{"id":27073,"date":"2020-01-09T00:57:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T00:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=27073"},"modified":"2026-08-05T15:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:34:20","slug":"recover-deleted-unsaved-or-overwritten-xlsx-and-xls-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/recover-excel-files.html","title":{"rendered":"Recover Deleted, Unsaved, or Overwritten XLSX and XLS Files"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;ve lost an important Excel spreadsheet, whether from accidental deletion, closing it before saving, or overwriting it with the wrong version, the data is often still recoverable. This guide covers every practical way to recover deleted Excel files, along with unsaved, overwritten, and lost XLSX and XLS spreadsheets.<\/p>\r\n<p>We\u2019ll start with built-in recovery options, then move to dedicated Excel recovery software to address more difficult cases. We have tested each method on Windows and Mac, so you\u2019ll be getting only verified advice with plenty of tips based on our extensive data recovery experience.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" class=\"embed-responsive-item\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4FM_aiQZYSs\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"excel_file_recovery_scenarios_and_the_best_method_for_each_one\"><\/span>Excel File Recovery Scenarios (and the Best Method for Each One)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Excel files can stop being accessible in a few different ways, and each one has its own quickest fix. Use the table below as a map that shows you the best path from your situation to the most suitable method you can apply to solve it and restore access to the lost Excel spreadsheet.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper table_heading\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Excel loss scenario<\/td>\r\n<td>What that means<\/td>\r\n<td>Best recovery path<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>You deleted the file by mistake<\/td>\r\n<td>It probably still sits in the Recycle Bin, or it&#8217;s readable on the drive.<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<p>Look in the <a href=\"#recycle-bin\">Recycle Bin<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>If it&#8217;s empty, scan the drive with <a href=\"#recovery-software\">recovery software<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>The file is missing from its folder<\/td>\r\n<td>It was likely moved, renamed, synced to another PC, or deleted.<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<p>Use the <b>File Explorer<\/b> search feature.<\/p>\r\n<p>Check your <a href=\"#backups\">backups<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>If that draws a blank, <a href=\"#recovery-software\">scan the drive<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Excel closed before you saved<\/td>\r\n<td>Excel most likely made an AutoRecover copy in the background.<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<p>Open Excel&#8217;s <a href=\"#unsaved-workbooks\">Recover Unsaved Workbooks<\/a> list.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>You saved the wrong version on top<\/td>\r\n<td>An older copy may sit in File History or in OneDrive.<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<p>Restore through <a href=\"#previous-versions\">Previous Versions<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Or use <a href=\"#onedrive-version-history\">OneDrive version history<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>The file vanished from a USB stick, SD card, or external drive<\/td>\r\n<td>It&#8217;s often still on the device (at least until new files overwrite it).<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<p>Stop writing to the device and scan it with <a href=\"#recovery-software\">recovery software<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>The file opens to an error, or not at all<\/td>\r\n<td>It&#8217;s likely corrupted rather than deleted.<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<p>Repair it with Excel&#8217;s <a href=\"#open-and-repair\">Open and Repair<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Then try an <a href=\"#restore-earlier-version\">earlier version<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Important:<\/b> You can only recover a file until new data lands on top of it, so act the moment you notice it&#8217;s gone. If it was on your system drive, it&#8217;s worth shutting the computer down and, if you can, pulling the drive to scan it from another machine. With <a href=\"\/howto\/recover-formatted-hdd.html\">external hard drives<\/a>, <a href=\"\/usb-flash-drive-recovery.html\">USB flash drives<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/memory-card-data-recovery.html\">memory cards<\/a>, it&#8217;s easier: just stop copying files to the device and leave what&#8217;s on it alone until your spreadsheet is back.<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_recover_deleted_microsoft_excel_files\"><\/span>How to Recover Deleted Microsoft Excel Files<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>We start with deleted Excel files because it\u2019s how people lose a spreadsheet most often, and it&#8217;s usually the easiest case to fix. Try the three methods below in order. The <a href=\"#recycle-bin\">Recycle Bin<\/a> is the quickest check, so it makes sense to start with it. <a href=\"#backups\">Backups<\/a> come next because their existence makes recovery easy. Finally, <a href=\"#recovery-software\">data recovery software<\/a> is the fallback when the first two fail to deliver the desired results.<\/p>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_1_check_the_windows_recycle_bin\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 1:<\/span> <span id=\"recycle-bin\">Check the Windows Recycle Bin<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>If you&#8217;ve accidentally deleted your XLSX or XLS files, the first place to look is the Windows Recycle Bin. It&#8217;s quite common to delete an important file by mistake, and the Recycle Bin is in place to rectify such a situation. It&#8217;s a folder that the Windows operating system uses to temporarily store your deleted files until you empty the bin.