Fix: Utilty says JSON Generated but no file in folder in ITR Excel Offline Utility

Fix: Utilty says JSON Generated but no file in folder in ITR Excel Offline Utility

Many taxpayers have faced a frustrating issue while filing their Income Tax Return (ITR) using the Excel Offline Utility: The utility shows “JSON generated successfully” but no JSON file actually appears on the system.

This issue is especially important for those filing ITR-U (Updated Return) since the Java Utility does not support ITR-U — you must use the Excel-based utility.

Why Does This Error Happen?

The Excel Offline Utility depends on certain Windows system components (.NET Framework). If they are disabled or missing, the utility cannot generate JSON files, even though it appears to run correctly.

Step-by-Step Solution

Follow these steps to resolve the error:

1. Open Windows Features

  • Press Windows Key and search for “Turn Windows features on or off”.
  • A new settings window will open.

2. Enable Required Options

  • Tick the checkbox for .NET Framework 3.5 (includes NET 2.0 and 3.0)
  • Click on Plus symbol on left of .NET Framework 3.5 (includes NET 2.0 and 3.0) and then tick the checkbox for
    • Windows Communication Foundation HTTP Activation
    • Windows Communication Foundation Non-HTTP Activation
  • Click on Ok
  • Dialogue box named Windows Features opens, saying “Windows needs files from Window Update to finish installing some features” with 2 options
    • Select — “Let Windows Update download the files for you”(Remember: This download only works with Internet on.)
    • Then a dialog box with progress bar will appear showing downloading required files, it may take 10 to 15 minutes. Don't stop in between.
    • After downloading, it auto switches to Applying Changes, it may also take 1 to 2 minutes.
    • Then a dialogue box will appear saying Windows completed the request changes.

3. Install .NET Framework Files

  • Download and install the missing .NET Framework file from Microsoft’s official website.
  • For this step, open the link — Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Download
  • The downloaded file can be accessed from the downloads.
  • Right click on the file, you just downloaded with name “dotnetx35” and click on run as administrator.
  • A prompt box will open asking to install the changes, agree to it
  • The dot net files will be downloaded.

4. Restart Your System

  • Once installation is complete, restart your computer/laptop to activate the changes.

5. Generate JSON Again

  • Open the Excel ITR Offline Utility.
  • Fill in your return details and click Generate JSON.
  • The file should now be successfully created in the same folder where the utility is saved.

Key Notes

  • If you are filing ITR-U, always use the Excel utility, not the Java version, as for now Java version don't have ITR-U filing feature.
  • Ensure you are using the latest version of the Excel Utility downloaded from the Income Tax e-filing portal.

Troubleshooting: Enabling Macros

Sometimes even after fixing the JSON issue, Excel macros may remain disabled. Make sure you enable macros as below. To enable macro in excel utility: If you are not seeing any option in excel to enable macro, then close the excel, right click on excel and open properties and click on unblock and then click on Ok. Now,open Excel, it will ask to enable macro, click on enable.
Without this, the utility cannot run properly.

By enabling .NET Framework in Windows and installing the required files, you can permanently fix the issue of missing JSON files while using the offline ITR utility. This saves hours of frustration and ensures a smooth filing process.
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