How to Repair Corrupt Excel 2000 Files | Stellar

How to Repair Corrupt Excel 2000 Files | Stellar

Nova Lv13

How to Repair Multiple Excel Files by Using Stellar

With Stellar Repair for Excel, it is quite easy and simple to repair multiple MS Excel (XLS and XLSX) files that are damaged. This is because the software has a self-explanatory interface and hence is a Do-it-yourself software. Nonetheless, when using this software to repair multiple Excel files, you would have to add all of the files into the software by following a few pre-defined steps. Follow the steps mentioned below:

Parental Control Software

#1 Rated Parental Control Software.
Monitor & Control all PC Activity!
sentrypc.com/parental-controls/
![Select file option](https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/select-file-option.jpg)
  • Click Browse and select corrupt Excel files. Select the checkbox to repair multiple files.

Search file

  • Click Repair
  • The software provides the preview facility. You can check the it on left pane.

Preview of file

  • Save the repired filr ether Default location or Select New Folder radio button.

select destination

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 red arrow

Repair Office 2016 Files (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)on Windows

If you frequently work with Microsoft Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) files, then issues like file inaccessibility or corruption won’t be new to you.

Let’s discuss some common scenarios which may lead to corrupt MS Office 2016 files:

Scenarios behind Microsoft Office Files Corruption

Scenario 1 – Disruption during Data Migration

You decide to move Office files from your hard drive to other removable media. However, when you try to access the data within the files post-migration, you may find Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files showing gibberish characters. Due to a power surge, sudden system shutdown, and internal mechanical failure, the files may have turned corrupt.

Figure 1- Microsoft Word file showing garbage characters

Scenario 2 – Office Files and Registry Entries Become Infected

When you open or use the Microsoft Office application, it crashes as soon as it opens. You assume that an add-in was causing the problem and restart the Office application without add-ins loaded, but the application still crashes. This may happen because of a virus infecting the Office files and registry values, thus leading to corrupt or damaged Office files.

Scenario 3 – Inaccessible or Lost Data

Suppose all your Office files are stored on a USB device, and you unplugged the device while it was still open in Windows. Now, when you attempt to open a Word or an Excel file, all the data is gone. Unsafe removal of USB or any other external storage device may corrupt the data inside your Office files or turn the file inaccessible.

How Can You Deal with Microsoft Office Files Corruption?

Here are a few solutions that can help you fix or repair Office 2016 Files Corruption:

Solution 1 – Use Microsoft in-built Repair Utility

Microsoft recommends using its in-built repair utility, ‘Open and Repair’, to fix corrupt Office files. Follow these steps to understand how you can use the utility to repair the corrupt Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files:

  • Launch the MS Office application whose file you want to repair:
  1. To repair corrupt Word (.doc, .docx) files, launch MS Word
  2. To repair corrupt Excel files (.xls, .xlsx) files, launch MS Excel
  3. To repair corrupt PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) files, launch MS PowerPoint
  • Click File, and then click the Open tab.
  • Click Navigate to the location or folder where the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file is stored.
  • Select the corrupt file you want to repair by single-clicking on it, and then find the Open button and click on the drop-down menu next to it.

  • From the drop-down menu, click the Open and Repair option and follow the subsequent instructions to repair Office 2016 files.

Solution 2 – Repair Office 2016 Installation

Try repairing the Office installation to fix the MS Office files. The steps to repair your Office installation may vary depending on the operating system you are using.

For Windows 7

  • Open your PC’s control panel
  • Click Programs

  • Click Programs and Features, and then click Uninstall a program option

  • Right-click on the Office application you want to repair, and then click Change

  • Under Change your installation of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016, choose Repair and then click Continue.

For Windows 10

  • Right-click the Start button, and type in Apps & Features (For Windows 10)

NOTE: This step will work for Windows 10/8/8.1/7 and Vista

  • Click Programs from the window that opens, click on the MS Office product you want to repair, and then click on Modify

Note: Following the step will repair the entire Microsoft Office suite even if it contains only one application you want to repair such as an Excel or PowerPoint file. But, in case you have a standalone app installed, try to locate that application by name.