<\/p>\r\n<p>Follow these steps to recover a deleted Excel file using the <b>Recycle Bin<\/b>:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Open the <b>Recycle Bin<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Locate the item you want to retrieve.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Right-click the item and select <b>Restore<\/b>.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61128 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-restore-windows.jpg\" alt=\"excel restore from trash windows\" width=\"2058\" height=\"1252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-restore-windows.jpg 2058w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-restore-windows-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-restore-windows-500x304.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-restore-windows-768x467.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-restore-windows-1536x934.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-restore-windows-2048x1246.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2058px) 100vw, 2058px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f4a1; <b>Good to know:<\/b> Not every deleted file lands in the Recycle Bin. Files removed with <kbd>Shift<\/kbd> + <kbd>Delete<\/kbd> skip it, and so do files deleted from a USB flash drive, SD card, or network location. If your file isn&#8217;t there, move on to <a href=\"#backups\">backups<\/a> or <a href=\"#recovery-software\">recovery software<\/a> below.<\/div>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_2_check_your_backups\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 2:<\/span> <span id=\"backups\">Check your Backups<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>One of the best practices to safeguard your files against unforeseen data loss scenarios is to regularly back up all your data. You can do this with the native Windows operating system facility known as <b>File History<\/b>, or back up your files to the cloud. For the purpose of this article, we&#8217;ll look at Excel file backups made with <b>File History<\/b> on your Windows 10\/11 system.<\/p>\r\n<p>Follow these steps to recover your XLSX and XLS files backed up by <b>File History<\/b>:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>In the taskbar&#8217;s search box, type <b>File History<\/b> and select the <b>Restore your files with File History<\/b> setting.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61129 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-your-files-with-file-history-setting.jpg\" alt=\"restore your files with file history setting\" width=\"3136\" height=\"1936\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-your-files-with-file-history-setting.jpg 3136w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-your-files-with-file-history-setting-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-your-files-with-file-history-setting-500x309.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-your-files-with-file-history-setting-768x474.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-your-files-with-file-history-setting-1536x948.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-your-files-with-file-history-setting-2048x1264.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3136px) 100vw, 3136px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Make sure <b>File History<\/b> is switched on. Read the note below if it isn\u2019t.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Click <b>Restore personal files<\/b> in the left panel.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61131 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-personal-files-file-history.jpg\" alt=\"restore personal files file history\" width=\"2180\" height=\"1342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-personal-files-file-history.jpg 2180w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-personal-files-file-history-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-personal-files-file-history-500x308.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-personal-files-file-history-768x473.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-personal-files-file-history-1536x946.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/restore-personal-files-file-history-2048x1261.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2180px) 100vw, 2180px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Locate the Excel file you want to recover.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select the file and click the green <b>Restore<\/b> button.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61132 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-recover-file-history.jpg\" alt=\"excel recover file history\" width=\"2184\" height=\"1230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-recover-file-history.jpg 2184w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-recover-file-history-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-recover-file-history-500x282.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-recover-file-history-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-recover-file-history-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-recover-file-history-2048x1153.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2184px) 100vw, 2184px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f4a1; <b>Good to know:<\/b> File History only holds a copy if you switched it on <b>before<\/b> the file went missing. If you never set it up, or it wasn&#8217;t watching the folder your XLSX or XLS lived in, it has nothing to offer here. In that case, scroll down to the <a href=\"#recovery-software\">data recovery software section<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_3_use_data_recovery_software\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 3:<\/span> <span id=\"recovery-software\">Use Data Recovery Software<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Because plenty of people don\u2019t use <b>File History<\/b> or any other backup solution (and because the Recycle Bin works only in some cases), data recovery software is more often than not what actually gets lost data back.