Excel file repair guides
Guides for repairing damaged Excel workbooks (.xlsx, .xlsm, .xls), recovering data from corrupt files, and fixing common opening errors.
Symptom guides
- Excel Crashes When Opening a File
Excel crashing on file open is usually an add-in conflict, a graphics driver issue, or a damaged Office install. Diagnose and fix in order.
- Excel File is Unusually Large and Performance is Poor
Excel workbooks bloat from accumulated formatting, oversized used ranges, and embedded media. Diagnose the cause and shrink the file in place.
- Excel File Opens But Shows Empty Sheets
Why Excel opens to a blank window or empty workbook, and how to recover the data. Covers hidden windows, DDE settings, and damaged shared strings.
- Excel File Won't Open: Diagnosis and Fix Path
Step-by-step recovery for Excel files that refuse to open. Covers Open and Repair, LibreOffice fallback, Protected View blocks, and structural rebuilds.
- Excel Shows ##### in Cells After Recovery
After recovering an Excel file, cells display ##### instead of values. The data is intact — column widths just need to be restored.