AI file troubleshooting

Excel verification guide

AI got your Excel numbers wrong? Check these first

An unexpected number can come from the wrong sheet, a saved result, a formatting assumption or a mistake in the answer. Start with one important value and compare it with the workbook before changing anything.

Short answer

Confirm the intended sheet and range, then check the original value, any relevant formula and its displayed unit or scale in your spreadsheet application. A local workbook check can show supported saved structure and help you choose one verification step. It cannot recalculate formulas or decide that an AI answer is correct.

Confirm the sheet and range

Open the workbook in your spreadsheet application and identify the sheet and records your question should cover. A total on a summary sheet may serve a different purpose from a total in a detailed table. Check which heading, period and subset the question refers to.

If there are hidden sheets, rows or columns, decide whether any are relevant to your question. Hidden content is not automatically content you should share. Do not expose information you did not intend to disclose just to make the next prompt more complete.

The workbook checker can report supported saved worksheet order and visibility, along with declared ranges. Those facts do not establish which records an AI used.

Separate a formula from its saved result

A saved formula and a saved result are different pieces of workbook data. Inspect the relevant formula and its result in your spreadsheet application. A saved result may be absent, empty or present; its presence does not establish that it is current or correct.

The local checker reports supported stored representations. It does not evaluate formulas, refresh data or repair an error. If a relevant cell is stored as an error, inspect it before relying on an answer derived from it. If a result depends on another workbook, verify it with the trusted owner or in your own application. Do not enable or refresh links you do not trust.

Check units, dates and number formatting

Compare the saved value with what the spreadsheet application displays. Read the nearby heading or note that establishes the unit and scale. A format declaration is not proof of the intended meaning.

For example, verify whether a number is expressed in units, thousands or millions, and whether a percentage or date is being interpreted as intended. The checker can report supported format declarations; it does not convert raw values into displayed values or infer the correct unit for your question.

Formula-storage and number-format references checked: September 18, 2026.

Work through one value

Synthetic example — not your workbook

In this invented example, the AI answer reports total revenue of $2,500,000. The intended worksheet shows $250,000, and its heading says the values are in dollars, not thousands.

The reported answer is ten times the worksheet value. That comparison alone does not identify the cause. Check that both refer to the same period and records, then inspect the relevant formula or total in your spreadsheet application. If the heading instead used another unit or scale, you would need to account for that before making the comparison.

Before You Retry does not perform this AI-answer comparison for you. The example shows a manual verification task, not a checker finding or a measured recovery result.

Use the local workbook check

Choose one unencrypted .xlsx file, up to 10 MiB and 20 worksheets. Other inspection limits apply. Legacy .xls, CSV and macro-enabled workbooks are not supported by this check. Your file stays in your browser and the original remains unchanged.

After selecting the file, choose the closest symptom or leave “I'm not sure,” then select “Check this workbook.” The check reports supported saved facts such as worksheet visibility, stored formulas and results, stored errors, number-format declarations, declared tables and merged ranges, and supported external-workbook declarations. It offers one practical verification action.

Open the instructions and perform that step in your own application. The checker does not interpret charts, certify workbook correctness or know what an AI saw. You can use manual guidance without selecting a file.

Check an Excel workbook

Retry only after checking the relevant point

Make the intended sheet, range and unit clear in your next question. Compare the next answer with one important source value before relying on it. If the result still differs or the source is unclear, keep that point unresolved rather than guessing.

If you save a revised copy in your spreadsheet application, you may select it for another local check. That is a fresh inspection of the selected file, not an automatic before-and-after comparison or proof of improvement. You choose whether and what to share with an external AI tool.

Before relying on the next answer

  • Confirm the intended sheet, range and records.
  • Check one important value, its relevant formula and its unit or scale in your spreadsheet application.
  • Review relevant hidden content, stored errors or linked results without disclosing or refreshing information you do not trust.
  • Keep unresolved differences explicit. A completed local check does not guarantee a correct AI answer.

Choose one next step

Use the workbook checker to inspect supported saved facts and get a practical verification action. You can start without reading this guide again.

Check an Excel workbook