the file format or file extension is not valid. verify that the file has not been corrupted

anaskhan3459 Does the extension still shows .xls or .xlsx?

anaskhan3459 

When you see the error message "the file format or extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and that the file extension matches the format of the file" after recovering files, it typically indicates that the files may have been corrupted during the recovery process. Here’s what you can try to resolve maybe the issue:

1. Verify File Extension

• Ensure that the file has the correct extension (e.g., .xlsx for Excel files). Sometimes, recovery tools might save files with the wrong extension.

2. Try Opening the File in Different Applications

• Excel Online: Upload the file to OneDrive and try opening it using Excel Online. Sometimes, Excel Online can open files that the desktop version cannot.
• Google Sheets: Upload the file to Google Drive and try opening it with Google Sheets. Google Sheets sometimes manages to open slightly corrupted files.
• Libre Office Calc: Libre Office can sometimes open files that Excel cannot.

3. Attempt to Repair the File in Excel

• Open Excel.
• Go to File > Open.
• Browse to the location of the corrupted file.
• Select the file, but instead of clicking "Open", click the arrow next to the "Open" button and choose "Open and Repair".
• Choose "Repair" when prompted. If repair fails, try "Extract Data".

4. Check for Hidden Temporary Files

• Sometimes, temporary versions of your files might be available. Check the same directory as the corrupted file for any hidden or temporary files (they often have names like ~$filename.xlsx).

5. Use File Recovery Tools

• If the initial recovery process damaged the file, using another recovery tool might help. Tools like Re cuva or Ease US Data Recovery can sometimes recover files in a better state.
• Make sure you save recovered files to a different drive or storage device to avoid overwriting.

6. Use a Hex Editor

• If you have experience with hex editors, you can open the file in a hex editor (like HxD) to see if the file header appears normal. An Excel file typically starts with the following characters: PK (indicating it’s a ZIP archive). If the file header is scrambled, it’s likely that the file is irreparably corrupted.

7. Restore from Backup

• If you have a backup of your files (e.g., in OneDrive, another cloud service, or a local backup), restore the file from there.

8. Professional File Recovery Services

• If the data is extremely important, you might consider using a professional data recovery service. They can sometimes recover files that software tools cannot.

9. Rename the File

• Sometimes, simply renaming the file and changing the extension back to .xlsx or .xls might work if the extension was incorrectly set during recovery.

If these steps do not help, it’s likely that the file was corrupted during the recovery process, and you may need to try recovering the file again or restore it from another backup.

In the end, however, without more information (click on the link) about your specific situation, it's difficult to say for sure that steps will solve the problem. Try changing the steps as suggested and see if that fixes the problem. The text was created with the help of AI.

My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

Hope this will help you.

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