  • Under Change your installation of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016, choose Repair, and then click Continue to initiate the repair process.

  • Once the repair process completes, you’ll be prompted to restart your PC. Click Yes

Solution 3 – Use Stellar Toolkit for File Repair

Repair MS Office 2016 files by using Stellar Toolkit for File Repair . This software comprises four essential utilities that can help you repair corrupt MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and PDF files.

The toolkit helps repair corrupt Office 2016 and other version documents and files while maintaining the original file format, which is less likely achievable with inbuilt methods. Follow these steps to repair MS Office 2016 documents by using the Office file repair tool:

  • Download and install Stellar Toolkit for File Repair.

free download

  • Launch the software.
  • From the software’s main interface, select the MS Office file you want to repair.

  • From the window that pops up, select the corrupted file to be repaired.

Note: If you don’t know the exact location of corrupt office files or if they are large in number, you can locate the files by using the Find/Search option included in the software.

  • After selecting the file, click the Scan button to initiate the repairing process.
  • Once the scanning process is complete, all the recoverable information is displayed in the software’s left-hand panel. Click on any item to preview it before recovery.
  • To save the repaired data, click the Save button, and enter a destination of your choice.
  • Click OK.

Conclusion

This post outlined possible scenarios and their causes that may lead to corruption in MS Office 2016 files. It also emphasized how the inbuilt methods such as Open and Repair, and Repair Office Installation help to resolve the corruption issues. But these are not competent enough to resolve all the errors. With Stellar Toolkit for File Repair, you can resolve all sorts of corruption issues and recover data of Office 2016 files – Excel, Word, PPT, and PDF – in their original state.

File Format and Extension of [filename] don’t Match in Excel File

Summary: The “File format and extension of [filename] don’t match. The file could be corrupted or unsafe” error message indicates that the Excel file you’re trying to open is unsupported, unsafe, or corrupted. Read this article to learn more about this error and how to fix this error. It also mentions an advanced Excel recovery tool to repair the corrupted Excel file and retrieve all its data in a few clicks.

Free Download for Windows

You can encounter the “File format and extension of [filename] don’t match. The file could be corrupted or unsafe” error when the Excel application detects any issue with the file. This happens when you try to open an old version file format in a newer version or if the file is received from an unsafe destination. This can prevent you from opening the Excel file.

As indicated from the error message, this error occurs due to the following reasons:

  • The file has incorrect file extension.
  • The file is corrupted.
  • The file you are trying to open is protected.

Now, let’s see how to resolve this Excel error.

Methods to Fix the “File format and extension of [filename] don’t match” Error

Try the following methods to troubleshoot the “File format and extension don’t match” error in Excel.

Method 1: Rename the Excel File

You can face the “File format and extension don’t match” issue if the file has incorrect extension. It can occur if the file extension has been altered or you’ve mistakenly saved the file with incorrect extension. To fix this, you can try renaming the Excel file with the correct file extension.  

Method 2: Check the Default Excel File Format

Different versions of Microsoft Excel use different default file formats. For example, .xls is the default file format of older versions (2003 and lower) of Excel, whereas .xlsx format is used by the newer versions (2007 and later). Opening the Excel file with an incompatible extension can cause the “File format and extension don’t match” issue. You can check the Excel version you are using and ensure it’s compatible with the Excel file you are trying to open.

Method 3: Change the Protected View Settings

You may receive the “File format and extension of excel don’t match” error if the Excel file is protected. You can check and try disabling the Protected View settings .  

Caution: Changing the Protected View settings can put your system at risk. If the Excel file is being downloaded from the internet, it may contain viruses that can infect your system. So be careful before disabling the Protected View settings.

Steps to Change Protected View Settings in Excel:

  • In the Excel’s File menu, click on Options.
  • Select Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.

