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:

• Launch Stellar Repair for Excel software.
• Under Home menu, click Select file

• Click Browse and select corrupt Excel files. Select the checkbox to repair multiple files.

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

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

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.

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[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.

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.

To enable the freeze pane option, go to View and click the 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

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.

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.

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.

• 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 Do I Restore Excel File ?

Excel (XLS/XLSX) file corruption is a common issue that may arise due to problems, such as abrupt system shutdown, system crash, malware or virus intrusion, unsupported add-in, etc. However, MS Excel comes with a recovery feature that allows users to recover or restore Excel files lost or corrupted when the MS Excel quits unexpectedly or computer crashes due to hardware or software-related issues.

But sometimes, the restored version of the Excel file may not contain all the data or changes you made recently. In such cases, you are left with the option to repair the damaged or corrupt Excel file with the help of an Excel repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Excel .

Solutions to Restore Excel File

Below we have discussed various solutions to repair, recover, and restore unsaved, lost, corrupt, or inaccessible Excel files with the help of MS Excel options and Excel repair software.

NOTE: Some of these methods work only if you had enabled or configured certain required settings or options before corruption or losing the Excel file.

1. Restore Lost or Unsaved Excel File via ‘Recover Unsaved Workbooks’ Option

The Recover Unsaved Workbooks option allows you to restore the Excel file that you forgot to save before closing MS Excel or it stopped working. The steps are as follows:

• Navigate to ‘_File > Open._’
• Scroll to the bottom and click on ‘Recover Unsaved Workbooks.’ This opens a File Explorer browser window.

• Now look for the Excel file that you lost and then double-click on it to open and restore the Excel file.
• Once the file is open, click on File > Save As and save it to your desired location.

However, this option works only if you had enabled and set up the ‘Save AutoRecover information every X minutes_’ option and enabled the ‘_Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving’ option.  

Also, this may not restore the most recent copy of your Excel file, but it will surely save your time that went into creating and editing the workbook.

2. Repair and Restore Corrupt or Inaccessible Excel File

If the Excel file you are trying to open or access is corrupt, MS Excel will display an error message. When MS Excel detects corruption, it starts ‘File Recovery Mode’ to repair the Excel workbook.

However, if it doesn’t start automatically, you can manually repair minor corruption error and restore the Excel file by following these steps:

• Navigate to File > Open and then navigate to the corrupt or damaged Excel file location.
• Select the file and then click on the arrow beside the ‘Open’ button to choose the ‘Open and Repair…’ option.

• Now click ‘Repair’ if you want to recover maximum data from a corrupt or inaccessible Excel workbook and restore it to a new Excel file.

If the ‘Repair’ option fails, use the Extract Data option that extracts values, data, and formulas from the Excel workbook.

3. Revert Excel File to Last Saved Version

When an Excel file gets corrupt or damaged while working, you may revert the Excel file to the last saved version. This allows you to restore the Excel file version that isn’t corrupt or damaged. The steps are as follows,

• Click File > Open.
• Double-click the name of the workbook that you have opened in Excel.
• Click Yes to reopen the workbook.

The workbook opens without any changes you’ve made that might have caused the workbook to become corrupted.

4. Use Excel Repair Software to Restore Excel File

If the corrupt or damaged Excel file isn’t repaired by using MS Excel options or you lost data after restoring the unsaved version or after reverting to the last version, you can rely on an Excel repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Excel.

The software repairs Excel files with 100% integrity and restores the Excel data, such as table, Pivot tables, charts, etc., while preserving the workbook properties and formatting. The software is safe as it doesn’t alter or make changes to the original Excel file and saves the repaired data to a new Excel workbook at your desired location.

It supports Excel files (XLS and XLSX), created in MS Excel 2019, 2016, or older versions. It resolves Excel corruption errors, such as Unable to open Excel file, in a few clicks.

To repair a corrupt or inaccessible Excel workbook by using Stellar Repair for Excel software, follow these 3 simple steps,

• Select the corrupt or damaged Excel workbook file (XLS/XLSX).

• Repair and then preview the Excel workbook.

• Save the workbook at default or your desired location.

