How to Restore Data on Microsoft Excel

1. Run 'Detect and Repair' if you are using Excel 2003 or earlier. Go to the 'Help' menu and select 'Detect and Repair.' Clear the checkboxes and click start. Detect and Repair will scan the program and make certain repairs, which may restore the missing data.
2. Run 'Diagnostics' in Excel 2007. Start Excel and click the 'Office Button.' Select 'Excel Options.' Select 'Resources,' 'Diagnose,' and then 'Continue.' Click on 'Start Diagnostics.' Diagnostics will scan Excel for potential problems and repair what it can.
3. Recover data when Excel stops responding. Go to the 'Start' menu, point to 'All Programs,' and then 'Microsoft Office Tools.' Select 'Microsoft Application Recovery.' Click on Excel in the Recovery window, and then click 'Recover Application.' Excel will close and restart with the files that were open when it stopped responding.
4. Start Excel and go to the 'File' menu or the 'Office Button.' Select 'Open.' Find the damaged file and click on it to select it. Click the drop-down arrow on the 'Open' button at the bottom of the window. Select 'Open and Repair.'
5. Save the file as HTML, if you are able to open it. Go to the 'File' menu or 'Office Button' and click 'Save As.' In the 'Save as Type' select 'Web Page.' When you open the HTML version, save it again as a 'Microsoft Office Workbook' with a different name than the corrupted file.