Solutions here can be used to repair corrupted Excel 2019, 2016, 2010, and 2007 in XLS, XLT, XLSX, XLSM, XLTM, XLTX, and XLAM formats.

File corruption in Excel and Word is a common problem while using Microsoft Office. You may see these error messages when the problem occurs.

Excel file corruption error message

What Causes an Excel File to Corrupt

How does an Excel file get corrupted? The possible reasons for Excel file corruption or damage might be:

  • Abrupt power outage
  • Virus or malware attack
  • Hardware failure
  • Excel application crash
  • Excel file deleting
  • Excel internal error

Even though some of you may back up your Excel files from time to time, corruption can still be a problem because Excel file damage always arises unexpectedly, and your backup files may not contain the most recent work. In such a case, calm down and use the effective Excel repair tools on this page to try out and repair corrupted Excel files without data loss.

🥇Repair Excel Files with Advanced File Repair Software

To recover corrupted Excel files simply, we highly recommend you try EaseUS Fixo, which is good at repairing corrupted Excel files and restoring .XLS/.XLSX file data.

This file repair tool is also a great choice if you need to repair corrupted JPEGs and fix corrupted MP4 files.

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This professional MS Office Excel file repair tool has the following salient features.

  • Repair single or multiple Excel files without quantity limit
  • Restore Excel data, including table, chart, formula, chart sheet, and more
  • Real-time preview of repairing corrupted Excel file
  • Supports MS Excel 2019/2016/2013/2010/2007/2003/XP/2000/97/95 versions

Download EaseUS file repair tool for free and follow the step-by-step guides below to repair damaged Excel files in three steps.

Step 1. Add damaged Excel files to Fixo

Download and launch Fixo on your PC or laptop. Choose "File Repair" on the left panel to repair corrupted Excel documents from 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. Click "Add Files" to select corrupted documents.

choose Excel files

Step 2. Repair the Loaded Excel Files with Fixo File Repair Tool

To repair multiple files at once, click the "Repair All" button. If you want to repair a single document, move your pointer to the target file and choose "Repair". When the repair process is completed, you can preview the documents by clicking the eye icon.

repair damaged Excel files

Step 3. Save the Repaired Excel Files

If the preview is fine, you can store the repaired document. Click "Save" to export and keep the selected document. Select "Save All" to save all the repaired files. Choose "View Repaired" to locate the repaired folder.

save the repaired Excel files

Here's a video that can help you know more about corrupted document repair. You can follow the video tutorial to find more information. We'll guide you on downloading Fixo in this video in the final section:

  • 00:14 Method 1. Insert to a new Word document
  • 00:38 Method 2. Use open and repair
  • 00:55 Method 3. Default settings
  • 01:30 Method 4. EaseUS Fixo Document Repair

For users who'd like to try other Excel file repair solutions, you can go to know more information in this tutorial.

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Top 6 Best Excel Repair Tools in 2023

Don't want to lose data because Excel won't open or can't read it? Here are the top 6 Excel repair tools to fix your damaged Excel Workbooks efficiently and quickly.

repair corrupted Excel

Have you tried the EaseUS file repair tool to fix corrupted Excel files? If it is helpful, share it on your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

 

✅4 Simple Tools to Repair Excel Files Online Free

If you don't want to download a desktop Excel repair tool, you can still repair the Excel file online. Here are the top four online Excel repair tools you can work out.

But how do you repair corrupted Microsoft Excel files online for free? Actually, none of these online tools are free. When the repair is completed, you can download a demo version of the repaired Excel file to preview the recovered data. But for the full version, you need to pay for it.

1. EaseUS Online Document Repair

EaseUS Online Document Repair helps repair corrupted Excel files quickly and safely! This handy online repair tool can help you repair any corrupted file types, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and more.

