Microsoft Excel: Repairing a Corrupted Workbook

Overview 

• When you open a workbook that has been corrupted, Excel automatically starts File Recovery mode and attempts to reopen and simultaneously repair the workbook. Excel cannot always start File Recovery mode automatically. If you cannot open a workbook because it has been corrupted, you can try to repair the workbook manually.

Repair a corrupted workbook manually

1. On the File tab, click Open.

2. In Excel 2013 or Excel 2016, click on the location where the spreadsheet is located, and click Browse.

3. In the Open dialog box, select the corrupted workbook that you want to open.

4. Click the arrow next to the Open button, and then click Open and Repair.

5. Do one of the following:

   • To recover as much of the workbook data as possible, click Repair.

   • To extract values and formulas from the workbook when an attempt to repair the workbook is not successful, click Extract Data.

Contact Us

• If you are having difficulty, please reach us at it_services@cbu.ca or call 902-563-1123