Data Disappears In MS Excel Spreadsheets – How to Recover Back?

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Written By Ashwani Tiwari
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On August 1st, 2022
Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets consists of a huge amount of data and disappearance of data from any cell would make the situation really troublesome for the Excel users. Even it is possible that the data missing on excel sheets can change the entire result of the Workbook. Since, this is a commonly reported issue of Excel users, here we will talk about, how to recover back data disappears in Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 version.

Data disappears in Excel

As Excel Spreadsheets contains crucial data and to recover back the Excel File becomes necessary. This is because any disappeared value of the cell can change the result.You can see some questions asked by MS Excel users when data is disappeared in the Excel spreadsheet.

User Query 1: When I was working on a spreadsheet last night, I found out that some data are missing from the sheet. This situation is occurring whenever I chose to sort the columns of the file. Though, there is no change in the final calculation, I am just wondering where is the data going! Can anyone help me by explaining why the data is disappearing in Excel 2016.

User Query 2: In my Excel 2010, data from certain rows are going missing. However, the rows are present and the data of the surrounding rows are also present. It seems that only some row’s data are getting affected by this issue. I will be grateful if anyone can provide a solution to recover back data missing in Excel File.

Must Try Solution: As you can see from the above mentioned queries that MS Excel user needs to extra careful while working with the .xlsx file. Since some manual methods are available to fix this missing data issue but if the file is corrupted than data cannot be recovered. If you are looking for an automated solution to recover Excel files, then you must try SysTools Excel Recovery Tool. This tool is capable to fix all the below mentioned causes of data loss.

Download Excel Recovery Purchase Now

Missing or Lost data in Excel Spreadsheet – Common Cause

Data Disappeared In Excel file of 2016 / 2007 due to various reasons such as formatting error, saving issue even while applying the wrong filter can lead to lost data in excel spreadsheet. So, how a naive user can prevent the condition of missing data of Excel application. Let us learn about the causes to decide your next step to recover disappeared data in Excel 2007.

  • Cursor Position: It is very much possible that the data you think have disappeared is still there. While closing the Excel file, sometimes users put their cursor in a cell which is located far from where the working rows and columns are positioned. In that case, when they reopen the file, that blank will might appear first. So, when you think that your data is not there, click on CTRL + HOME keys to go to the very first cell of the file (A1).
  • Formatting of Excel Cells: Cell formatting is an important part of using Excel file, but if you become careless about formatting, it can give you a fake notion like data disappearing. For example, data entered with White font color and white background will result in the invisibility of the data. Also, too large fonts will not be visible in small-sized cells.
  • Forgetting to Save Data: If users make changes to their Excel sheets, but forget to save the edits before closing the file, they will not see the changes after reopening the file. Enabling Auto-Recovery option in every 1 minute can save users from this situation. We also suggest users be a bit more mindful.
  • Filtering Option: Filtering is useful while working with Excel Workbook that helps users to separate only the required data from the entire spreadsheet. But if you are looking for data that is disappearing by the filter option, make sure to Disable Filter option first. For that, select Data tab >> click on Clear under Sort & Filter group.
  • Feature to Hide Data: Hiding an entire Row or Column is also possible in an Excel spreadsheet. If you think data of a row or column is disappeared from Excel file, check whether you have hidden it temporarily. You can find out this issue by searching for discrepancies in your rows and columns. In order to Unhide all data, use the visibility option of MS Excel.
  • Corruption In Excel File: When Excel file corrupted it can lead to lost data in excel in form of missing data cells. To recover back disappeared data from Excel spreadsheet you can try an inbuilt utility of MS Office. Before using utility you can check corruption in Excel File with manual tips.

Manual Tips: How to Recover Back Missing Data of Excel File

If these reasons are causing your data to disappear, you can fix them easily be the ways mentioned along with each cause. Otherwise, you can use these manual solutions.

Native Trick 1: If the problem is due to some installation problem of MS Excel or MS Office, you have to repair the installation.

a. Open Control Panel on the system.

b. Click on Programs and Applications to open the list of installed programs.

c. Choose MS Office and click on Change.

d. Choose Repair and wait when the MS office application installation gets repaired.

e. When it is done, open Excel file to see if the issue is resolved.

Native Trick 2: If you are getting this issue while using MS Excel, you can also try using any of the open-source Office suites.

a. Open the Excel file in question on MS Excel.

b. Press (CTRL + A) and then (CTRL + C) to copy all the contents of the entire worksheet.

c. Open any Open-source spreadsheet application on your system.

d. Press CTRL + V on this second application by putting your cursor on Cell A1.

e. All the copied data should be visible in the new spreadsheet application.

Recover Disappear Lost Data of Excel File – Automated Solution

If the above manual does not solve your issue regarding recovering lost data from Excel file, then try SysTools Excel Recovery Tool. The utility will resolve the corrupt and lost data problems of Excel workbook and make sure that data stops disappearing from the files.

a. First Download & Install Tool within System

Download

b. Browse the Desired Excel File or you can find the Excel file using Search and the different option of Add Excel File.

add Excel File

c. Now Repair Excel File Error and recover back missing data of Excel File

repair corrupt excel file

d. Now Preview Missing & Lost data in Excel Spreadsheet Cell and check whether the disappeared Excel data recover back or not.

Recover Disappear Data of Excel File

e. Save Recover File in the Desired location within the system.

recover & save data lost in excel sheet

Conclusion

Data disappearing from Excel files either due to changes in Excel file settings or due to corruption in Excel file. Microsoft Excel users need to careful while applying filters, function and saving Excel file. But if some corruption issue is responsible for missing data in Excel file then SysTools Excel Recovery Tool can be used to to recover lost data back in the Excel file without changing cell data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the various modes that this software offers?

SysTools Excel Repair Software offers 3 options to browse corrupted Excel file.
Add File(s): Through this you can add file or multiple files manually and repair them.
Add Folders: You can choose this option if the complete workbook is available.
Search in drive: If the user is unaware with the file location, then he or she can opt this option to repair the managed Excel files.

Q: Will this tool alter any property of the original file?

No, this utility is made with such strong algorithms that it will recover the same content and recover the file in the healthy state.

Q: What are the various preview options?

This tool offers various preview options. Few of them are mentioned below:
1. Zoom in or Zoom Out.
2. Multiple Workbooks
3. 2 Page View
4. Page Layout
5. Normal View and so on.

Q: Can I save my repaired Excel files?

Yes, you can easily save the recovered excel file once the process to repair damaged Excel file is completed. You can either save the file to your desired location or can also make a new folder.

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By Ashwani Tiwari

Being a Chief Technical Analyst, I am aware of the technicalities faced by the user while working with multiple technologies. So, through my blogs and articles, I love to help all the users who face various challenges while dealing with technology.