Excel repair strips all formulas from file .xlsm

Luxsparks 0 Reputation points
2026-08-05T13:42:25.1166667+00:00

Every time I open the file — on Excel for Mac — the repair engine triggers and strips Marcos and VBA from the file. There is no way to bypass the repair.

<recoveryLog xmlns__="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/spreadsheetml/2006/main"><logFileName>Repair Result to Lux Accounts Ver 41.xml</logFileName><summary>Errors were detected in file ’/Users/home/Documents/xxx/Accounts System 2022/Area to see copy/xxxxxxxxxxVer 4.xlsm’</summary><removedParts__ summary__="Following is a list of removed parts:"><removedPart>Removed Part: /xl/vbaProject.bin part.  (Visual Basic for Applications (VBA))</removedPart></removedParts></recoveryLog>__

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | MacOS
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  1. Jayden-P 2,440 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-05T14:14:47.8133333+00:00

    Hi @Luxsparks

    Based on the repair log, Excel for Mac is detecting an issue with the workbook's VBA project and is automatically removing the vbaProject.bin component during file recovery:

    To help narrow down the cause, could you confirm a few details:

    • Was the workbook originally created on Mac or Windows?
    • Has the file recently been opened or edited on a different platform/version of Excel?
    • Is the file stored on OneDrive, SharePoint, a network drive, or another synced location?
    • Were there any recent changes to VBA components such as module names, UserForm names, class names, or project names?

    In the VBA project, does it contain special or non-ASCII characters (for example: ä, ö, ü, é, ñ, special characters, etc.) in module names, UserForm names, class names, or the VBA project name itself?

    If possible, please also test the workbook in Excel for Windows. If Windows Excel opens the file without removing the VBA project, that would help determine whether this is a Mac-specific compatibility issue rather than corruption of the VBA project itself. Also, please provide your Excel version.

    I look forward for your response.

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  2. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 437.7K Reputation points
    2026-08-05T16:31:08.4933333+00:00

    Have you taken a look at Excel> Preferences >Security – Macro Security?

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