How to Recover an Excel File Accidentally Saved in WordPad Format
Question details
The user accidentally saved an Excel workbook in an incompatible text format like WordPad, causing the spreadsheet to become unreadable or display gibberish.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to open or retrieve data from an XLSX file that was mistakenly overwritten or saved as a WordPad or plain text file.
- Observed behavior
- Excel is unable to open the file correctly, and the contents may display as unreadable characters instead of structured spreadsheet data.
Before attempting recovery, copy the problematic file to a new folder so you do not accidentally overwrite or further corrupt the remaining data during troubleshooting.
Inspect the File and Extract Raw Data Using WordPad
Open the corrupted spreadsheet file using a text editor to determine if the underlying text data is still intact and can be copied manually.
If an XLSX file is saved in a rich text format, the spreadsheet structure is broken, but the raw text values often remain. By opening the file in a basic text editor, you can visually inspect the contents and extract salvageable data.
Right-click the broken Excel file, select 'Open with', and choose 'WordPad' or 'Notepad' from the list of applications.
Scroll through the document, looking past any gibberish or formatting code at the beginning, to identify your actual data values.
Highlight the readable text, right-click and select 'Copy'. Paste this text into a brand-new, blank Excel workbook.
In the new Excel workbook, highlight the pasted text, navigate to the 'Data' tab, and click 'Text to Columns' to separate your data back into individual cells.
Restore a Previous Version via Windows
If the original file was overwritten with the WordPad format, check Windows File History or cloud backups for an older version.
Use WPS Spreadsheet to Safely Manage Excel Formats
WPS Office Spreadsheet provides excellent compatibility with Microsoft Excel formats and includes robust built-in auto-backup features to prevent accidental file corruption or data loss.
- 1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and launch WPS Spreadsheet.
- 2. Enable Auto Backup: Click on the 'Menu' button, select 'Options', navigate to 'General and Save', and ensure 'Auto backup' is turned on.
- 3. Recover Lost Files: If you ever save a file incorrectly, go to 'Menu' > 'Backup and Recovery' > 'Auto Backup' to locate securely saved working versions of your spreadsheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Excel file show unreadable characters when opened?
This usually happens when the file extension does not match its actual encoding format. For example, if a WordPad document or rich text file is manually renamed to end in .xlsx, Excel tries to read it as a compressed XML package, resulting in garbled text.
Can I simply change the file extension back to .xlsx to fix it?
No, simply renaming the file extension from .txt or .rtf to .xlsx will not convert the underlying data structure. You need to open the file in a compatible text program, copy the data into a spreadsheet application, and use the 'Save As' function to correctly encode it as an Excel Workbook.
How can I prevent saving Excel files in the wrong format?
Always use the 'Save As' dialogue within your spreadsheet software instead of copying data into other programs. Ensure the 'Save as type' dropdown is explicitly set to 'Excel Workbook (*.xlsx)' rather than a text, CSV, or WordPad-compatible format unless specifically required.