Once saved, you can open and start editing or working on the Excel sheet. Make sure to enable AutoRecovery and AutoSave options to avoid data loss due to corruption.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed methods and solutions to restore Excel file when it gets damaged or corrupt due to various issues. Although Excel can help you recover or restore Excel file after corruption, it can resolve only minor corruption errors. Thus, it may fail if the Excel file corruption is severe. In such cases, an Excel repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Excel, comes in handy. It resolves Excel corruption, repairs tables, charts, chart sheets, Pivot table, etc., and restores them to a new Excel sheet with 100% consistency.

[Fixed] Excel PivotTable Overlap Error | Troubleshooting Guide

In Excel, you need to refresh the pivot table data source after adding new data. However, sometimes, while refreshing the pivot table, you may experience an error “PivotTable Report cannot Overlap.” This issue usually appears when there are multiple pivot tables in a single worksheet. It often occurs when you try to place one pivot table on top of another or if you try to set a common cell range to multiple pivot tables. However, there are many other causes associated with the error.

Reasons for a pivot table report cannot overlap another pivot table report issue:

• Merged cells in a pivot table may cause the overlap issue
• Using the same range of cells for multiple pivot tables
• Hidden columns
• Preserve formatting option is enabled
• Modifying the pivot table using a macro that is corrupted
• Using the workbook.RefreshAll method incorrectly
• Number of pivot items goes beyond the number of cells available
• Excel file is corrupt
• Corrupted Pivot table
• Some columns are labeled with the same name

Methods to Fix Excel PivotTable Report Cannot Overlap Error

You can get the pivot table overlapping issue if the field in pivot table crossed the maximum items limit. According to the Microsoft guide, you can specify up to 1,048,576 items to return per field. Check the cell fields in your pivot table. Also, make sure each column’s label is unique. Sometimes, the hidden columns or hidden sheets can also prevent you from modifying the pivot tables. You can check for hidden columns in the Data view.

If the error still persists, then try the below-mentioned methods to fix the error.

1. Move the Pivot Table to a New Worksheet

The “PivotTable Report cannot Overlap” error can occur if there is an issue with the columns in the pivot table. In this case, you can try moving the pivot table to a new worksheet. Moving the pivot table to a different worksheet automatically resets the column width according to the new sheet and creates space that can help in preventing the overlapping issue. Here are the steps to do so:

2. Disable the Background Refresh Option

When the background refresh option is enabled, then Excel updates the pivot table in the background after every minor change. It may create issue if you have a large-sized Excel file with multiple pivot tables. You can try disabling the background refresh option. Here’s how:

• The Connection Properties dialog box is displayed. Unselect the “Enable background refresh” option and select the “Refresh data when opening the file”

• Click **OK.

  

  **

3. Disable Autofit Column Widths

When the Autofit column widths option is enabled, Excel automatically resizes the pivot table whenever you make changes to it. These automatic adjustments can sometimes add or remove fields which can result in the PivotTable Report cannot Overlap issue. To fix this, you can disable the “Autofit column widths on update” option. To do this, follow these steps:

• Right-click on any field on the pivot table.

• Select **PivotTable Options.

  

  **

• In the PivotTable Options window, unselect Autofit column widths on update.

  

• Click on the OK.

4. Check the Workbook.RefreshAll Method

Several users have reported experiencing the “Excel PivotTable Report cannot Overlap” error when using the Workbook.RefreshAll method. This method is used to refresh data ranges in the pivot report. Sometimes, the error can occur due to missing variable that is representing an object (workbook) in a query. So, make sure you’re using the Workbook.RefreshAll function correctly.

5. Repair your Excel File

You may also encounter the “A PivotTable Report cannot Overlap” error if the Excel file is corrupted. You can use the inbuilt utility in Excel - Open and Repair to repair the corrupt file. Here’s how:

• In your Excel application, click on the File tab and then click Open.
• Click Browse to select the desired file.
• In the Open dialog box, click on the corrupted file.
• Click on the arrow next to the Open button and then click Open and Repair.
• Click on the Repair
• In the displayed message, click Close.

