Error Message in Excel 'File Error: Data May Have Been Lost'

Received the following error message, while I opening an important Excel file;
'File Error: Data May Have Been Lost'

Seems that the file has been corrupted or damaged. How can I regain my data back?

The error message that you have been experiencing occurs in the case when you try to open an excel sheet in higher version of MS Excel while it was created in some earlier version of MS Excel. Consequently, the Excel sheet comes up with an error that means the file objects, such as charts, images, etc. might not be accessible. The other cause for the above-mentioned error message may be a damaged Excel file.

The reasons can be any. Your Microsoft Excel file can get damaged or corrupt due to the following circumstances:

• Virus attack
• Abrupt system shutdown
• Operating System corruption
• Human error

However, there are always ways out to resolve any error that occurred. You can follow these steps to repair the excel sheet:

• Use the same version of MS Excel to open the excel sheet in which it was created
• If the issue does not get resolved then use the 'Open and Repair' feature to open the excel sheet. 'Open and Repair' feature of the Microsoft Excel is an inbuilt tool that opens and repairs the damaged excel sheet automatically.

In case the 'Open and Repair' feature fails to fix the issue then you should use an updated backup to restore the file. However, if you do not have any updated backup then you should use Stellar Repair for Excel tool to repair the excel sheet. This software efficiently repairs the damaged Excel sheet and restores its various features such as tables, charts, formulas, clip arts, cell comments, etc.