EXCEL files are not opening.

M.K. DUTTA 0 Reputation points
2026-09-18T04:14:32.44+00:00

Microsoft Excel files are not opening. Showing repair now. it is not working. How to recover my excel files?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-18T04:14:57.62+00:00

    Try these recovery steps in order:

    1. Use Open and Repair
      • Open Excel.
      • Select File > Open > Browse.
      • Select the workbook.
      • Select the arrow next to Open > Open and Repair.
      • Choose Repair first.
      • If that fails, repeat and choose Extract Data to recover values and formulas.
    2. Recover from Document Recovery pane
      • If Excel shows the Document Recovery pane, review the listed files.
      • Check the date and time under each file name.
      • Open the most recent version first.
      • Use Save As to save the recovered file.
      • If unsure which version to keep, choose Yes, I want to view these files later (safest option) when closing.
    3. Revert to the last saved version
      • If the workbook was open and became corrupted before saving:
      • Select File > Open.
      • Double-click the workbook name.
      • Select Yes to reopen the last saved version.
    4. Move the file locally before retrying
      • If the file is on a network location or external drive, copy it to a local drive first, then try Open and Repair again.
    5. Repair Office if Excel itself is failing
      • In Windows 10/11: Start > Settings > Apps.
      • Select the Office app.
      • Select Modify.
      • Run Online Repair.
      • This reinstalls Office components and can fix Excel when files will not open correctly.
    6. If Excel asks to repair and then still fails
      • If the problem affects multiple Excel files or all Office apps, Online Repair is the recommended next step.
    7. If Excel hangs with “Grant Access” or says the file format/extension is invalid
      • Update Excel to version 16.34 or newer.
      • That issue was fixed in version 16.34.

    To avoid future loss, use AutoRecover and, if using Microsoft 365 with OneDrive, AutoSave.

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