Five easy ways to repair Excel files and recover the lost data

Read time9 minutes

Are you aware that Microsoft Excel stands as the world’s foremost choice for data analysis? Remarkably, a recent survey unveiled that over 90% of businesses rely on Excel to oversee and analyze their data. Consequently, it becomes imperative for businesses to possess a fundamental grasp of Excel file repair and data recovery techniques. In this blog post, we will elucidate five simple methods for Excel file repair and data retrieval. Continue reading to restore your business operations swiftly!

Instant Solution

If you want to repair corrupt excel file quickly and in simple way then try Kernel for Excel File Repair Tool

Free Download 100% Secure

Here, you will find a few manual methods by which damaged Excel files can be repaired.

When an Excel file becomes corrupt, it will often open in File Recovery mode automatically. However, if it doesn’t, you can proceed to repair Excel files using the following steps manually:

1. Click on File and select Open.
2. Go to the location where the corrupt workbook is present and the corrupted worksheet.
3. Expand the arrow next to Open. Here, select Open and Repair.
4. In order to repair the file, click Repair.

Note: If the Repair option doesn’t work, you can select Extract Data and extract values and formulae.

If neither the automatic nor manual repair options prove effective, there are several other recovery methods available to help you recover your lost data and files. Below, we’ve outlined these additional recovery methods:

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

1. Click on File. Select Open.
2. Double-click on the name of the workbook (the one that is open in your Excel)
3. Click Yes to reopen it.

The workbook will now appear. Please note that you will not have the latest modifications in the newly opened document.

To recover data from Excel workbooks that cannot be opened, you’ll need to configure the calculation option to manual in Excel by following these steps:

1. Begin by clicking on File. Select New. In New, select Blank workbook.
2. From File, select Options.
3. From the Formulas category, under the section Calculation options, select Manual. Now click on OK.
4. Now, click File, and select Open to and open the corrupted or damaged Excel file.

Another way is to recover only the data (leaving formulas/calculated values) from the workbook using external references (to link Excel workbook) as:

1. Click on File. Select Open.
2. Navigate to the folder that contains the corrupted workbook.
3. Now, right-click on the file name of the corrupted workbook and click on Copy. Hit Cancel.
4. Click the File button. Then, select New.
5. Under New, select Blank workbook.In the first cell (A1), type =!A1 and press Enter.
   • Select the corrupted workbook, in the Update Values dialog (if it appears). Then click OK.
   • Select the relevant sheet in the Select Sheet dialog (if it appears) sheet. Then click OK.
6. Again, select the cell A1, click on Home and select Copy.
7. Now select (start from the cell A1) an area equal to that of the data in the original workbook.
8. Click on Home now and select Paste.
9. Click on Home, and select Copy again (on the same selection of cells)
10. Click on Home, and then on the arrow below Paste. Here, click Values (under Paste Values).

    By pasting values, you remove the links to the corrupted workbook, leaving only the data.

When all manual methods prove unsuccessful, and your Excel files still don’t function as expected, turning to a third-party tool can be a valuable solution. Excel Repair Software, a professional third-party tool, specializes in repairing corrupt MS Excel worksheets. Whether you’re dealing with inaccessible Excel files caused by unexpected system shutdowns, power failures, or corrupted Excel files due to virus attacks or software crashes, this advanced tool can handle it all. Some noteworthy features of this tool include:

• Repairs corrupt all types of Excel files (Excel XLS And XLSX Files)
• Two repairing modes: Single-File and Multi-File mode
• Supports Unicode character recovery
• Uses Live Preview technology to view the recovered data
• Owns a friendly graphical user interface
• Works with all formats and versions of Excel

Follow the steps below to recover data from corrupt or damaged Excel worksheets:

1. Download and launch the latest version of the software
   

   Note: The Tool’s main screen is marked to get a better understanding of easy-to-use software.
   In section (1), there is the top menu bar where you can find options like selecting single or multiple files to repair and recover.
   In section (2), you can track the stage of operation. Also, you can jump into a specific step if you need to change something.
   In section (3), you can browse for corrupt or damaged Excel worksheets.
   In section (4), you can proceed towards the recovery.

2. Browse for corrupt Excel file(s) and clickRepair.
   Note: You can repair single or multiple files at one go.
3. Once the scanning completes, you can see the worksheet contents of the original file in section (2). The tool would save all the file content in the same hierarchy, as shown in section (3).
   Once you’re done with the content preview, you can move to the next step.
4. Browse for a location to save the new Excel worksheet with the recovered data,
   
5. Now, the tool will be saving the new Excel worksheet, and upon completion, you can open the folder with the help of the Active File Path,
   
6. Close the program.

Conclusion

So, if you ever find yourself in a situation where your Excel file becomes corrupted and results in lost data, there’s no need to despair. We’ve discussed five ways to repair Excel files and recover the missing data. Follow follow these methods one by one until you find the one that suits your needs.

Alternatively, you can opt for reliable third-party software like Excel Repair to repair the corrupt Excel file and retrieve the lost data. This software boasts an easy-to-use interface and is compatible with all versions of MS Excel. Give it a try and experience how effortlessly you can recover your lost data.

Best Excel File Recovery Software by The Top Tens