<\/p>\r\n<p>In this part of our article, we explain <a href=\"\/word-excel-recovery.html\">how to recover Excel documents<\/a> using <b>Disk Drill<\/b>, while providing easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions that you should be able to easily replicate without any special knowledge. <b>Disk Drill<\/b> is a great choice for Excel recovery thanks to its fantastic support for spreadsheet file formats like XLSX and XLS files, as well as the file systems on which such files are most commonly stored. <b>Disk Drill<\/b> even lets you preview each spreadsheet before you restore it, so you know you&#8217;re getting the right one.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Important:<\/b> Try not to install <b>Disk Drill<\/b> on the same drive that lost the files. Writing the installer onto that disk can cover up the very data you&#8217;re chasing. If the file lived on your <code>C:<\/code> drive, put <b>Disk Drill<\/b> on another physical drive, or run it from a second computer. A separate physical drive is safest because another partition on the same disk can still overwrite lost data. SSDs are trickier: their TRIM feature can clear deleted data on its own, so recovery there is less predictable.<\/div>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Download, install, and launch <b>Disk Drill<\/b> (<a href=\"\/download.html\">Free Download for Mac<\/a>, <a href=\"\/download.html\">Windows<\/a>).<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-58248 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/disk-drill-installation.jpg\" alt=\"disk drill installation\" width=\"1928\" height=\"1262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/disk-drill-installation.jpg 1928w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/disk-drill-installation-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/disk-drill-installation-500x327.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/disk-drill-installation-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/disk-drill-installation-1536x1005.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1928px) 100vw, 1928px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select the drive containing your Excel files if it\u2019s connected to your computer already, or connect the storage device with the lost XLSX and XLS files and wait for <b>Disk Drill<\/b> to recognize it before you select it.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Click the <b>Search for lost data<\/b> button to initialize the scan of the selected storage device. If <b>Disk Drill<\/b> asks which scan method you want to use, choose <b>Universal Scan<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61133 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-search-for-lost-data.jpg\" alt=\"disk drill excel search for lost data\" width=\"2728\" height=\"1592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-search-for-lost-data.jpg 2728w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-search-for-lost-data-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-search-for-lost-data-500x292.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-search-for-lost-data-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-search-for-lost-data-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-search-for-lost-data-2048x1195.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2728px) 100vw, 2728px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Wait for <b>Disk Drill<\/b> to scan the storage device and present you with a list of recoverable files.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61134 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-scan-completed.jpg\" alt=\"disk drill excel scan completed\" width=\"2720\" height=\"1584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-scan-completed.jpg 2720w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-scan-completed-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-scan-completed-500x291.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-scan-completed-768x447.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-scan-completed-1536x894.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-scan-completed-2048x1193.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2720px) 100vw, 2720px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Narrow the results to <b>Documents<\/b> with the file-type filter, or type a spreadsheet extension like <code>xlsx<\/code> or the specific file name of your missing spreadsheet into the search box to find it fast.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61135 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-filter.jpg\" alt=\"disk drill excel filter\" width=\"2748\" height=\"1568\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-filter.jpg 2748w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-filter-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-filter-500x285.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-filter-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-filter-1536x876.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-filter-2048x1169.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2748px) 100vw, 2748px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Choose the XLSX and XLS files that you want to recover, then preview them to check the contents before you restore them.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61137 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-selected.jpg\" alt=\"disk drill excel selected\" width=\"2730\" height=\"1548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-selected.jpg 2730w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-selected-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-selected-500x284.