Version 2509 of Microsoft Excel cannot open a workbook with a simple sum subtotal in pivot table.

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Version 2509 of Microsoft Excel cannot open a workbook with a simple sum subtotal in pivot table.

Balangan1970 0

Hi. I have an Excel workbook template that has worked for year across all versions and updates to Excel. This template will not open correctly when using any build of Excel Version 2509. An error occurs that says, “We found a problem with some content in…” and if you select Yes then the existing workbook is opened and a pivot table in the template is deleted. If you select No the workbook will not open. I have isolated and reproduced the problem to the addition of a simple SUM subtotal in a pivot table. The steps to reproduce this error are:

Select “Data” menu and then “Refresh All”.
Select Cell E5 “Origin” on the “PIVOT” worksheet.
Right click and select “Field Settings”.
Select “Custom” and then “Sum” and then “OK”.
This adds the sum totals for each origin at the bottom of the pivot table.
Save the workbook with a different name and try to reopen it.
Using Version 2509 of Excel will give an error when opening the workbook.
Version 2508 (and earlier) of Excel will open the workbook correctly.

It doesn’t get much simpler than this when dealing with a pivot table, i.e. adding a sum subtotal. This happens in all releases of Excel version 2509, but not in any previous version such as 2508 and earlier. I can provide the example workbook if needed but cannot paste it into this Q&A as Excel file types are not allowed. See the screenshots below. Happy to provide the workbook on request.

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Answer 1

Balangan1970 0

Hello Liora. I can confirm today that the problem has been fixed in Microsoft 365 Excel Version 2509 Build 19231.20216 that was just released to the Current Channel. That build and the latest Insider Preview build now work as expected. Thanks.

Liora D 13,960 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-24T11:05:51.1733333+00:00

Hi Balangan,

Thank you so much for coming back to share the update and confirm that the issue has been resolved in the latest build of Excel Version 2509. That’s truly great news!

Your proactive follow-up is incredibly valuable, not only does it help close the loop on this thread, but it also provides clarity and reassurance to other users who may be facing the same issue. I sincerely hope that those affected will see your comment and benefit from the fix now available in the Current Channel.

We greatly appreciate your contribution to the community. Your detailed reporting and confirmation of the resolution highlight the importance of user feedback in helping Microsoft improve its products.

If you have any further questions or insights, feel free to share. I’ll continue to monitor this thread and update it if any new developments arise.
Balangan1970 0 Reputation points

2025-11-05T02:49:32.58+00:00
Unbelievably, the same problem has again reappeared in Microsoft 365 Excel Version 2510 Build 19328.20158 and Version 2510 Build 19328.20178 in the Current Channel.

It was fixed in Version 2509 Build 19231.20216.

The only solution as of 5 November 2025 is to downgrade to that version, as follows:

Close all open windows, including all office apps like Outlook, Word and Excel etc

Right click the Windows Start button and select “Terminal (Admin)” or “Windows PowerShell (Admin)”. It must be the Administrator versions.

Issue the first command "CMD" to change from Windows PowerShell to the Windows Command Prompt if needed.

Issue the second command to downgrade to Build 19231.20216.

Then Disable Updates in Excel to prevent automatic updating to the latest version in the Current Channel that again contains the original pivot table problem.
CMD "C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.19231.20216
Liora D 13,960 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-05T10:28:44.09+00:00

Hi Balangan,

Thank you so much for coming back and sharing this important update. I really appreciate the detailed steps you provided for downgrading, it’s extremely helpful for others who might encounter the same issue.
msft-val 0 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2025-11-14T20:11:23.5333333+00:00
Hi Balangan,

Thank you for your feedback. To help us investigate further, could you please submit your feedback from within Excel and include a sample workbook that reproduces the problem? This would be very helpful to our team. To do this, go to Help > Feedback > Report a problem > Upload files.

For reference, please mention the same title in your feedback submission: "Version 2509 of Microsoft Excel cannot open a workbook with a simple sum subtotal in pivot table".

This will help us track and address your concern more efficiently. Thank you!

Microsoft Excel Team
Balangan1970 0 Reputation points

2025-11-14T22:53:02.55+00:00

Thank you. I have uploaded an example workbook as per above that contains data and instructions on how to recreate the error.
msft-val 0 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2025-11-18T19:17:01.1633333+00:00
Hi Balangan,

Thank you for sharing the sample workbook, it was very helpful in diagnosing the issue.

We’re happy to let you know that a fix has been deployed. To ensure you receive the fix, please restart your Excel. If the issue persists after restarting, let us know so we can assist further.

We appreciate your help in improving Excel!

