Tested and Proven Ways to Fix Reference Isn't Valid Excel Error

The "Reference isn't valid" error in Excel can be very inconvenient. The worst part is all options in the ribbon get grayed out, meaning you can't do anything! Luckily, it’s easy to fix the problem, and this guide explains the various ways to do it.

Part 1. What Causes the "Reference Isn't Valid" Error in Excel?

There are several possible causes of the "Reference is not valid Excel" issue. Common causes include:

• Invalid references. A common cause of the "Reference is not valid" error occurs when a cell or range reference is deleted, renamed, or moved. If your formula points to a location that no longer exists or has been altered, Excel will return this error.
• File location issue. "Reference is not valid" in Excel can also occur if your file is saved on another location other than the local drive.
• Editing cells in Design mode: When you're in Design Mode, Excel disables editing within certain controls, such as forms or ActiveX elements. If you're trying to modify a cell or range that’s part of these controls, it might trigger a reference error.
• Temporary issues with one of Excel's app processes: Sometimes, background processes in Excel can temporarily disrupt file operations, leading to invalid references. This issue often resolves itself after restarting Excel or the computer.
• Brackets in your file name. Squared brackets [] in your Excel file name can be the reason responsible for the "Reference isn't valid" error message.

Part 2. How to Fix the "Reference Isn't Valid Excel" Error?

Follow the simple steps under each method below to learn how to fix "reference isn't valid" in Excel.

Method 1: Enter the Correct Cell Range Name in the Pivot Table

Have you encountered the error message while creating a pivot table? If so, you might have entered an invalid or unavailable cell range name in the table field. You can rectify this by creating a new named range and using it to create a pivot table.

Here are the steps to fix the "Data source reference is not valid pivot table" error:

Step 1. Launch your Excel workbook, then choose the cells you wish to include in your named range.

Step 2. Go to the "Formulas" tab, then choose "Name Manager."

Step 3. Hit the New button.

Step 4. Enter a new name for the cell range in the "Name" field. After that, click OK.

Step 5. Go to the "Insert" tab and click "PivotTable." Here, type a name for the cell range in the "Table/Range" entry, then hit OK to create your pivot table.

Method 2: Save the Excel File to Your Local Drive

You may be editing a workbook that isn't stored on your computer's local drive. Try to save your Excel file on the local drive and see whether it's the one behind the error message.

Here's how to do it:

Step 1. Go to your Excel file and press the F12 button on your keyboard.

Step 2. Click the Save as button, then select a location on the computer to save your file. Click Save to complete the operation.

Method 3: Exit Design Mode

You may be editing your file in Design mode without knowing. Follow these steps to exit the mode and resolve the error:

Step 1. In your workbook, choose OK when the "Data source reference is not valid" dialog box pops up.

Step 2. Hit the X button on the toolbar at the top.

Step 3. Select the Design Mode icon to turn the mode off.

Method 4: Unhide Worksheets

Your formula may be referring to a data source or cell that is no longer available or valid. That often happens when some worksheets in your Excel file are hidden. You can try to unhide them and see what happens:

Step 1. Launch your workbook and right-click on any worksheet tab at the bottom. Choose Unhide.

Step 2. Choose the sheet you wish to unhide, then click OK.

Method 5: Force Quit Excel from Task Manager

As mentioned, the "reference isn't valid" message in Excel could be a temporary glitch with the MS Office app. You can restart Excel by force quitting it and possibly resolve any issues.

On Windows:

Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on the keyboard to open the Task Manager.

Step 2. Find the Processes tab, where you'll find a list of all running applications.

Step 3. Locate Microsoft Excel from the list and click on it to select the process.

Step 4. Choose End Task at the bottom right of the screen. That will force Excel to stop.

Note: Force quitting Excel means you'll lose any unsaved files. So, it's always good to save regularly to minimize data loss.

On Mac:

Step 1. Press the buttons Command + Option + Esc on your keyboard. That will launch the Force Quit Applications tab.

Step 2. You'll see a list of running apps. Select Microsoft Excel from the list and click Force Quit.

Step 3. You'll be prompted to confirm your action. Confirm the decision to close Excel.

Method 6: Repair Corrupted Excel Files

Your Excel files could be corrupted due to many reasons, including:

• Hardware failure
• Unexpected power outages
• Virus infections

How can a corrupted Excel file cause the "Reference isn't valid" error? Suppose your worksheet contains hyperlinks. In that case, if one of the files you've linked to is corrupted, Excel will throw the reference invalid error.

You can quickly repair corrupted or damaged files using Repairit File Repair to fix the "reference isn't valid" issue. Repairit is an industry-leading file repair tool that fixes all types of corruption on office files. It comes with advanced algorithms that repair files with the highest rate of success. You can almost always count on this tool to restore even severely damaged Excel files.

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• Repair damaged Excel files with all levels of corruption, including blank files, files not opening, unrecognizable format, unreadable content, files layout changed, etc.

• Repairs all kinds of data stored in damaged Excel files such as tables, charts, formulas, comments, images, etc.

• Support all formats of Excel files: XLSX/XLSM/XLTX/XLTM/XLS

• Perfectly repair corrupted files with a very high success rate, without modifying the original file.

• No limit to the number and size of the repairable files.

• Support Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019/2022, and macOS 10.12~macOS 15.

• Except Excel, Repairit also supports all formats of PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ZIP, and Adobe files.

Repairit supports most older and newer Excel versions and Office 365. The best part is that it's also supported on both Mac and Windows.

Here's how to repair your corrupted Excel files with Repairit File Repair:

1. Open Repairit and navigate to the More Types Repair mode. Here, select the File Repair option.

   

2. Hit the +Add button to upload your corrupted Excel file(s). Repairit allows s to repair multiple .xlsx files simultaneously.

   

3. After uploading the files, click the Repair button to begin the repair process.

   

4. Repairit will complete the process shortly. Preview the repaired files, then hit the Save button to save them to your desired location.

   

Method 7: Check for Squared Brackets on the File Name

Excel won't take references from a worksheet if your name has squared brackets. Therefore, you can't perform tasks, such as creating Pivot Tables, that require taking your current worksheet as a reference.

You must remove these special characters from your file name to solve the error:

Step 1. Find your Excel file, right-click it, and click F2.

Step 2. Delete the squared brackets from the file name, then hit Enter.

Conclusion

You've got the answer to "How do I fix reference isn't valid in Excel?" The above guide provides many ways to deal with this problem. All of them are easy to implement and don't require advanced skills. So, try them and find out which one works.