Go to Trust Center and then click Trust center settings.

  • Under Trust Center, select Protected View and disable the below three options:
  • Enable Protected View for files originating from the internet.
  • Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations.
  • Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments.

In the Trust Center Window, go to the Protected View tab and Disable all Protected View Checkboxes.

  • Click OK. Then, try to open the Excel file.

Method 4: Check and Provide the Excel File Permissions

Sometimes, you can get the error if you don’t have sufficient permissions to open the Excel file. This usually happens when you try to open the Excel file received from other sources. You can check and provide the desired permissions to fix the error. Here are the steps:

  • Locate the affected Excel file, right-click on it, and select Properties.

Right Click on Excel file and click on Properties

  • In the Properties window, click the Securities option and select Edit.

In Properties, Go to the Security Tab and click on Edit.

  • In the Security window, under ‘Group or users name’, select the user names. Check the file permissions and make sure Full Control is enabled. If not, then click on the Add option.

click add option under permissions

  • Click on the Advanced option in the Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups window**.**

Under Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups window, click on Advanced.

  • Click the Find Now option. A list of all users and groups appears in the search field.

In the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups window, click on Find Now.

  • Select “Everyone” from the list and then click OK.

Select Everyone from the Search Results and Click on OK.

  • In the object names field, you will see ‘Everyone’. Click on OK.

After the ‘Everyone’ username is entered in the object names field, click on OK.

  • In the Permissions window, select “Everyone” and enable all options (Full Control, Modify, Read & Execute, Read, and Write) under Permissions for Everyone.

Allow all Permissions for ‘Everyone’ by checking the boxes under Allow

  • Click Apply and then OK.

Method 4: Repair your Excel File

As the error message indicates, corruption is one of the causes of the “File format and extension of [filename] don’t match” error. If your file is corrupted, you can repair it using Microsoft’s built-in Open and Repair tool. Here are the steps to run the Open and Repair tool to repair corrupted Excel file:

  • In Excel, click on File.
  • Click Open and then click on Browse to select the corrupted Excel file.
  • In the Open dialog box, click the Excel workbook (in which you are facing the error).
  • Click the arrow next to the Open button and select Open and Repair.
  • Then, click Repair to recover as much data as possible.
  • The Excel prompts a message after the repair process is complete. Click Close.

The Open and Repair utility may fail to give the intended results. In such a case, you can repair the corrupted/damaged Excel file using a specialized Excel repair tool . Stellar Repair for Excel is one such tool that can repair severely corrupted Excel files. With the help of this tool, you can quickly recover all the objects from the Excel file. The tool has a simple user interface that even a non-technical can use to repair the Excel files. The tool can also repair multiple Excel files at once. You can check the tool’s functionality by downloading its demo version.

Closure

You can encounter the “File format and extension of [filename] don’t match” error due to different reasons. To resolve the issue, you can check the file extension, permissions, protected settings, etc. If you suspect the error has occurred due to corruption in the Excel file, you can try repairing the Excel file using the Open and Repair tool. If nothing works for you, then try Stellar Repair for Excel . It can repair highly damaged Excel files and recover all the data while preserving the file properties and cell formatting. The tool can help you fix all the common corruption-related errors quickly.

[Fixed]: Freeze Panes not Working in Excel

Summary: This blog discusses the “freeze panes not working” issue in Excel. It mentions the possible reasons behind the issue and offers workarounds and methods to fix it. If the issue is associated with corruption in the Excel file, you can use the specialized Excel repair tool mentioned in the blog to repair the affected file.

Free Download for Windows

The freeze panes feature in Excel is used to freeze the row/column headings to keep them visible while scrolling the worksheet. It is a useful feature when you’re working on a large worksheet containing data that exceeds the rows and columns on the screen. Sometimes, you notice that the ‘Excel freeze panes feature is not working’. There could be numerous factors that can trigger this issue. Let’s know the reasons for the freeze pane not working issue in Excel and how to resolve this issue.