Microsoft Excel Team

Answer 2

Hi @Balangan1970,

Thank you again for your detailed report and for your patience throughout this process. I’ve spent time researching the issue and testing multiple approaches, including those commonly recommended in the community. After careful investigation, it appears that this is a limitation introduced in Excel Version 2509, specifically when working with Pivot Tables that include a SUM subtotal and are saved in format..xlsb

The issue seems to stem from how Excel 2509 handles the internal structure of Pivot Tables in binary workbooks. When reopening the file, Excel fails to properly read the Pivot Table metadata, resulting in either a deletion of the Pivot Table or a failure to open the file. This behavior does not occur in Version 2508 or earlier, which confirms that the problem is specific to the newer build.

Although I’ve made every effort to find a workaround, I regret to inform you that the results on my end are consistent with yours, the Pivot Table is removed when reopening the file in Excel 2509. I truly wish I could offer a direct fix, but at this time, the best course of action is to report the issue to Microsoft so it can be addressed in a future update.

If you are an admin, you can report this issue directly to Microsoft so they can investigate and potentially include it in a future update.

User's image

Alternatively, you can send feedback directly from Excel: File > Feedback

User's image

Include a brief description and attach the affected file if possible.

To avoid disruption to your work, I recommend reverting to Excel Version 2508. Here's how:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Run the following command: cd %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.16227.20258

Wait for the rollback to complete, then restart Excel.

For full instructions, you can refer to Microsoft’s official guide here: How to revert to an earlier version of Office

I also want to thank you for your clear and thorough description, it has been extremely helpful in reproducing and understanding the issue. In fact, I’ve seen a few similar reports from other users, which suggests this may be affecting more people.

If you found this information helpful and feel it clarifies the issue, you might consider marking this as the Accepted Answer. This will help other users discover the workaround more easily and encourage more feedback to Microsoft, which can accelerate a fix.

I’ll continue to monitor this issue and update this thread if any new developments or fixes become available. If you have any further questions or updates, feel free to reach out.

Best regards,

Liora

Balangan1970 0 Reputation points

2025-10-14T20:59:26.4+00:00

Hi Liora. Thanks for investigating this. The issue is not limited to Excel format XLSB, the same problem occurs if the file type is XLSX too. Microsoft needs to move fast to fix this problem because I personally know it's effecting enterprise level Excel templates in use across a global end-user base. To have such a basic use case for a pivot table destroy 20+ years of backward compatibility and then make its way into the stable Current Channel is an utter disgrace.
Liora D 13,960 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-15T14:44:47.7933333+00:00

Hi @Balangan1970,

Thank you again for your detailed follow-up. I truly appreciate you clarifying that the issue affects both .xlsx and .xlsb formats, that’s an important detail and adds valuable context to the investigation.

From what you've described and based on my own testing, it’s clear that this behavior in Excel Version 2509 is more than a minor glitch.

While I can’t speak directly on behalf of the product team, I do believe that regressions affecting core functionality and backward compatibility should be recognized and addressed with urgency. I agree with you that if left unresolved, this issue could significantly hinder productivity for users and organizations that rely on Excel for critical workflows.

I’ll continue monitoring this issue and will update this thread if any new developments or workarounds become available. If you submit feedback or open a support ticket, feel free to share the case number here, I’ll do my best to help track progress and keep others informed.

Thank you again for raising awareness of this issue. Your input is not only helpful for troubleshooting but also contributes to improving the product for the wider Excel community.

Warm regards,

Liora.
Liora D 13,960 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-21T14:14:38.9233333+00:00

Hi @Balangan1970,

Just checking in one last time to see if you still need any assistance with this topic. I completely understand that things can get busy, so no worries at all if you haven’t had a chance to respond yet.

If the information shared earlier helpful with you, feel free to click "Accept Answer" to help others with similar questions. Otherwise, I’m still here and happy to support you whenever you're ready.

If you have any other questions in the future, please don’t hesitate to create a new thread, I and other moderators are always ready to help. We truly hope you have a smooth experience with Microsoft products and wish you continued success in your work.

Best regards,

Liora.

Answer 3

Dear Balangan1970

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Q&A and for providing such a detailed description of the issue you're experiencing with Excel Version 2509. I’ve attempted to reproduce the problem by following the steps you outlined, creating a Pivot Table, adding a SUM subtotal, saving the file as, and reopening it in Version 2509. However, I wasn’t able to replicate the exact behavior where the Pivot Table gets removed upon opening..xlsb

To better assist you and investigate this further, could you please share the actual workbook you’re using? Since Excel file types aren’t supported for public upload in Microsoft Q&A, I kindly ask that you send the file via Private Message.

Please do not share any links or personal data publicly. Once I receive the file, I’ll examine it closely and get back to you with a more accurate analysis or workaround. Looking forward to your response. Warm regards,

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Version 2509 of Microsoft Excel cannot open a workbook with a simple sum subtotal in pivot table.

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