Forum Discussion
JVS1
Feb 21, 2026Copper Contributor
Excel workbooks keep breaking
Hi All, Sorry if this is not the right place to ask, I'm new here. Since a couple of days, my Excel workbooks keep breaking. When opening specific files, Excel states the file needs to be repaired....
JKPieterse
Mar 11, 2026Silver Contributor
This sometimes starts happening with workbooks with a long editing history. I would start with checking the range names (Formula tab, Name Manager). Anything there that you don't need you should get rid of. Also, on the Home tab, click the Cell Styles drop-down. Does it show many styles in the "Custom" category?
To resolve this it is advised to try to create a fresh workbook. Open a new blank file and insert as many worksheets as your old one has. Name them exactly the same. Now copy the used area from each tab in the original and do a Paste Special, Formulas into the associated tab of the new file.
Of course any special items need to be rebuilt, such as tables, charts, pivot tables etcetera.