How to Repair Corrupted Excel Files – Excel File Recovery

MS Excel is a known application to store data in spreadsheets divided into rows and columns. It saves the data files in formats like (.xls), (.xlsx), and more. Excel files are used for data calculations, analysis, visualization, and more. However, these files can also be corrupted and affect personal and professional workflows. Hence, find go-to solutions and an Excel Recovery Tool to repair corrupted Excel files.

What Causes Excel File Corruption?

File corruption is a major issue these days and not having a backup is a more bigger problem. Apart from that, to know how to repair damaged Excel files we must learn the cause behind its corruption. Excel Files can be corrupted for any reason including:

• Hardware or power failure
• Issues in the software or Excel application
• Oversized XLS files or unsupported version
• Bad sectors on the Excel File
• Virus or malware infection, or other threats

These are the common reasons for corruption in Excel or any other file. Further, let’s find out how to remove this error and retrieve the Excel data securely.

How to Repair Corrupted Excel Files?

Any user can fix Excel corruption either manually or using a professional tool. However, with the manual method comes its limitations as discussed at the end. Begin to explore the complete step-by-step procedure for both methods.

Manual Methods to Rescue Data from Corrupt Excel Files

There are various manual solutions to eliminate this file error and restore the data. These are explained as follows:

Method 1: Fix Directly Using MS Excel

1. Simply, start Excel, move to the File tab, and click Open.
2. Find your corrupted XLS file and expand the Open drop-down beside Tools.
3. Further, click on Open and Repair, and in the open pop-up, hit Repair.
4. This will repair your damaged Excel file. 
5. After that, if you only need to extract the values from corrupted Excel or in case, the repair fails. Then, click Extract Data.

Method 2: Excel File Recovery by Changing Calculation Settings

1. Create a new Excel Workbook and from File, pick Options.
2. In open dialog, move to Formulas and set Calculation options to Manual.
3. Now, click OK and reopen your corrupted Excel file to see if the error is gone.

Method 3: Disable Add-ins in MS Excel

1. Open the Options window in Excel and from the left pane, click Add-ins.
2. Afterward, press Go beside Manage at the bottom of the page.
3. A dialog opens. There, uninstall all the add-ins and reopen the file.

Method 4: Repair Corrupted Excel Files with AutoRecover

1. Open a blank Excel Workbook and again move to the File tab.
2. From there, open the Options window and go to Save.
3. After that, copy the AutoRecover file location. Paste it into a Windows File Explorer search and click Enter.
4. Recover your corrupted Excel file from there (if exists).

Limitations of the Manual Method

• No guarantee of repairing corrupted Excel files with these methods.
• Users must have basic technical knowledge of MS Excel.
• Lacks advanced recovery capabilities and smart recovery options.
• Chances of further damage if not executed properly.
• No option for previewing the data in the corrupted Excel file.

Professional Tool to Repair Corrupted Excel Files

For a speedy recovery of corrupt Excel files without loss of data, use the Excel Recovery Tool. It restores data from corrupt XLS or XLSX files at once without size limitations. In addition, its user-friendly interface is easy to operate for users and supports all OS. Moreover, it gives a preview option for recovered data which can later be saved at a desired location.

Steps to Rescue Data from Corrupt Excel Files

1. Run the Excel File Recovery Tool and choose to add single or multiple files.
2. Select Excel files from the system and click Open to add them. Hit Next.
3. Further, choose a desired Grid and click Show Preview to check the file’s content.
4. Afterward, click Next and you get two options: Recreate Approach and Save Media.
5. By default, they both are selected but you can uncheck them as desired.
6. Furthermore, with the Recreate Approach, repair the corrupted Excel files.
7. Choose Save Media and press (…) to give a directory path to save the file.
8. At last, click OK and hit the Save button to repair and recover Excel files.

Final Words

To summarize, Excel files are of high value for storing data in tabular forms to keep records. But their corruption is a big issue. Thus, this blog provides efficient methods to repair corrupted Excel files. The manual methods are simple but a novice user without Excel knowledge may face difficulties. Also, it has other limitations. So, it is better to use a professional tool for instant and secure repair and recovery of data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can I repair a corrupted Microsoft Excel?

Ans: Follow these steps to repair damaged Excel files:

1. Run the Excel File Recovery Tool and add corrupted single/multiple XLS files.
2. Click Next and select the Grid to view its data. Press Show Preview.
3. After that, click Next and choose to repair the Excel file with the Recreate Approach option.
4. Press Save Media to specify a destination and restore the recovered data.
5. Lastly, click Save to complete the process of Excel recovery.

Q. Which method is best for Excel File Recovery?

Ans: The Excel Recovery Tool is the best solution to repair corrupted or damaged XLS and XLSX files. It has no limitations as in the manual methods and also ensures that data is intact without loss.

Also Read : Recover Unsaved Excel File.

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