Thursday, July 31, 2025

Excel file data Corrupt how to repair it. Steps by steps. Different Methods.


Here are step-by-step methods to repair an Excel file that opens but does not show data (blank or corrupted). These steps apply to Excel 2013, 2016, 2019, and Office 365.

✅ METHOD 1: Open with Excel's Built-in Repair Tool

📍 Steps:

  1. Open Excel (just the app, not the file).

  2. Click File > Open.

  3. Browse to your corrupted file.

  4. Click once on the file (don't double-click it).

  5. Click the drop-down arrow next to Open.

  6. Choose Open and Repair....

  7. In the prompt, click:

    • Repair → tries to recover the entire workbook.

    • If it fails, click Extract Data → gets values/formulas without formatting.

✅ METHOD 2: Open Excel in Safe Mode

Sometimes an add-in or setting causes display issues.

📍 Steps:

  1. Press Windows + R

  2. Type: excel /safe

  3. Press Enter

This opens Excel without any add-ins. Try opening the file again from inside this safe session.

✅ METHOD 3: Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

If Excel opens but cells are blank, this can be a graphics issue.

📍 Steps:

  1. Open Excel

  2. Go to File > Options

  3. Click Advanced

  4. Scroll down to Display

  5. Check the box:
    ✔️ Disable hardware graphics acceleration

  6. Click OK

  7. Reopen the file

✅ METHOD 4: Use External Data Recovery

Try importing data into a new Excel workbook:

📍 Steps:

  1. Open a new Excel file.

  2. Go to Data > Get External Data > From Workbook

  3. Browse and select the corrupted file

  4. Select the sheet to import

This bypasses display or corruption issues and pulls data as raw values.

✅ METHOD 5: Change File Format

Sometimes saving the file in a different format helps.

📍 Steps:

  1. Open Excel

  2. Go to File > Open and try opening the file

  3. If it opens but is blank, go to:
    File > Save As > Choose format:

    • .xls (for older Excel)

    • .html or .csv (may help extract raw data)

Then re-open the new file and re-save as .xlsx.

✅ METHOD 6: Use Google Sheets (Free)

  1. Go to https://sheets.google.com

  2. Upload the corrupted Excel file

  3. If it loads, you can view/copy/export the data

  4. Save/download as a new Excel file

✅ METHOD 7: Try Opening in Another Program

You can also try:

  • LibreOffice Calc (free Excel alternative)

  • WPS Office

  • Excel online via OneDrive

These may bypass Excel-specific corruption issues.

✅ METHOD 8: Use Excel AutoRecover

  1. Open Excel

  2. Go to File > Info > Manage Workbook

  3. Look for AutoRecovered versions (if autosave was on)

✅ METHOD 9: Check for Hidden Cells or Filters

Sometimes data is not visible due to Excel settings:

Check for Hidden Rows/Columns:

  1. Select entire sheet (Ctrl + A)

  2. Right-click on row or column headers

  3. Click Unhide

Check for Filters:

  • Go to Data > Clear Filter

  • Or click Data > Filter to toggle visibility

✅ METHOD 10: Use Excel Recovery Software

If none of the above work, try recovery tools like:

  • Stellar Repair for Excel

  • Kernel for Excel Repair

  • SysTools Excel Recovery

These are paid tools, but offer free trial previews.