Why can’t I freeze panes in excel?

Several factors may contribute to the Excel freeze panes not working issue in Excel. A few of them are:

  • The cell editing mode is enabled in the workbook in which you are trying to use the Freeze Panes feature.
  • The Excel file is corrupted.
  • The worksheet is protected.
  • Advanced Options are disabled in Excel Settings.
  • The Excel application is not up-to-date.
  • You might be trying to lock rows in the middle of the worksheet.
  • Your Excel workbook is not in normal file preview mode.
  • Wrong/incorrect positioning of the frozen panes.

How to fix ‘Freeze Panes not Working’ in Excel?

The freeze panes option is available in the View bar. Sometimes, you’re unable to see the View option. It usually occurs if you are using the Excel Started version. Check and try to open the file in the advanced Excel version, which supports all the features. If you are using the advanced Excel version, then try the below workarounds to fix the freeze panes not working issue in Excel.

Workaround 1: Exit the Cell Editing Mode

If your Excel file is switched from normal file view mode to cell editing mode, you can encounter the freeze panes not working issue. In cell editing mode, certain features in Excel, such as the freeze panes, are temporarily disabled to prevent any conflicts. You can disable cell editing mode by pressing the ESC or Enter key. Now locate the View tab and check whether the freeze pane feature is working. If not, then try the next workaround.

Workaround 2: Change the Page Layout View

The Excel freeze panes not working issue can also occur if your workbook is opened in Page Layout view. The Page Layout view doesn’t support freeze panes. If you select page layout, the freeze panes option gets disabled.

Excel freeze panes not working in Page Layout view

To enable the freeze pane option, go to View and click the Page Break Preview tab.

enable freeze panes in excel page break  preview tab

Workaround 3: Check and Remove Options under the Data Tab

Sometimes, you can experience the “freeze panes not working” issue if Sorting, Data Filter, Group, and Subtotal options are enabled in Excel workbook. Such options, when enabled, can lead to unexpected problems with the freeze panes’ functionality. You can check and remove these features from your workbook. To do so, follow these steps:

  • Open the Excel file in which you are getting the issue.
  • Navigate to the Data tab.
  • Check and remove the below features (if enabled):
  • Sort
  • Filter
  • Group
  • Subtotal

remove sort, filter, group, and subtotal in excel step-by-step

Workaround 4: Check and Unprotect Worksheet

The freeze panes feature may stop working if your worksheet is protected. You can try to disable the worksheet protection option. Here are the steps:

  • In the Excel file, go to the Review tab.
  • Click Unprotect Sheet.

Excel Review Tab - Accessing Unprotect Sheet Option - Learn how to navigate to the Review tab in Excel and click on the 'Unprotect Sheet' function to unlock protected content.

After unprotecting the sheet, check whether the “freeze panes not working” issue is resolved. If not, follow the next workaround.

Workaround 5: Use Correct Cell Positioning

The freeze pane is not working issue in Excel can also occur when you use incorrect cell positioning to apply the freeze panes feature. Several users have reported facing this issue when trying to lock multiple rows with the wrong cell selection. So, use correct cell positioning to freeze the rows. For example, if you are trying to lock two rows in an Excel worksheet, then you need to click on 3rd row’s column.

Excel Freeze Pane Issue: Fix with Correct Cell Positioning

What if the above Workarounds Fail to Fix the Freeze Panes not Working Issue?

If none of the above workarounds works, then there are chances that the workbook is damaged or corrupt. In such a case, you can try the below methods to repair the corrupt Excel workbook.

Run Open and Repair Utility

In case of corruption in the Excel file, you can use the Open and Repair tool in Excel to repair the file. To use this utility, follow these steps:

  • In the Excel application, navigate to File and then click Open.
  • Click Browse to select the workbook in which you are facing the issue.
  • The Open dialog box is displayed. Click on the affected file.
  • Click the arrow next to the Open option and then click Open and Repair.