If the “Open and Repair” utility fails to fix the issue, then it means there is high level of corruption in the Excel file. To tackle this, you can take the help of a professional Excel file repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel. The tool can easily repair severely corrupted Excel file and recover all the objects of the file, such as pivot tables, macros, charts, etc. with 100% integrity. You can download the free trial version of the tool to check its functionality.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed the possible reasons behind the “PivotTable Report cannot overlap” error in Excel. You can follow the methods mentioned above to fix the issue. The error may also occur if the Excel file gets corrupted. In this case, you can try repairing the corrupted Excel file using the Open and Repair utility or consider using Stellar Repair for Excel . The tool makes the process of repairing the Excel file smooth and quick.

How to Fix Excel File Couldn’t Open in Protected View

Summary: This blog discusses about the Excel error ‘The file couldn’t open in Protected View’ and workarounds to fix the error. If you cannot access the Excel file data, using an Excel file repair tool can help you quickly restore the data to its original state.

Protected View is a feature in Microsoft Excel that opens a file in read-only mode while disabling the editing functions. An Excel file opens in Protected View if the file is from an unsafe location. For example, the file may be opened from an insecure Internet location or downloaded as an Outlook attachment from suspicious senders. In that case, your Excel application won’t let you open the file to protect it against malware or virus attacks.

However, the Protected View feature sometimes prevents an Excel file from opening even if it is from a safe location. Also, opening an Excel file may return an error message ‘file couldn’t open in protected view’.

You may be able to resolve the issue by closing all the open Excel files, closing the Excel application, and then re-opening the problematic file. But this process can take a significant amount of time as you need to close and re-open the Excel application and the file continuously.

How to Fix the Excel File Couldn’t Open in Protected View Error?

Here are some workarounds to fix the error:

Workaround 1 – Disable the Protected View Settings

Note: Before disabling the protected view settings, ensure you have a reliable antivirus software installed on your computer to safeguard files against malware or virus attacks.

• Open the Excel file throwing the error, go to File and click the Options tab.
• From the Options dialog box, go to Trust Center and click on Trust Center Settings.
• From the Trust Center Settings dialog box, select the Protected View tab.
• Uncheck the appropriate option under the Protected View section, and then click OK to apply the changes. For instance, uncheck the “Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments” option if the file is a downloaded Outlook attachment.

• Click OK again.

Now try opening the problematic Excel file. If it still doesn’t open, try the following workaround.

Workaround 2 – Repair the Office Installation

Sometimes, corruption in the Office installation may cause Excel to return the ‘file could not open in protected view’ error. So, try repairing your Office installation and check if it solves the problem.

• Open the Control Panel and click the Uninstall a program option under Programs.
• Click Uninstall a program under the Programs tab.
• Right-click the Microsoft Office program you have installed and click the Change button.
• Select the Repair option and click Continue.

Once the repair operation is complete, check if you can open the Excel file without any issue.

Workaround 3 – Install Latest MS Office Updates

Several Excel users have reported about experiencing issues (such as the Protected View issue) on opening an Office document like Excel, Word, or others – after upgrading Windows to a newer version. This problem may occur due to incompatibility between the Office app and the updated Windows version. You can try to fix the problem by upgrading the Office app, and here’s how:

• Click on the File tab in the Excel file that throws an error.
• Click the Account tab at the left-hand bottom of the screen.
• From Office Updates, expand Update Options, and then click Update Now.

After installing the updates, restart your PC and open the Excel file. If this doesn’t work, use the following workaround.

Workaround 4 – Convert the File and Rename It

Some Excel users resolved the ‘Protected view’ issue by renaming their Excel files. But before that, ensure that the file you are trying to open is saved with .xlsx format. If the file type is .xls, you need to convert it to .xlsx format and then rename it. Before converting the file, save a copy of the original file in the desired location.

If the file type is .xlsx, copy the problematic file. Next, open a blank Excel document and paste the copied file. The file will appear as an icon, double-click on it. If it opens without any error, save it with a different name. Hopefully, reaming the Excel file may help resolve the problem.

Conclusion

There is no fixed solution to resolve the Excel error ‘The file could not open in Protected View’. However, the workarounds discussed in the blog have helped users resolve the ‘Protected View’ issue. Make sure to use the workarounds in the same order as explained in the blog.

If you’re having an issue loading the Excel file data due to the ‘Protected View’ error, consider restoring the data using an Excel file repair tool .

