Saved Excel files open as blank workbooks

I would like to say hi!

Sometimes a user’s saved workbook or document is empty when they access it.
When Excel’s settings are modified, usually unintentionally, to disregard external programs, this problem frequently results.
Try the recommendations listed below to discover how to resolve this problem.

Uncheck “Ignore DDE” option

  1. Open Excel.
  2. Click the File tab on the Ribbon, then select Options from the left navigation window.
  3. After selecting Advanced, look for the General section.
  4. Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) by unchecking the option.
  5. Select Ok.

Disable hardware graphics acceleration in Excel

Due to hardware acceleration for the graphics card in the computer, Excel occasionally has difficulty opening an Excel file and showing the data.
The procedures listed below can be used to turn off hardware graphics acceleration in Excel.

  1. Open Excel.
  2. Click the File tab on the Ribbon, then select Options from the left navigation window.
  3. After selecting Advanced, look for the Display section.
  4. Disable hardware graphics acceleration by checking the option.
  5. Select Ok.

Reset the associations for Excel files

  1. Select the Settings option from the Start menu.
  2. Select the System menu item or icon.
  3. Type default apps in the Find a setting search window at the top and select the Default apps option from the list of search results.
  4. To find and choose the Reset button, scroll down.

The aforementioned actions reset Microsoft program default file associations.
If you wish to choose or modify file associations manually, use the option labeled Choose a default app by file type or something similar in the search results in step #3 above.
After that, you may link Microsoft Excel to the different Excel file formats.

Deactivate add-ins

Add-ins for Microsoft Excel can add new features and capabilities.
These add-ins can occasionally make it difficult to access Excel spreadsheet files.
These add-ins can be disabled to resolve the problem of Excel files opening as blank workbooks.

  1. Open Excel.
  2. Click the File tab on the Ribbon, then select Options from the left navigation window.
  3. On the left side of the Options box, click Add-ins.
  4. Choose COM Add-ins from the Manage drop-down list at the bottom, then click Go.
  5. Click Ok after unchecking the box next to an add-in that is presently enabled.
  6. Open the Excel file once more after closing Excel.
  7. Repeat steps 2 to 6, this time unchecking the option for a different COM add-in in step 5, if the issue is still not resolved.
    Repeat as necessary until the problem is resolved or all COM add-ins are unchecked.
  8. After turning off all COM add-ins, if the issue still persists, repeat steps 2 through 6, but choose Excel Add-ins in step 4.
    Until the problem is resolved or all Excel add-ins have been deactivated, uncheck the box for one enabled add-in, test, and repeat.

Microsoft Office repair

You might need to fix the Microsoft Office program, notably the Excel program if it’s not operating properly.
To fix Microsoft Office, adhere to the following instructions.

  1. Open Windows’ Control Panel.
  2. Select Programs and Features by clicking it.
  3. Choose Microsoft Office from the list of applications, then, above the list of programs, click Repair.
    For Microsoft Office 365, you must first click the Change button above the list of applications, then choose Online Repair from the menu on the next page, and then choose Repair.
  4. Select the Continue option or button when offered.
  5. Give the repair procedure at least a few minutes to complete.
    A tiny window with a progress bar showing the state of the repair should be shown.