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-selected-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-selected-1536x871.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-selected-2048x1161.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2730px) 100vw, 2730px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Begin the recovery process by clicking the <b>Recover<\/b> button, and save the files to a different drive than the one you just scanned.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61138 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-destination.jpg\" alt=\"disk drill excel destination\" width=\"2728\" height=\"1560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-destination.jpg 2728w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-destination-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-destination-500x286.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-destination-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-destination-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/disk-drill-excel-destination-2048x1171.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2728px) 100vw, 2728px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>The beauty of <b>Disk Drill<\/b> lies in its simplicity. Even though it can recover around 400 <a href=\"\/help\/file-types\/\">file formats<\/a> from virtually all storage devices that you may ever come across, all you have to do to retrieve deleted Excel files with <b>Disk Drill<\/b> is press a single button.<\/p>\r\n<p>Along with a simple UI, the free Windows tier of the <a href=\"\/data-recovery-software.html\">Disk Drill data recovery tool<\/a> gives you up to 100 MB of actual recovery, plus unlimited preview. For Excel, that typically covers a healthy batch of spreadsheets and dozens of CSVs. Even if that&#8217;s not all, it&#8217;s enough before you consider upgrading to <a href=\"\/disk-drill-windows-pro.html\">Pro<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f4a1; <b>Tip:<\/b> <b>Disk Drill<\/b> also comes with <a href=\"\/help\/recovery-vault-faqs\/\">Recovery Vault<\/a>, a free protection feature. Switch it on and it keeps a record of deleted-file metadata (takes very little storage space) to make later recovery far easier.<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_recover_an_unsaved_excel_file\"><\/span>How to Recover an Unsaved Excel File<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>This section covers situations where your Excel file isn\u2019t saved properly because Excel closed on its own, crashed, the computer shut down, or you clicked away from a workbook before saving. If the file never reached the disk, ordinary recovery tools can&#8217;t help, but Excel and OneDrive both keep temporary copies that often can. Here&#8217;s how to recover an unsaved Excel file.<\/p>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_1_use_excels_recover_unsaved_workbooks_option\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 1:<\/span> <span id=\"unsaved-workbooks\">Use Excel&#8217;s Recover Unsaved Workbooks option<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Microsoft_Excel\"><b>Microsoft Excel<\/b><\/a> for Windows 11\/10\/8\/7\/XP and Mac does everything it can to save your work at regular intervals. This method is especially useful when your computer crashes because of RAM shortage or an abrupt power disruption.<\/p>\r\n<p>By default, <b>Excel<\/b> displays the AutoRecover file automatically when you reopen the application. If it doesn\u2019t, check for the file manually using the steps below:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Reopen <b>Excel<\/b> and check the <b>Document Recovery<\/b> pane for the workbook you were working on.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>If it doesn\u2019t appear, go to <b>File<\/b> &gt; <b>Info<\/b> &gt; <b>Manage Workbook<\/b> &gt; <b>Recover Unsaved Workbooks<\/b> in Excel for Windows. On Mac, check Excel\u2019s <b>AutoRecovery<\/b> folder.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-42457 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/recover-unsaved-workbook.png\" alt=\"recovering unsaved workbooks\" width=\"1000\" height=\"474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/recover-unsaved-workbook.png 1501w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/recover-unsaved-workbook-300x142.png 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/recover-unsaved-workbook-500x237.png 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/recover-unsaved-workbook-768x364.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>In the dialog that opens, select the unsaved file, click <b>Open<\/b>, then <b>Save As<\/b> straight away so you don&#8217;t lose it again.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f4a1; <b>Note:<\/b> This works only if Excel managed to make an AutoRecover or temporary copy before the workbook closed. For the official steps, see Microsoft&#8217;s guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/recover-an-earlier-version-of-an-office-file-169cb166-e7e2-438e-8f39-9a8927828121\">recovering an earlier version of an Office file<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<p>Just keep in mind that Excel may not be able to recover the most recent version of your XLSX and XLS files simply because it&#8217;s not possible to recover an Excel file not saved on your hard drive.<\/p>\r\n<p>To make it more likely for you to successfully recover Excel spreadsheets, go to <b>File<\/b> &gt; <b>Options<\/b> &gt; <b>Save<\/b> and activate the <b>AutoRecover<\/b> feature. By default, it should be set to 10 minutes, but you can change it to 1 minute, which means that Excel will automatically save your progress every single minute.