What to do right now
- Copy the file first and work only on the copy.
- Use Open and Repair in Word or Excel, and check AutoRecover and version history.
- If that fails, inspect the file and rebuild its ZIP container into a new copy.
Step by step
Make a copy
Copy the file to another folder. Some repair attempts change the file they open, so the original must stay as it was.
Try Open and Repair
In Word or Excel, choose File › Open › Browse, select the file, click the arrow next to Open and choose Open and Repair. Excel also offers Extract Data if repair fails.
Check AutoRecover and version history
Look under File › Info › Manage Document for unsaved or earlier versions. For files on OneDrive or SharePoint, open Version history.
Inspect the container
In Damaged file repair, choose the DOCX, XLSX or PPTX. FileFix Ultimate checks the ZIP structure, each part's checksum and the required parts such as the document body and content types.
Create a repaired copy and check it
Create the repaired copy, then open it in Office. If Office still reports a problem, use Open and Repair on the repaired copy; together the two often succeed.
Why DOCX, XLSX and PPTX files can often be saved
Since Office 2007, documents are ZIP archives with XML files inside: one for the text or sheet data, others for styles, images and relationships. If the archive's index at the end is damaged, Office cannot open anything, although every part may be intact. Rebuilding the archive from the local entries recovers those parts.
When a part itself is damaged, for example the main document XML, the result depends on how much survived. Images and other parts with valid checksums are kept; damaged parts are reported so you know what is missing.
Files that were saved to a USB stick and pulled out too early, or synced while still being written, often have exactly this kind of container damage.
Old DOC, XLS and PPT files
The older binary formats are not ZIP containers. FileFix Ultimate recognises them during recovery but does not repair them. Office's Open and Repair is the better option for them.
When it won't work
- Password-protected documents are encrypted and are not repaired.
- Content that was never saved or was overwritten cannot be recovered.
- Old binary DOC, XLS and PPT files are not repaired by FileFix Ultimate.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Checks the ZIP container of DOCX, XLSX, PPTX and ODF files, part by part, with CRC checks.
- Rebuilds the container from intact local entries and writes it as a new file.
- Reports missing required parts in plain language.
- Validates recovered Office files after deletion recovery, so broken ones are flagged.
FileFix Ultimate is free, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free way to repair a corrupted Excel file?
Yes. Excel's Open and Repair is free and built in. If it fails, rebuilding the ZIP container with FileFix Ultimate is also free.
The file is 0 KB. Can it be repaired?
No. A 0 KB file has no content. Look for AutoRecover files, version history or a deleted earlier copy instead.
Why does the repaired document lose some formatting?
If the styles part was damaged, Office falls back to defaults. The text is usually in the main document part and survives separately.
Where are Office AutoRecover files saved?
By default under your user profile in AppData. In Word or Excel, File › Options › Save shows the exact AutoRecover file location, and File › Info › Manage Document lists recoverable versions.