Methods to Recover Corrupted Macro Enabled Excel File

Suppose you have prepared an excel file containing some crucial data for your organization. Your boss asks you to submit the file, but he finds that the file is corrupted. This causes a problem for the organization. The administrator tells you to recover the file as soon as possible and submit it again.

Now, all you have to know is how to recover a corrupted macro-enabled excel file. You might have to enter some data again after recovering the excel file. The workbook repair feature of excel fixes the file but not wholly. However, you can avoid this by recovering macros along with the corrupted excel file.

What is a macro-enabled Excel file?

Microsoft Excel features automation of tasks, which is based on Visual Basic for Applications programming language. It is similar to a usual excel document but contains code for a task that you perform repeatedly. These kinds of files are called macro-enabled excel files that have the .xlsm extension. If any macro-enabled file gets corrupt, then you have to apply a little effort to recover it. Would you like to know how to recover a corrupted macro-enabled excel file? Let's find out.

How to Fix corrupted macro-enabled excel file

There is no single solution for recovering a corrupted macro-enabled workbook. We are providing all the possible solutions that will help you in recovering a corrupted macro-enabled workbook file.

Method 1: Fix corrupted macro-enabled Excel file using the Open and Repair tool

Whenever Microsoft excel recognizes a corrupted excel file, it begins the File recovery mode to recover the excel file. Sometimes, this mode might not start automatically, and you have to do it manually. You have to run the "Open and Repair" tool. The steps to enter the "Open and Repair" tool are as follows:

Step 1: Run the Microsoft Excel

Step 2: Click on "File". After that, click on "Open"

Step 3: Open the destination folder where the corrupted excel file is saved

Step 4: As the open dialog box appears, choose the corrupted excel file

Step 5: Click on the given arrow near the "Open" button and select "Open and Repair".

Step 6:Choose Repair if you want to recover most of the data. If this is not working, click on "Extract data" to save values and formulas

Method 2: Set the Calculation Method to Manual

Are you facing difficulty in opening the corrupted excel file? Instead of wasting time on opening it, you can set the calculation method to manual. After this, you can try opening the corrupted workbook again. Change the calculation set by following the given methods.

Step 1: Create a new blank excel file by clicking on "File" >" New" > "Blank Workbook"

Step 2: Click on "File" again and then on "options"

Step 3: Go to the "Formula" category. Take the cursor to "Calculation" and click on it. Select "Manual". Click on "Ok".

Step 4: Attempt to open the corrupted excel file now by hitting on "File" > "Open" options and browse the file, select it

Method 3: Using other office tools to open this file (such as a libre office)

Your Microsoft excel version might not be supporting your workbook file. The most beneficial thing to do here is to try another software to open the file. There are plenty of alternatives such as WPS, Open Office Suite, and Libre Office. These alternatives are powerful enough to run a corrupted workbook file.

Method 4: Automatic Solution: MS Excel Repair Tool

If things are not changed and you are still getting the corrupted file, we would like to recommend you a professional tool that is Wondershare Repairit. The tool promises positive results for any severely corrupted Excel file in a hassle-free way. You will be able to recover all the worksheets with ease. Let us know how to use it.

Step 1: Launch the Tool

To begin with, download and install Wondershare Repairit on your PC. Open it and upon finding the dialog box, click on "OK" to further the process.

Step 2: Choose File

You now need to add the file that is corrupted and to is fixed. Simply click the "Add" button to look for the file.

Step 3: Repair File

Click on the "Repair" button once the file is added to the interface. The program will begin to repair the files for errors.

Step 4: Preview and Save the File

Now, when the scanning gets done, you can see your file (s) listed in the left panel. You can click on it to preview before repaired.

Once done, either choose the default location of the file or go for the "Select New Folder". Save the actions and you are good to go.

Method 5: Open the corrupted workbook in WordPad or Word

Rather than the workbook file, the data stored in it matter the most. You can open the workbook file in WordPad or Word. All the data is transformed into a text file, but this can't recover the formulas used by you in the excel file. Download the Microsoft excel converter to let the word read your excel file.

Method 6: Recover macros

It's time to discuss the ultimate solution. Even if you have recovered the data, recovering macros is also necessary. And the steps are here to do so:

Step 1: Run the Excel program and make sure that the calculation mode is set to manual

Step 2: Click on "Tools" and select "Macros" > "Security" > "High". If you are using Excel 2007, click "Office" > "Excel" > "Trust Center" present at the left side of the panel. Now, hit enter on the "Trust Center Settings" > "Macro Setting" button. Disable all the active Macros from the "Macro Settings" option and hit "Ok" two times

Step 3: Next, open the corrupted excel workbook. If the workbook gets open, it means that macros have been disabled but shutting down of excel points that the method isn't working

Step 4: Open the VBE (Visual Basic Editor) by pressing "Alt" + "F11"

Step 5: Hold down "Ctrl" + "R" to open "Project Explorer" and then right-click on the module. Select "Export file"

Step 6: Type a new name and folder for this module

Step 7: Steps 5 and 6 need to be repeated continuously till all the modules are exported

Step 8: Exit VBE and Excel

Step 9: Open a black excel file or the workbook where the recovered data is saved. At last, you have to import the modules.

The Bottom Line

We understand your concern if after trying everything and still, the workbook hasn't been recovered. So we introduced an excellent repair tool. Wondershare Repairit fixes your corrupted macro-enabled excel file in a few minutes.

We can't guarantee that the above solutions work, but the Wondershare Repairit does it. Regardless of which version of Microsoft Excel you are using, the Wondershare Repairit is known for fixing thoroughly corrupted files instantly. It teaches you the best way of how to recover corrupted macro-enabled excel files.