Excel File Repair: Steps - Open, Browse, Select, Repair

  • Click on the Repair option to recover as much data as possible.
  • You can see a completion message once the repair process is complete. Click Close.

Use a Professional Excel Repair Tool

If the Open and Repair tool doesn’t work to resolve complex file-related issues and your Excel file is severely corrupted, you can opt for a reliable third-party Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel. This tool can help you repair the Excel file and recover all the data with complete integrity. You can try the software’s demo version to scan the affected file and preview the recoverable data. The software is compatible with all MS Excel versions and Windows operating systems, including Windows 11.

Closure

The “freeze panes not working” issue in Excel can occur due to several reasons, like protected worksheet, incompatible Excel version, and incorrect cell position. Try the workarounds shared in the blog to fix the issue. If the Excel file is corrupt, you can use Stellar Repair for Excel to fix the corruption issues in the file. This tool can quickly repair the Excel file and recover all the data from the file with 100% integrity.

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.

free download

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

Stellar Repair for Excel - Main Interface

  • 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 excel file

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

repair 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.

Preview

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

Save file

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 red arrow

Resolve Compile Error in Hidden Module in Excel: Causes & Solutions

The hidden module in Excel refers to a container with VBA codes, custom queries, and complex macros. The compile error in a hidden (protected) module in the Excel worksheet usually occurs when doing different activities on a macro-enabled sheet, such as merging .xls files. The error can result in macros execution failure. You need to quickly resolve this compile error to restore full functionality of the VBA code. Below, we’ll be discussing the solutions to fix this Excel error. But before that, let’s see why this error occurs.

You may encounter the Compile error in hidden module due to one of the following reasons:

  • The code in the workbook is not compatible with the Excel application.
  • Manual queries created in a previous version are no longer compatible with your current version of Excel.
  • Missing references.
  • Invalid .exe files (control information cache files) are automatically created with ActiveX control insertion in Excel file.
  • Protected module is corrupted.
  • The workbook with hidden module is damaged or corrupted.
  • Incompatible add-ins.
  • Incompatible Excel file version.
  • The module is protected or password-protected.
  • Missing or corrupted mscomctl.ocx file.

Excel can throw the compile error while compiling the code that exists in the protected module. So, first check the error and identify the hidden module that is creating the issue. You can unprotect the module. Also, ensure that you have permission to access the VBA code in the module. If the error still exists, follow the below troubleshooting methods.

Method 1: Re-register ActiveX Control Files or mscomctl.ocx Files

You can get the compile error in the Excel file, containing the VBA code related to ActiveX controls or OCX files. The ActiveX control files and OCX files (mscomctl.ocx files) are the components of Microsoft’s standard controls library. The compile error in the hidden module can occur if these files are missing. In this case, you can use the Regsvr32 tool to re-register the OCX files. The Regsvr32  is a command-line utility to register and unregister OLE controls in the Windows registry.

Method 2: Delete .exd Files

 The .exd files are temporary files created by Excel when inserting ActiveX controls objects. These temporary files can lead to a compile error if they are corrupted. So, if this issue has occurred, particularly in the Excel file containing ActiveX controls, then deleting .exd files might fix the issue. To delete the .exd file, follow the below steps:

  • First, open the Run window by pressing the Windows+R keys.

Open The Run Window

  • In the Run window, type %appdata%.

Type App Data Command

  • In the Roaming window, click on the Microsoft option.

Click On Microsoft Option Under Roaming

  • Under Microsoft, you will see a list of folders. Search and click on Forms.
  • Right-click on a file with .exd extension and select Delete.
  • Once you delete the .exd files, restart your Excel application.

Method 3: Rollback the Office Updates

MS Office updates or upgrades may also cause the compile error in hidden module in Excel. If the error has occurred after downloading the recent Microsoft Office updates, try reverting to the previous version or uninstalling the recent updates to fix the issue.