Check out the following steps to repair your corrupted Excel files online with EaseUS:

Step 1. Open the official website and drag your corrupt document here. You can also click "Upload Document" and find the location where your Word, PowerPoint, Excel or PDF files are stored.

upload document

Step 2. Before the repair process, you need to enter your email address to receive the education code you will use in step 4. Now, click "Strat Repairing" to launch the process. Wait patiently for the process to end. You can leave the site during the repair but remember not to close it.

click start repairing

Step 3. EaseUS will send you the extraction code when the repair is finished. Go back to the page, type your code, and click "OK" to save your file.

enter the code and click ok

2. Recovery Toolbox for Excel

Recovery Toolbox for Excel (https://excel.recoverytoolbox.com/online/en/) helps to repair corrupted Microsoft Excel files online without downloading. It can fix all types of Excel files: *.xls, *.xlt, *.xlsx, *.xlsm, *.xltm, *.xltx, and *.xlam extension. It recovers Excel table styles, fonts, worksheets, and workbook cell data.

Step 1. Click "Select File" to choose your damaged Excel file with an xls, xlt, xlsx, xlsm, xltm, xltx, or xlam extension.

Step 2. Enter your email address and verification code from the captcha image. Click "Next" to go on.

Step 3. Wait for the corrupted Excel file to be recovered.

Step 4. Make payment as required. Download the recovered Excel spreadsheet

Excel repair tool online

3. Online Office Recovery

Online Office Recovery (https://online.officerecovery.com/excel/) enables you to repair, discuss, and troubleshoot Microsoft Excel corruption online.

Steps to repair corrupt Excel online with this recovery tool:

Step 1. Select your corrupt Excel file by clicking the "Choose a File button". 

Step 2. Click "Secure Upload and Repair" to upload your file.

Step 3. Wait for the repair to finish. Download the demo version to preview. Then, pay for the full version.

repair excel file online

4. Microsoft Excel Repair Tool  

Microsoft Excel Repair Tool (https://www.excel.repair/#/) is designed for corrupted Excel recovery. It offers both online and offline versions to repair damaged Excel files. How to use this online Microsoft Excel Repair Tool? Here are the steps.

Step 1. Click the "SELECT FILE" button to upload your corrupt Excel file. 

Step 2. Enter your email and verification code.

Step 3. Click "NEXT STEP" and wait for the online repair to complete.

Step 4. Download the demo version to preview the recovered data. Pay for the full version.

repair excel file online

Do these free online Excel repair tools resonate with you? Help others discover them by sharing them on your social media.

 

🔨Other 4 Ways to Recover Corrupted Excel Files for Free on Desktop

In addition to EaseUS Fixo and the online Excel recovery tool, there are still a few manual methods to restore damaged Excel files. These methods' advantages are free, while the disadvantage is the low file repair and recovery probability. Read the guides in-depth.

Fix 1. Use the Open and Repair Tool in Windows Excel

Step 1. Open a blank Excel sheet, and click "File" > "Open".

Step 2. Go to the location and find the corrupted Excel file folder.

Step 3. Select the corrupted Excel file in the Open dialog and click the arrow next to the Open button. Then, click "Open and Repair".

repair corrupted Excel with open and repair tool

Step 4. Click "Repair" to recover as much Excel data as possible.

If "Repair" can't recover your Excel data, click "Extract Data" to extract values and formulas from the Excel sheet.

Fix 2. Repair Corrupted Excel File Free from TMP File

Microsoft Office provides the AutoSave feature to automatically save Excel temp files as a backup on your computer. So when your Excel, Word, or PPT file suddenly gets corrupted or crashes, you can follow the tips below to recover corrupted files.

Step 1. Go to the temp file folder location on your PC and find the Excel temp files with the TMP extension. 

  • For Windows 8/10 users: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles
  • For Windows 7 users: C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\

Step 2. Find the temporary Excel files that begin with "$" or "~" and end with ".TMP".

Step 3. Copy these files and save them to another safe place by changing the extension.TMP to .XLS/.XLSX. 