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-27156 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Overwritten-XLSX-Excel-Autosave.png\" alt=\"recover excel file not saved\" width=\"620\" height=\"75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Overwritten-XLSX-Excel-Autosave.png 620w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Overwritten-XLSX-Excel-Autosave-300x37.png 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Overwritten-XLSX-Excel-Autosave-500x61.png 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_2_check_onedrivesharepoint\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 2:<\/span> Check OneDrive\/SharePoint<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>If your workbook lived in <b>OneDrive<\/b>, <b>OneDrive for Business<\/b>, or <b>SharePoint<\/b> with <b>AutoSave<\/b> turned on, a copy of your work is in the cloud even after the local session is gone. <b>AutoSave<\/b> records your changes every few seconds, so the latest version is usually waiting for you online.<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Sign in to <a href=\"https:\/\/onedrive.live.com\"><b>onedrive.live.com<\/b><\/a>, or open your organization&#8217;s <b>SharePoint<\/b> site in a web browser.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Open the folder where the workbook was stored and look for the file.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>To step back to an earlier state, right-click the file, choose <b>Version history<\/b>, then open and restore the version you want.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61155 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/onedrive-version-history-excel.jpg\" alt=\"onedrive version history excel\" width=\"2484\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/onedrive-version-history-excel.jpg 2484w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/onedrive-version-history-excel-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/onedrive-version-history-excel-500x290.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/onedrive-version-history-excel-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/onedrive-version-history-excel-1536x890.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/onedrive-version-history-excel-2048x1187.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2484px) 100vw, 2484px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f381; <b>Bonus:<\/b> If you actually deleted the cloud file, rather than lost an unsaved copy, open the <b>OneDrive Recycle Bin<\/b> on the web too. Personal OneDrive accounts usually keep deleted files for 30 days, while work\/school OneDrive and SharePoint accounts may keep them for up to 93 days unless an admin changes the setting.<\/div>\r\n<p>Because of how useful and straightforward the <b>AutoSave<\/b> feature is, we recommend you leave it switched on (the toggle is in the top-left corner of Excel) whenever possible. Alternatively, keep your workbook in a synced folder from <b>Google Drive<\/b>, <b>Dropbox<\/b>, or <b>iCloud Drive<\/b>. They don\u2019t enable Excel&#8217;s AutoSave, but each manual save (<kbd>Ctrl<\/kbd> + <kbd>S<\/kbd>) uploads a new copy you can roll back to from the service&#8217;s version history on the web.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_recover_an_excel_file_that_was_saved_over\"><\/span>How to Recover an Excel File That Was Saved Over<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Saving over the wrong Excel file is a common and painful slip, and Microsoft users ask about it all the time (see this <a href=\"https:\/\/techcommunity.microsoft.com\/discussions\/excelgeneral\/possible-to-recover-excel-file-if-its-accidentally-saved-over-on-another-compute\/4053997\">Microsoft Tech Community thread<\/a>). The good part is that Windows and the cloud both sometimes store older versions of your files, so there&#8217;s potentially a way to recover an Excel file saved over by mistake.<\/p>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_1_use_previous_versions_in_file_history\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 1:<\/span> <span id=\"previous-versions\">Use Previous Versions in File History<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p><b>Previous Versions<\/b> is the main local Windows option for getting back an Excel file you saved over, and it works nicely for recovering old Excel files in general. It relies on <b>File History<\/b> and <b>System Protection<\/b>, so it only helps if one of those was already running before the overwrite. When it&#8217;s on, Windows keeps dated snapshots you can restore in a couple of clicks.<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Right-click on the overwritten Excel file and go to <b>Properties<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-42949 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/properties-excel-sheet.jpg\" alt=\"accessing properties of excel sheet\" width=\"824\" height=\"649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/properties-excel-sheet-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/properties-excel-sheet-500x395.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/properties-excel-sheet-768x606.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 824px) 100vw, 824px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Now head over to the <b>Previous Versions<\/b> tab.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-42946 size-large\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/previous-versions-394x500.jpg\" alt=\"looking for previous versions of the excel file\" width=\"394\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/previous-versions-394x500.jpg 394w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/previous-versions-236x300.jpg 236w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/previous-versions.jpg 711w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 394px) 100vw, 394px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select the desired version and hit <b>Restore<\/b>. To keep the current file too, click <b>Open<\/b> first, look the older version over, then use <b>Save As<\/b> to store it under a new name.