Method 4: Unselect Missing References

The compile error in hidden module determine path in Excel can also occur if your file contains a reference to object library/type library, which is labelled as Missing. You can locate, check, and uncheck the references marked as ‘Missing’ to fix the issue. Here are the steps:

  • Open your Excel and press Alt + F11 keys.
  • The Visual Basic Editor is displayed.

Visual Basic Editor

  • Go to the Tools option and then click References.

Click On References Under Tools Option

  • In the References-VBAProject window, under Available References, search and unselect the references starting as “Missing”.

Unselect Missing References

  • Click OK.

Method 5: Check the Code in Module

The compile error in hidden module can occur if there are issues in the code within the module. The problems include incorrect or missing syntaxes, missing parameters/references, or the code contains incompatible functions or a wrong name of the object. You can check and fix these issues in the code by opening the VBA editor.

Method 6: Check and Remove Add-ins

In Excel, the compile error in macro-enabled files can also occur due to incompatible add-ins. You can check and disable the add-ins in Excel using the below steps:

  • First, open the Run window and type excel /safe and then click OK. The Excel application will open in safe mode.
  • Now try to open the affected Excel file. If it opens without the error, then check and remove the latest installed Excel add-ins.
  • Navigate to the File option and then select Options.
  • In the Excel Options window, click Add-ins.

Click Addins Select Latest Addins

  • Under Add-ins, search and select the latest add-ins, and then click on Go.
  • In the Add-ins window, uncheck the add-ins and then click OK.

Select  Analysis Toolpak

  • Restart Excel and then check if the error is fixed or not.

Method 7: Repair the Corrupt Excel File

Corruption in the Excel file can affect the macros in the hidden module, which may result in the compile error. In such a case, you can try repairing the Excel file using Microsoft’s inbuilt utility -Open and Repair. To use this tool, follow these steps:

  • Open your Excel application.
  • Click the File tab and then click Open.
  • Click Browse to select the affected workbook.
  • The Open dialog box will appear. Click on the corrupted file.
  • Click the arrow next to the Open button and then Open and Repair.
  • You will see a dialog box with three buttons - Repair, Extract Data, and Cancel.

Click On Repair Option

  • Click on the Repair button to recover as much of the data as possible.
  • After repair, a message is displayed. Click Close.

Message Appear After Repair

What if None of the Above Solutions Works?

If the above methods fail to get rid of the “compile error in hidden module” in Excel, then use an Excel repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Excel. This tool is specifically designed to repair the corrupted Excel file. It can recover all the components from corrupted Excel file (macros, queries, formulas, etc.) without changing their original formatting. The tool is compatible with all Excel versions and can be downloaded on a Windows system. You can download the free trial version of Stellar Repair for Excel to scan the corrupted Excel file and preview the data.

Closure

You can get the “compile error in hidden module” when Excel detects any issue while compiling the code in a protected module. It can occur when there is an issue with the macro-enabled Excel workbook or Excel add-ins. You can follow the above-mentioned methods to fix the issue. If the error occurs due to corruption in the database file, then you can try Stellar Repair for Excel . It can repair severely corrupted Excel files. It also helps recover all the Excel workbook’s components, including macros and queries. The tool has a simple and user-friendly interface.

4 Ways to extract data from corrupt Excel file

Summary: Excel files can become corrupt due to numerous reasons. This blog will discuss the reasons behind the corrupted Excel files. Sometimes the file becomes inaccessible. This post includes four ways to extract data from a corrupt Excel file. It also mentioned Stellar Repair for Excel to repair severely corrupted files. The tool helps you recover data from damaged Excel files with complete integrity.

Free Download for Windows

Imagine the frustration of an employee if an Excel workbook he took hours to complete became corrupted for some reason threatening to erase all the data saved in it. Not just that, a corrupted Excel workbook can wreak havoc for the organization too since it poses a risk of permanently deleting critical business information like work records or employee trackers.

Unless a backup of all important Excel files exists, recovering data lost due to damage/corruption to them is next to impossible. However, we’ve conducted some research and found some pretty neat hacks to help you extract data from corrupt excel files without much hassle.

