Always work on a copy, not the original Before opening, renaming, or editing anything: copy your file to a safe location (a separate folder, a USB drive, or cloud storage). If an edit goes wrong, the copy is your only way back. Never make changes to your only version of the file. As you make edits, save incremental copies of each XML file you change (sharedStrings-v1.xml, sharedStrings-v2.xml) so you can step back to any point.

What a Healthy sharedStrings.xml Looks Like

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<sst xmlns="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/spreadsheetml/2006/main"
     count="22" uniqueCount="18">
  <si><t>Product</t></si>    <!-- index 0 -->
  <si><t>Region</t></si>     <!-- index 1 -->
  <si><t>Q1 Revenue</t></si> <!-- index 2 -->
  <si><t>Widget A</t></si>   <!-- index 3 -->
  <!-- ... -->
</sst>

count = total number of string references across the whole workbook (the same string in 10 cells counts 10 times).
uniqueCount = number of actual <si> entries in this file.

📄
CLEAN-sample-workbook.xlsx Clean Reference
A valid XLSX workbook — open, unzip, and inspect this file as a working reference while following the examples above.
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Type 1

count / uniqueCount Mismatch

The count and uniqueCount attributes on <sst> must accurately reflect the file's contents. When they don't, Excel will repair and may discard string data it cannot reconcile.

Excel error message 
Repaired Records: String properties from /xl/sharedStrings.xml part
<!-- CORRUPT: count says 999 but only 4 entries exist -->
<sst count="999" uniqueCount="999">   <!-- ← wrong values -->
  <si><t>Product</t></si>
  <si><t>Region</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget A</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget B</t></si>
</sst>

Fix: Count the actual <si> entries and update uniqueCount to match. For count, setting it equal to uniqueCount is safe — Excel recalculates the true value on next save.

<!-- Fixed -->
<sst count="4" uniqueCount="4">
  <si><t>Product</t></si>
  <si><t>Region</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget A</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget B</t></si>
</sst>
📄
CORRUPT-sharedstrings-count-mismatch.xlsx Corrupt Example
count and uniqueCount are both set to 999, but only 4 string entries exist. Excel reports a "Repaired Records" warning on open.
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Type 2

Truncated File: Mid-Save Crash

The most common result of a crash during save. The file ends in the middle of a string entry, leaving unclosed tags.

Excel error message 
Removed Part: /xl/sharedStrings.xml part with XML error. (Strings)
Unexpected end of input. Line 12, Column 18.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<sst count="18" uniqueCount="18">
  <si><t>Product</t></si>
  <si><t>Region</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget A</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget B</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget C</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget D</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget          <!-- ← CORRUPT: file ends here, mid-word -->

Fix, Option 1: If you can reconstruct the missing strings from the data, add them back and close all open tags.

Fix, Option 2: Delete all incomplete <si> entries, close the </sst> tag, and update count and uniqueCount to reflect only the complete entries. You'll lose values in cells that referenced the deleted entries, but the file will open.

<!-- Fixed with Option 2 — keeping only complete entries -->
<sst count="8" uniqueCount="8">
  <si><t>Product</t></si>
  <si><t>Region</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget A</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget B</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget C</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget D</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget E</t></si>
  <si><t>Widget F</t></si>
</sst>
📄
CORRUPT-sharedstrings-truncated.xlsx Corrupt Example
Simulates a mid-save crash — the file ends partway through a string entry, leaving unclosed tags. Excel reports an XML error with a line number.
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Type 3

Unescaped Special Characters

XML requires that certain characters inside tag content be escaped. The most common offenders are &, <, and >. When they appear unescaped, the XML parser cannot tell where a tag ends.

Excel error message 
Removed Part: /xl/sharedStrings.xml part with XML error. (Strings)
<!-- CORRUPT: unescaped & and > -->
<si><t>Revenue > Costs</t></si>    <!-- ← > must be &gt; -->
<si><t>Price & Volume</t></si>     <!-- ← & must be &amp; -->
<!-- Fixed -->
<si><t>Revenue &gt; Costs</t></si>
<si><t>Price &amp; Volume</t></si>

Full escape reference:

CharacterEscaped form
&&amp;
<&lt;
>&gt;
"&quot;
'&apos;
📄
CORRUPT-sharedstrings-unescaped-chars.xlsx Corrupt Example
String entries contain bare & and > characters that should be escaped as &amp; and &gt;. Causes an XML parse error on open.
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Checklist: How to Check sharedStrings.xml in Your File

  • Rename your XLSX to .zip, navigate to the xl folder, copy sharedStrings.xml to your Desktop
  • Open in VS Code (with the Red Hat XML extension) and press Shift+Alt+F to format
  • Check the count and uniqueCount on the opening <sst> line
  • Scroll to the very end of the file — the last two lines should be </si> then </sst>
  • If VS Code shows red underlines anywhere, you have found the corruption
  • Use Ctrl+G to jump to a specific line if the Excel error message gave you a line number
The line number Excel reports is your starting point When Excel says "Unexpected end of input. Line 12, Column 18" — open the file in VS Code, press Ctrl+G, type 12, and jump straight to the problem.