Excel: Text File Opens Blank or with Partial Data

 Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
Article ID: Q57395

SUMMARY

When you open a text file into Microsoft Excel, a blank worksheet may open, or only part of the file may appear. This will occur if the file contains an ASCII zero value. Excel uses an ASCII zero as its internal terminator. As soon as Excel encounters an ASCII zero when opening a text file, Excel stops reading the file.

To remove the ASCII zero value, do the following:

  1. Open the file in a program that can search and replace ASCII characters (for example, Microsoft Word).

  2. Replace all occurrences of ASCII zeros with nothing.

MORE INFORMATION

To remove ASCII zeros from a file using Word:

  1. From the Utilities menu, choose Change (in Word versions 3.00, 3.01, and 3.02, Change is located on the Search menu).

  2. In the Find What box, type ^0; that is, press SHIFT+6, then the 0 (zero) key.

  3. Leave the Change To box empty.

  4. Click Change All.

  5. Save the file as Text Only and reopen it into Excel.

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Additional reference words: 2.20

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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
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