Primary reasons triggering Excel file corruption

As we always point out, to solve a problem for good, getting to its root is imperative. Here are the main reasons that cause Excel file corruption. Knowing these reasons can help you keep Excel corruption at bay for a considerably long time.

  • Abrupt system shutdown when you’re editing an Excel sheet
  • Bugs / Defects in your Excel application or installation
  • Hardware failures like bad sectors on the hard drive where Excel sheets are saved
  • Virus Infection / Malware Attack
  • Excessive data storage within a single Excel file
  • Faulty Excel Macros and CSE Formulas

Depending upon the extent of damage, there can be several ways to perform corrupt Excel file repair.

How to repair corrupt Excel files?

There are a couple of manual methods that can help you repair corrupt Excel files .

  1. If the damaged Excel sheet can be opened, immediately save its copy; thereafter:
    • Open it with a later version of Excel and save it as a new workbook.
    • If this doesn’t work, open it in Excel’s latest version and save the workbook in HTML or HTM format.
    • Once this is done, reopen the HTML file and save again in XLS format.
    • Lastly, open the file and try saving it in SLK format (symbolic link)

Note: It is important to note that saving an Excel workbook in HTML format causes loss of features like custom views, scenarios, unused styles or number formats, natural language formulas, data consolidation settings, custom function categories, etc. In SYLK format only the active worksheet is saved so if using this method, you’ll need to repeat these steps for each worksheet.

  1. Use Excel’s inbuilt Repair function as follows:
    • Launch Microsoft Excel and go to Office button -> Open
    • In the Open dialog box, select the damaged Excel file
    • On the bottom-right corner of the Open dialog box, you will find a drop-down next to Open Click on it and select Open and Repair
    • This will launch the inbuilt Repair module of Excel and you’ll see a dialog box asking you to select an option from Repair or Extract Data
    • Click on Repair to initiate the repair process.
    • If this doesn’t work, repeat steps 1-4, and when Excel asks you to select an option, select Extract Data from corrupt excel file. Thereafter, follow the instruction Excel shows and you should be able to retrieve your data, but you may end up losing some formulas.
  2. If you cannot open the Excel, download Spreadsheet viewer from the Microsoft website and open the file using this program. Thereafter copy all data into a new Excel.

Note: This method will cause much of your formatting, formulas, and more to be lost.

  1. You can download Open Office from its official website OpenOffice.org and try opening the Excel in it. The two programs are very similar so all data should automatically align in the correct place and with the correct formatting.

Note: With this method, VBA code cannot be recovered due to incompatibility between OpenOffice.org and Excel.

Full-proof method for corrupt Excel file repair

If you find the above methods confusing, or you wish to perform Excel file repair without having to face any data and formula loss, or you cannot achieve the desired results with any of these methods, stop wasting any more time with methods that will only frustrate you more. Instead, download the sure-shot solution for dealing with severe Excel corruption –Stellar Repair for Excel  and relax!

free download

Stellar Repair for Excel is the best choice for repairing corrupt or damaged Excel (.XLS/.XLSX) files and restoring everything to a new blank Excel file. This competent software can skillfully repair single as well as multiple XLS/XLSX files while preserving worksheet properties and cell formatting. If you have this product by your side, you don’t need to worry about Excel corruption errors ever again.

To Conclude

Instead of giving up on corrupted Excel sheets, try repairing them with the simple tricks we’ve described. And if they don’t work, keep calm and turn to Stellar Repair for Excel.


  • Title: How to Repair Corrupt Excel 2000 Files | Stellar
  • Author: Nova
  • Created at : 2024-08-20 19:28:43
  • Updated at : 2024-08-21 19:28:43
  • Link: https://blog-min.techidaily.com/how-to-repair-corrupt-excel-2000-files-stellar-by-stellar-guide/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
On this page
How to Repair Corrupt Excel 2000 Files | Stellar