Excel Tools

Repair a corrupted Excel file and rescue its data

When Excel says a workbook is corrupt or can’t be opened, rescue every value that is still readable into a new, clean .xlsx, and see exactly what came back.

Honest rescue, not magic: this tool recovers the values of a damaged .xlsx (text, numbers, dates, true/false) into a new clean workbook. Formatting, charts, pictures, comments and macros are not recovered.

No file at hand? (an orders workbook cut off in the middle of a download).

How to recover data from a corrupted Excel file

  1. Work on a copy. Keep the damaged original untouched, in case another method can do better later.
  2. Choose the file here. It is read in your browser, never uploaded, which matters for the payroll or customer files that usually end up corrupted at the worst moment.
  3. Let the tool try everything. First a normal read; if that fails, it locates every part of the .xlsx package one by one, decompresses as much as it can even when the file is cut off, and reads the rows and cells that survived.
  4. Check and download. You see which sheets came back complete, which were cut off and at which row, with a preview. Download the clean workbook and a report.

What “repair” honestly means

An .xlsx file is a ZIP package of XML parts. When it is damaged (an interrupted download or copy, a full disk, a failing USB stick, a sync conflict), some parts are cut off or garbled. Their data can’t be invented back. What can be done is to rescue every value that is still readable and put it into a new, valid workbook.

Paid services say the same in small print: Recovery Toolbox, which charges from per file, lists formatting, pictures, comments, macros, data validation and more among the things it does not recover. Here the rescue is free, local and tells you exactly what came back.

Try these first, in Excel

  1. Open and Repair: File › Open › select the file › click the arrow next to Open › Open and Repair, then Repair. If that fails, try again and choose Extract Data.
  2. Previous versions: File › Info › Version History (OneDrive, SharePoint), or right-click the file in Windows › Properties › Previous Versions.
  3. Unsaved and temporary copies: File › Info › Manage Workbook › Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
  4. Then come back here if Excel can’t open it at all or says the file is corrupt and cannot be opened.

Typical messages this helps with

Limitations

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free?

Yes. It is 100% free, with no usage limits, no account and no sign-up. There is no paid plan, and no preview behind a paywall.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The damaged file is read and rescued inside your browser. The page only downloads its own code and libraries from this site. If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics receives anonymous usage data such as page views, never the contents or names of your files.

What can be recovered from a corrupted Excel file?

Cell values: text, numbers, dates and true/false values, from every sheet whose data is still readable, up to the point where it was damaged. Formulas can be kept if you tick the option. Formatting, charts, pictures, comments, macros and similar features are not recovered.

Why is a sheet only partly recovered?

Because the file was cut off or damaged inside that sheet. Everything before the damaged point is rescued; the rows after it are not in the file any more. The report shows the last row that came back.

Why are some text cells empty?

Excel stores most text in one shared part. If that part was lost, the cells that point to it can’t get their text back, even when numbers in the same sheet are recovered.

Should I try Excel’s Open and Repair first?

Yes. In Excel, use File › Open, select the file, click the arrow next to Open and choose Open and Repair. If Excel still can’t open it, this tool often rescues more of the data.

Can it repair .xls, .xlsb or encrypted files?

No. It rescues damaged .xlsx and .xlsm files. Encrypted files can’t be read without their password, and damaged binary .xls or .xlsb files are not supported.

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