Fix Corrupted Accented Characters in Excel VBA on Mac
Question details
Users experience corruption of French accents in VBA strings when saving XLSM files via SharePoint and opening them in Excel for Mac, resulting in the removal of the vbaProject.bin file.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel for Mac
- Device & OS
- Mac
- Scenario
- Saving an XLSM file containing accented characters in VBA scripts to SharePoint, and subsequently opening it on a Mac.
- Observed behavior
- Excel attempts to repair the file upon opening, but ultimately removes the vbaProject.bin file, permanently breaking the macros.
Before applying any workarounds, ensure you have a secure local backup of your original XLSM file containing the intact VBA project to prevent permanent loss of your macro code.
Disable AutoSave in Excel Preferences (Temporary Workaround)
Disabling AutoSave prevents Excel from automatically syncing the broken VBA strings to SharePoint, preserving your macros while the bug is investigated by Microsoft.
This issue is a known behavior where SharePoint synchronization on Mac mishandles the encoding of accented characters in VBA modules. By turning off AutoSave by default, you force the file to save locally first, bypassing the real-time sync mechanism that triggers the corruption.
Launch Microsoft Excel on your Mac. Click on the 'Excel' menu in the top Apple menu bar and select 'Preferences'.
In the Preferences window, click on the 'Save' icon located under the Sharing and Privacy section.
Locate the checkbox labeled 'Turn on AutoSave by default' and clear it. This will prevent files from automatically syncing to SharePoint or OneDrive upon opening.
Save your XLSM files to a local directory on your Mac. Only upload the finalized version to SharePoint manually via a web browser to avoid real-time sync corruption.
Try WPS Office for Reliable Spreadsheet and Macro Editing
If you are experiencing frustrating SharePoint sync bugs and VBA corruption with Microsoft Excel for Mac, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a highly compatible, lightweight, and free alternative that handles complex spreadsheets without forced sync issues.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website to download and install the free WPS Office suite for Mac.
- 2. Open Your XLSM File: Launch WPS Spreadsheets, click on Open, and select your local Excel macro-enabled workbook.
- 3. Edit Without Sync Issues: Edit your spreadsheets locally and securely without worrying about forced cloud synchronization corrupting your files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my XLSM file show a 'vbaProject.bin removed' error on Mac?
This error occurs when Excel detects corruption in the VBA project, often caused by encoding issues with accented characters when syncing via SharePoint on a Mac. To allow the workbook to open without crashing, Excel removes the corrupted VBA project file entirely.
Can I recover the deleted VBA macros after Excel repairs the file?
No. Once Excel removes the vbaProject.bin file during its automated repair process, the macros cannot be recovered from that specific file. You must restore your VBA code from a previous uncorrupted local backup.
Does this corrupted accented character issue affect Excel for Windows?
No, this specific bug involving corrupted accented characters (like French accents) during SharePoint sync primarily affects Excel for Mac users. Windows versions of Excel typically handle these encodings correctly when syncing with SharePoint.
