When Opening an Excel File It Is Blank: How to Fix It?

Microsoft provides Excel to manage tons of data in an organized way. In Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 data is saved in a table containing multiple rows and columns. Additionally, one can also perform the calculation, visualization, analysis of the data and information. In spite of being one of the most efficient programs, some flaws are also associated with it. One of the most common issues faced by Microsoft Excel users is ‘when opening an Excel file it is blank’. No data is present in it. The situation becomes complicated when a user is not able to view and access the data present in the file. Now, the question arises, how to fix Excel file issue? One can eliminate ‘opening an Excel file, it is blank’ issue by implementing the workarounds explained in the below-mentioned section.

When Opening an Excel File, It Is Blank – Methods to Resolve Issue

In this section, we are going to discuss some methods using which the user can resolve the ‘Excel file is blank’ issue in Microsoft Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 etc.

Method 1: Uncheck the Ignore DDE option

In Windows, when a user double-clicks on an Excel workbook then a Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) message is sent to the Excel application. Basically, this message instructs it to open that Excel file. Sometimes, this DDE message is set to be ‘ignored’ by Excel due to which the file does not open on double-clicking. So, the user must check the DDE option settings and uncheck the ‘ignore DDE’ option is it is checked. To uncheck Ignore DDE option, one has to follow the steps explained below:

• In Microsoft Excel, you need to click on File > Options

• Now, you have to click on Advanced and then locate the General section

• In the General Section, click on the Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) option and then click OK

Method 2: Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration for Excel File

Sometimes, graphics card of the system misbehaves due to messed up hardware acceleration, this can cause Excel file unexpected issues. Mostly, this situation occurs when the user is using graphics such as advanced charts in Excel sheets. To fix it ‘When opening an Excel file it is blank, one has to turn off the hardware acceleration for MS Excel 2013, 2016 etc. by following the procedure mentioned below:

• Open Microsoft Excel > File > Options

• Click on Advanced Settings and navigate to the Display section

• Now, you have to check the box next to the Disable hardware graphics acceleration option and click on the OK button

Method 3: Reset Excel Workbook File Associations

One should also verify that the file associations of the system are performing correctly or not. If not then reset the settings that are affecting the performance on Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007. To reset the setting, you need to follow the steps explained below:

1. First of all, open Control Panel and then go to Default Programs

For Windows 10

• Click on the Reset button which is present on the bottom right side

For Windows 8

• Click on Set your default programs
• Now, select Excel and click Choose default for this program
• In the Set Program Association windows, you need to click on Select all and then click on the Save button

For Windows Vista and 7

• Click on Set your default programs
• In the Programs list, select Excel and then click on Choose defaults for this program option
• In the Set Program Association windows, click on the Select All
• Finally, click on the Save button

Still, Issue Not Resolved? Switch to Smart Approach

When Opening an Excel File It is Blank – Quick Alternate Fix

After implementing the above-explained workaround, if the Excel file is not responding or not showing any progress in the issue, then there is a chance that the Excel file is corrupt. Now, to eliminate the issue the user has to repair the Excel file by opting an automated solution. The user can make use of a reliable utility that is Excel Recovery software. With this utility, one can easily recover data from corrupt Excel File (spreadsheet). Moreover, the user can recover data from any Excel file irrespective of the Excel version as the software supports MS Office 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007. The software is capable to recover and preview Excel data objects such as images, graphical charts, pivot table without any data loss issues.

Final Words

When any type of error encounters while working then the situation becomes frustrating for the user. One of the common problem faced by Microsoft Excel 2019, 2016, 2010, 2007 users is ‘when opening an Excel file it is blank’ issue. Due to such error the user is not able to access his/her data present in the Excel workbook. Thus, in the above section, we have explained different methods using which one can troubleshoot Microsoft Excel 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 spreadsheet issue in a hassle-free way.