How to Repair Corrupted or Damaged Excel File with Ease?

Summary: The Excel file is prone to corruption. Users can face several issues related to corruption. So here in this infographic, I am discussing a professional tool,- Stellar Repair for Excel, to easily repair corrupted Excel files.

Stellar Repair for Excel is among the top choices for repairing corrupt or damaged Excel (.XLS/.XLSX) files. This Excel recovery software restores everything from the corrupt file to a new blank Excel file. Incoming, the information graphics complete overview of the repair process is explained in step-by-step methodology. Explore and reap the benefits of recovering corrupt or damaged Excel files.

Very much sure about the result of using the excel file recovery tool, share your experience with us.

Recover Excel Files from Virus-Infected Pen Drives for Free

Summary: Imagine you lost your important Excel file on which you had been working since the morning and in the next moment you realized that the file was not saved and you just lost hours of work. Wondering how to deal with this situation? Read this blog to know how Stellar free data recovery software can help you.

From making annual reports to business growth representation figures, excel is a commonly used program for organizing data, creating pivot tables, charts etc. People from all walks of life, know the importance of Excel and the part it plays. Although it is a common file, there is a probability that you may accidentally delete excel files while working or are unable to access it due to unexpected errors. In addition, one of the major issues users face is to recover excel files from a virus infected pen drive.

Pen drives have made it possible to store and carry our important files such as excel, word document, photos, videos, etc. with us day in and day out. They just fit perfectly in our pockets and are compatible with almost every device; hence, they are widely used for transferring data from one system to another. But what if your pen drive is infected by a virus and due to it you end up losing your excel files, how will you recover your excel files for free?

A user reported that his pen drive got virus-infected and to remove the virus from it, he ran an antivirus program which removed the virus but also deleted excel files stored on it.

When your pen drive is infected by a virus, the first thing you ought to do is stop using it, even not for removing virus as an antivirus utility may remove your files as well. Further, if you have a backup, then you can recover your excel files from it, else you can use these free data recovery methods to recover your excel files.

1. Free File Recovery Software Approach

Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition is an easy to use tool to recover files from a virus-infected pen drive. The software is equipped with powerful utilities to recover lost and deleted files for free. Further, it supports a wide range of file systems and is efficient in recovering files such as Excel, emails, word files, photos, audio and video files.

Using Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition, you can recover your files from all storage devices for free. Here’s how the software works:

• From the website, download Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition. Connect your pen drive to your system and launch the software
• On ‘Select What to Recover’ screen, select file types from the given option that you wish to recover. For instance, if you want to recover photos, then under Multimedia Files, select ‘Photos’ and click on ‘Next’

• From ‘Select Location’ screen, select the connected pen drive and click ‘Scan’

• The scanning process starts and once the process is complete, software lists all the recoverable files

• Select the files from the list and click on ‘Recover’ to save the files

2. Restore Excel File from the Previous Version

If excel files are deleted from your pen drive or from your system; then you can recover them from the previous version. This feature works when Windows Backup option is enabled, else, it will not work.

Follow these steps to recover excel files:

• Connect your pen drive to your system, go to This PC and navigate to the folder of excel files
• Select the folder, right-click on it and select ‘Restore previous versions’
• From the available version of excel files, select the required one and click on ‘Restore’

3. Use Command Line to Recover Excel Files

The Command prompt should be your first choice to recover excel files from the virus-infected pen drive. Here’s how command prompt recovers your files:

• Connect your virus-infected pen drive to your system and then in the search box type ‘CMD’ and hit ‘Enter’
• In the command window, type in attrib –h-r-s /s/ drive letter:\*.*”, for example, “attrib -h -r -s /s /d G:\*.*” and hit ‘Enter’

• Windows starts repairing the virus-infected pen drive and once the process is complete, you can access your pen drive and recover excel files.

Even after following the above-mentioned steps you’re unable to recover your excel files, then try a Home approach i.e. a data recovery tool.

To Sum Up

It is always a good idea to create a backup of important files since no one can anticipate what might go wrong. The scenario presented in the blog paints a clear picture of how you can recover your Microsoft excel files for free from a virus-infected pen drive. For quick and better results, you can always go with Stellar Windows Data Recovery – Free Edition.