How to Repair Excel File Errors without Losing Data?

MS Excel is not free from issues and errors. Users sometimes face random error messages while trying to open the application or an Excel file, saving or editing an Excel file, etc. There are some errors that can even prevent the users from accessing the application or the Excel file, leading to a data loss situation. In this article, we will discuss some common Excel file errors and also provide solutions to resolve these errors without any data loss.

Some Common Excel File Errors

Here are some errors that you may experience while opening, editing, or saving Excel files:

• Excel is not responding
• Unspecified error message
• Microsoft Excel cannot access the file
• We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly
• We found a problem with some content
• File Error: Data may have been lost
• Excel found unreadable content in . Do you want to recover the contents of this workbook? If you trust the source of this workbook, click Yes.
• MS Excel is already running

The above error messages can occur due to different reasons, such as outdated MS Excel version, bugs in the application, faulty add-ins, damaged program files, and corruption in the Excel file. Let’s see how to resolve these common Excel File errors.

Methods to Resolve Excel File Errors

Here are some methods you can try to resolve the common errors in Excel.

Method 1: Disable Faulty Add-ins in MS Excel
Sometimes, conflicting or faulty add-ins can prevent you from performing several operations in Excel, leading to the errors. You can launch Excel in Safe Mode (press Windows + R, type excel /safe in Run dialog box, and press Enter) to check if the error is caused by any problematic add-ins. When you launch Excel in safe mode, it only uses necessary resources required for its operation and open without any third-party add-ins.
If you are able to launch MS Excel in safe mode without any issue, then it indicates the error was caused by conflicting/faulty COM add-ins. You can disable all the COM add-ins by following these steps:

• In Excel safe mode, click on File.
• Click on **Options **in the left pane.
• Click on Add-ins in the Excel Options.
• Expand the dropdown menu against Manage and click on COM Add-ins.
• Click on Go.
• In the COM Add-ins window, uncheck all the selected add-ins and click OK.

This will disable all the add-ins. Now, relaunch Excel normally and enable the add-ins one-by-one. This will help you to find out the problematic add-in/s. When found, you can permanently disable that add-in.

Method 2: Check if Excel.exe is in Use by Another Process
Sometimes, when you try to launch MS Excel or open a workbook, you may encounter the MS Excel is already running error message. This could happen if the Excel.exe is in use in the background or is being used by another process. You can find and close the Excel.exe process to resolve the issue. Here are the steps to do so:

• Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to launch Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab.
• Look for Excel.exe or Microsoft Excel.
• Right-click on the process and click on End Task. Now, open Excel to see if the issue is resolved.

Method 3: Update MS Excel Application
Outdated MS Excel application may develop some bugs or glitches that can cause various issues and errors. So, it is important to keep your Excel application updated. Here are the steps to check and update MS Excel:

• Click on File in the Menu bar.
• Click on Account.
• Click the Update Options and then click on Update Now.

Method 4: Repair Microsoft Office
Damaged or corrupt program files can also create issues when working with Excel, causing random errors. As Excel is a part of MS Office suite, you can repair the Microsoft Office program. Follow the steps below to repair Microsoft Office:

• Press Windows + I to open Settings. Click on Apps.
• Click on Apps & Features and scroll down to locate Microsoft Office.
• Select Microsoft Office and click on Modify.
• When prompted, click Yes.
• Select the Repair option and click on Continue.
• Wait for the repair process to complete.

Method 5: Repair Excel File
One of the major reasons for errors in Excel file is corruption. If your Excel file is corrupted, you can use the Open and Repair utility in MS Excel to fix the corruption issues. Follow the steps mentioned below to repair corrupted Excel file using this utility:

• Launch MS Excel (if it is opening).
• Click on File.
• Click on Open > Browse.

• Select the problematic Excel file.
• Click on the arrow next to the **Open **button.
• Click on Open and Repair.

• On the dialog box that appears, select the Repair option.

• Once the file is repaired, click Close.

If the above utility fails to repair the corrupt Excel file, then you can use Stellar Repair for Excel – a powerful Excel repair tool for repairing severely corrupted or damaged Excel files (.xls, .xlsx, .xltm, .xltx, and .xlsm). It recovers all the data from the corrupted Excel file and saves it in a new file. It is a simple-to-use tool that doesn’t require any technical expertise to operate. It can also repair multiple Excel files in a batch with complete precision and integrity.

Conclusion

You may encounter several errors while working with Excel. There are different reasons and factors that can lead to Excel file errors. Corruption in Excel file is one of the major reasons for some common errors. If the Excel file is corrupted, the best and quick way to repair the corrupt Excel file is by using a professional Excel repair tool, like Stellar Repair for Excel. This tool can repair corrupt Excel files and recover all data in just a few simple steps.