLSX files simultaneously and fix all Excel file corruption errors.

All these features extend the software capabilities beyond just fixing the ‘Excel not responding’ error.

How to Repair Corrupt Excel Workbook?

Summary: Corruption in an Excel workbook could lead to data loss. This blog outlines the possible reasons behind corrupted workbook and describes how to repair the workbook manually and using an Excel repair tool.

Is your Excel behaving differently, for instance, stops responding or freezes? Or have you encountered a warning or an error message indicating corruption in the Excel workbook?

Figure 1 - Corruption Warning in Excel: The corrupt workbook cannot be opened or repaired

Figure 2 - Excel File Corruption Message

In any of these situations, you won?t be able to open your Excel workbook.

TIP! If you?re unable to open an Excel workbook, it does not necessarily mean that the workbook is corrupt. Try a few workarounds to resolve the issue, like disabling the ?Protected View Settings?, disabling add-ins, or moving the workbook to another drive.

You will need to repair the corrupted Excel workbook to make it usable. Before discussing the repair methods, let?s first look at the possible reasons behind file corruption.

To jump to methods to repair the workbook, click here .

Possible Reasons behind Corrupted Excel Workbook

• Large size of a workbook: A workbook containing lots of information or objects like images, shaded cells, or other visual representations is prone to corruption.
• Unexpected system shutdown or power loss: If you haven?t saved your Excel file, abrupt system shutdown or power failure can corrupt the data and render the file inaccessible.
• Bad sectors on storage media: Accumulation of bad sectors on storage media on which Excel files are saved is another reason that may lead to Excel file corruption.

Other common reasons causing Excel file corruption are virus attack, network errors, etc.

Methods to Repair Corrupted Excel Workbook

Note: Repairing the corrupt workbook may result in data loss. And so, it?s recommended to back up the workbook before attempting to repair the file.

Method 1 ? Repair the Excel Workbook Manually

Use the Excel ?Open and Repair? feature to repair your corrupt workbook manually. Here?s how:

Step 1: In Excel, click the File tab and then click Open.

Step 2: Select the corrupt Excel file, click the arrow button next to the Open button and then select Open and Repair.

Figure 3 - Excel Open and Repair Feature

Step 3: In Microsoft Excel dialog box that opens, click Repair to begin repairing your corrupt workbook.

Figure 4 - Repair the Microsoft Excel File

Note: If the Excel repair process fails, repeat Steps 1 till 3 and click the ?Extract Data? button. This will help you extract values and formulas from the corrupted workbook.

Performing these steps will repair your Excel file. If the issue persists, skip to the next method.

Method 2 ? Use Excel File Repair Software

If the above method failed to fix corruption in the workbook, use Excel file repair software to repair your workbook quickly. This Excel repair tool is purpose-built to help users repair large-sized Excel files (.xlsx and .xls) in just a few clicks. Also, it helps recover all the data from the corrupted workbook while preserving the cell formatting and worksheet properties.

Steps to Repair Corrupt Excel File Using the Software

Step 1: Download, install, and open Stellar Repair for Excel software.

Free Download for windows ](https://tools.techidaily.com/stellardata-recovery/repaire-for-excel/ )

Step 2: Click Browse to select your corrupted .xlsx or .xls file. If you are not aware of the file location, click Search to locate and select the file.

Figure 5 - Select Corrupt Excel Workbook

Step 3: Once the file is selected, click Repair.

Step 4: A preview of recoverable workbook data gets displayed.

Figure 6 - Preview of Recoverable Excel Workbook Data

Note: You will need to activate the licensed version of Stellar Repair for Excel software for saving the repaired file. Once activated, proceed with the steps below to save the repaired file.

Step 5: Click Save File on the File menu. This will open a Save File dialog box with options to save the repaired .xlsx/.xls file at default or new location. After choosing the appropriate option, click OK.

Figure 7 - Save Repaired Excel File

The repaired file will get saved at the selected location.

Key Features of Stellar Repair for Excel Software

• Repairs severely corrupt Excel file and recovers pivots, pivot tables, conditional formatting rules, chart, chart sheets, etc.
• Can repair multiple Excel files in a batch simultaneously
• Can handle all types of Excel file corruption errors, like ?Excel found unreadable content in filename.xls?, ?Excel cannot open the file filename.xlsx?, etc.
• Supports repairing corrupt workbooks of Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2007, 2003, and lower versions.

End Note

If your Excel workbook has turned corrupt, try using the methods discussed in this blog to repair the workbook. Once it is repaired, you must follow preventive measures to avoid your Excel file from getting corrupt. Some of these measures are as follows:

• Reduce the size of your workbook by:

  • Removing unused data
  • Saving images at lower resolutions
  • Avoid saving pivot table cache

• Turn on the ?AutoRecover? and ?AutoSave? features in Excel

[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.