Microsoft Excel application designs spreadsheets, tables and documents. Data can be entered in several ways to create formulas and charts formatted in varying sizes, colors and layouts. With the freedom to format and customize data, spreadsheets and documents are simple to create and design. However, changing some file properties and formatting options may occasionally cause data to disappear.
Excel offers different spreadsheet, basic text and Web page file formats to save your work. Often, saving a spreadsheet in a different format can lead to missing data. Because basic text formats display only text and values, changing the format of a spreadsheet to a text makes all calculations and other data disappear. If the spreadsheet format must be changed, create ample room for the columns and rows are spacious and remove all calculations. If a spreadsheet is being shared on multiple computers, saving the file in “Compatibility Mode” will prevent data from being lost if the file is opened with a different version of Excel.
When cells are merged in an Excel document, two or more cells are combined, making one large cell. For example, merging cells along the top of the sheet to insert a title makes a document easier to read and allows the text to fit correctly on the page. However, when cells are merged, the text from the top left cell is displayed and all other text is deleted. If other cells are populated with data when they were merged, the data is erased and disappears. Cells can be unmerged, but the data in the other cells won't reappear.
Whenever new data is entered in an Excel file, the work must be saved before closing or any updated information won't appear in the spreadsheet. Unfortunately, if the power goes out or you accidentally choose “No” when Excel prompts you to save the file, entered but unsaved data disappears from the spreadsheet. Turning on the AutoSave or AutoRecover feature can help recover some data. This feature periodically saves entered data without being prompted. The interval for this feature can be changed in the settings, but a lower number may slow down the program.
Excel has several formatting features to make documents and charts simple to create and understand. Cells can be customized to display different sizes and colors, while the text can also be changed to display different colors, sizes and calculations. While all of these options are helpful, you can change data by mistake, and adjusting the color, size or calculation of entered data may cause the text to disappear. Although the information may still exist in the cell, white text will not display in a white cell, large text won't appear in a very small cell and a calculation that doesn't make sense will display only errors.
- Microsoft Office: Excel 2010
- Microsoft Office: File Formats That Are Supported in Excel
- Microsoft Office: Use Office Excel 2010 With Earlier Versions of Excel
- Microsoft Office: Merge and Unmerge Cells
- Microsoft Office: Turn on AutoRecover and AutoSave to Protect Your Files in Case of a Crash
- Microsoft Office: Add, Change, Find or Clear Conditional Formats