Fix 3. Repair Corrupted Excel by Saving as Other Formats

If you can open the corrupted Excel file, but there is no data. You can try to repair corrupted Excel by saving it in another format.

Step 1. Open the corrupted Excel file and go to "Save As".

Step 2. Select "Web Page" from the possible file formats. Make sure that the whole Excel file is selected, and then click "Save".

Step 3. Find the saved file, right-click on it, and select "Open with" > "Microsoft Office Excel".

Step 4. If the file can be opened usually, go to "Save As" and choose an Excel format .xls or .xlsx. Then, the corrupted Excel file will be recovered.

repair corrupted Excel by saving to other formats

Fix 4. Restore Corrupted Excel Files for Free from Previous Versions

Another practical solution to restore corrupted Excel files is to restore the previous versions from File History or restore points. This method is useless if you haven't enabled Windows file backup in advance.

Step 1. Create a new Excel file with the same name as your lost one, or find your present one.

Step 2. Right-click on the Excel file and select "Properties".

Step 3. Go to Previous Versions, find and select the latest version or the right version before Excel crashes, deleted or saved, and click "Restore".

restore damaged Excel from previous versions

To Sum Up

This article provides you with the most comprehensive methods on how to recover corrupted Excel files. If you would like to use Window's built-in utilities to do it, there are four fixes you can try to recover from a backup. Use the three online Excel repair tools to repair Excel files without installing any software. If you're going to use the online Excel repair tool, you need to be highly aware of data security and privacy issues.

For effectiveness and safety, you'd better use a desktop Excel repair program like EaseUS Fixo. It is competent to repair files.

 Free Download

Trustpilot Rating 4.7

 Free Download

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Repair Excel Files for Free FAQs

Here are a few more questions related to how to repair corrupted Excel files. If you also have any of these questions, you can find the answers here.

How do I recover a corrupted Excel file?

Repair Excel files in the simplest way by using the EaseUS Fixo document repair tool:

Step 1. Select a location to start finding crashed or damaged Excel files

Step 2. Repair and recover corrupted Excel files.  

Step 3. Save the recovered Excel file to a secure location.

How do I repair a corrupted Excel file 2010 in Windows 10?

You can repair Excel in Windows 10 in four feasible ways:

Fix 1. Use the Open and Repair tool in Microsoft Office Excel

Fix 2. Restore corrupted Excel file from TMP file

Fix 3. Repair corrupted Excel by saving it as other formats

Fix 4. Restore the damaged Excel file from the previous version

How can I recover a corrupted Excel file for free?

To repair a corrupted Excel for free, do the following:

Step 1. Click "File" > "Open". Click the location and folder that contains the corrupted workbook.

Step 2. In the Open window, select the corrupted Excel file.

Step 3. Click the arrow next to the Open button, and then click "Open and Repair". Or you can click "Repair" to recover Excel data.

How do you recover Excel corrupt files online for free?

There are some online Excel repair tools you can try, such as Recovery Toolbox for Excel, Microsoft Excel Repair Tool, and Online Office Recovery mentioned in this tutorial. Usually, these online Excel repair tools help you recover corrupt Excel files in 3 steps: upload files, wait for the repair to complete, preview, and pay for the repaired file.

How does an Excel file get corrupted?

Reasons that lead to MS Excel file corruption:

  • Sudden system shutdown
  • Virus attacks
  • Hard disk failure
  • Too much data and large size files
  • Abrupt closing of application

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Updated by Brithny

Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers' tech lives easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. In her spare time, she loves sharing things about her game experience on Facebook or Twitter.

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Written by Cedric

Cedric Grantham is a senior editor and data recovery specialist of EaseUS. He mainly writes articles and how-to tips about data recovery on PC and Mac. He has handled 10,000+ data recovery cases and is good at data recovery of NTFS, FAT (FAT32 and ExFAT) file systems, and RAID structure reorganization.

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