How to Repair Corrupted Excel Files (Top Software + Free Fixes)

It can be very stressful to lose access to a valuable Excel sheet. Be it your work report, financial records, or personal data, a broken file can mess up all your workflow. Errors like Excel will not open this file or blank spaces are common, and this is why so many users search the Internet to find reliable Excel corrupt file repair software.

The good news? It is possible to repair a corrupted Excel file. In this guide, we shall discuss why corruption occurs and how to fix it free of cost. We will also discuss the best repair tools you can use in cases where the free methods fail.

Common Reasons Why Excel Files Get Corrupted

A corrupted Excel file can result from several everyday situations, including:

Sudden power failure while saving a file.
Malware or virus infections.
Oversized Excel files with too many formulas or charts.
Application crashes during editing.
Improperly saving, moving, or transferring files between devices.

While these causes are frustrating, they’re not unusual. Excel file corruption happens to many users, but in most cases, you can fix the file and restore your important data.

Free & Built-in Ways to Repair Corrupted Excel Files

The good thing about Microsoft Excel is that it has some built-in methods to repair or recover a corrupted Excel file.

Here we will share the best ones you can try.

Method 1: Use Excel’s Open and Repair.

This is the simplest approach, where you use a built-in feature to repair the file upon opening.

Open Excel and go to “File” and “Open”. Browse and select the damaged file.

Click the drop-down arrow next to “Open” and choose “Open and Repair”.
Select “Repair”. If that fails, select “Extract Data”.

Method 2: Recover from AutoRecover/Temporary files.

Excel also saves its temporary files, and if your original file is corrupted, you can use the temporary files to recover your work.

Open Excel and go to “File”, then click “Options” and hit “Save”.

Note the AutoRecover file location path. Navigate to the folder and restore the latest backup.

Method 3: Change file format (.xls / .xlsx).

Sometimes doing something as simple as changing the file format makes the errors go away.

Right-click on the Excel file and click “Rename”

Change the extension “xls/xlsx” and authenticate if asked. Now try opening your file.

Method 4: Open with Google Sheets.

If Microsoft Excel is facing issues with your file, you can try opening it with Google Sheets. That will work in most cases.

Open Google Drive and click the “+” button, then select your corrupted Excel File to upload it to your cloud storage.
Once uploaded, you will right-click the file and select “Open with Google Sheets”.

Google Sheets will now display all your content.
As an additional security step, click “File” and “Download” to save your workbook as an Excel file on your local storage. Now you can start working on the new file offline with all your work saved.

Limitations of Free Methods

While free fixes are worth trying, they come with several drawbacks:

They usually work only on small corruption issues.
Sometimes they recover only part of the file, leaving out formulas, charts, or formatting.
Some repaired files may not open correctly in all versions of Excel.
They often fail when the Excel file is badly or heavily damaged.

This is why many users try professional repair software when free methods do not fully solve the problem.

Best Excel Corrupt File Repair Software in 2025

When free fixes don’t work, using professional Excel corrupt file repair software ensures better recovery. The best tools should:

Support both .xls and .xlsx formats.
Preserve formulas, tables, and charts.
Offer a user-friendly interface for beginners.

4DDiG Document Repair

A reliable option is 4DDiG Document Repair, designed to fix Excel and other Office files. It brings multiple benefits, including:

Repairs severely corrupted Excel files with a high success rate.
Keeps original structure intact, including formatting and formulas.
Handles multiple files at once (batch repair).
Simple steps that are ideal for non-technical users.

Step-by-Step Guide to Repair Excel Files

Download and install 4DDiG File Repair software on your computer from the official website. After installation is complete, you can launch the tool.

Go to the “Corrupted File Repair” section and click “File Repair,” then click “Add Files” to add your corrupt Excel files to 4DDiG Excel corrupt file repair software.

After adding all the corrupt files, click the “Repair All” button, and 4DDiG will start repairing your files immediately with its AI algorithms.

Once the repairs are complete, you can click the “Preview” button to check the results. It shows a quick preview of the contents of your repaired file.

Click the “Save” button and follow the saving steps, and your repaired file will be saved on your local storage with all its properties and formulas intact.

FAQs

Can Excel repair corrupted files on its own?

Yes, Excel has an Open and Repair feature, but it only works for minor corruption.

What’s the best software to fix Excel corruption?

A professional Excel repair tool like 4DDiG Document Repair is best for heavily damaged files.

Can I recover data if the Excel file is badly damaged?

Yes. Even if Excel fails, advanced repair software can restore data, charts, and formatting.

Conclusion

Excel corruption is annoying, but a solvable problem. The free options of Open and Repair or Google Sheets are worth considering at first. In case these do not help, you can resort to using a reliable Excel corrupt file repair software like 4DDiG Document Repair, which will help to repair spreadsheets safely and with maximum efficiency. File corruption should not interfere with your work, so repair and restore your data within minutes.

Author Profile

Adam Regan

Deputy Editor

Features and account management. 3 years media experience. Previously covered features for online and print editions.

Email Adam@MarkMeets.com