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Warning:<\/b> This method works only if you&#8217;ve previously enabled <a href=\"\/howto\/recover-deleted-files-windows10.html\">File History<\/a> on your computer.<\/div>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_2_use_onedrive_version_history\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 2:<\/span> <span id=\"onedrive-version-history\">Use OneDrive Version History<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>If your Excel file lives in <b>OneDrive<\/b>, then the cloud service maintains multiple versions you can roll back to, even after you&#8217;ve written over your data. <b>OneDrive<\/b> keeps this history on its own for files in your OneDrive or OneDrive for Business folder, which makes it one of the most reliable ways to undo an overwrite.<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>In <b>Excel<\/b>, go to <b>File<\/b> &gt; <b>Info<\/b> &gt; <b>Open File Location<\/b> to open the file&#8217;s OneDrive folder.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-42945 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/opening-one-drive-file-location.jpg\" alt=\"accessing the location of one drive excel file\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Right-click the file and choose <b>Version history<\/b>. You can also open the file in OneDrive on the web, then use the <b>&#8230;<\/b> menu &gt; <b>Version history<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-42948 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/version-history-one-drive.jpg\" alt=\"version history in one drive\" width=\"977\" height=\"592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/version-history-one-drive.jpg 977w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/version-history-one-drive-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/version-history-one-drive-500x303.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/version-history-one-drive-768x465.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 977px) 100vw, 977px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Look through the earlier versions, open the one you want, and save it. Restoring a version leaves the others in place, so you can compare a few before you decide.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Warning:<\/b> This method works when the workbook is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, and version history is available (for work\/school accounts, admins can change versioning settings). AutoSave makes recent changes more likely to be captured, so your chances of <a href=\"\/howto\/recover-permanently-deleted-files-from-onedrive.html\">recovering permanently deleted files<\/a> go up if you keep it on.<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_repair_a_corrupted_excel_file_that_will_not_open\"><\/span>How to Repair a Corrupted Excel File That Will Not Open<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Sometimes the file is right where you left it, but it opens to an error like &#8220;Excel cannot open the file&#8221; or &#8220;The file format or extension is not valid,&#8221; or it won&#8217;t open at all. A common cause of issues with Excel files not opening is corruption, so the fix is to repair the damaged files.<\/p>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_1_use_excels_open_and_repair\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 1:<\/span> <span id=\"open-and-repair\">Use Excel&#8217;s Open and Repair<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p><b>Open and Repair<\/b> is a tool created to fix a lot of damaged workbooks, and it\u2019s built into <b>Excel<\/b>, so there\u2019s nothing for you to download or install.<\/p>\r\n<p>To be extra safe when repairing your corrupted Excel file, we recommend you create a copy of it and work on it instead of the original.<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Open <b>Excel<\/b> and go to <b>File<\/b> &gt; <b>Open<\/b> &gt; <b>Browse<\/b>.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61156 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-file-browse.jpg\" alt=\"excel file browse\" width=\"2398\" height=\"1462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-file-browse.jpg 2398w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-file-browse-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-file-browse-500x305.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-file-browse-768x468.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-file-browse-1536x936.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/excel-file-browse-2048x1249.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2398px) 100vw, 2398px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Click the corrupted file once to select it. Don&#8217;t double-click it.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Click the small arrow next to <b>Open<\/b>, then choose <b>Open and Repair<\/b>.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-61157 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/open-and-repair-excel.jpg\" alt=\"open and repair excel\" width=\"1474\" height=\"916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/open-and-repair-excel.jpg 1474w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/open-and-repair-excel-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/open-and-repair-excel-500x311.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/open-and-repair-excel-768x477.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1474px) 100vw, 1474px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Choose <b>Repair<\/b> to recover as much of the workbook as Excel can. If <b>Repair<\/b> won&#8217;t open it, run it again and choose <b>Extract Data<\/b> to pull out the values and formulas instead.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>If <b>Excel<\/b> still refuses to open the file, go to <b>File<\/b> &gt; <b>Options<\/b> &gt; <b>Formulas<\/b> and select <b>Manual<\/b> under <b>Workbook Calculation<\/b> first, so it doesn&#8217;t try to recalculate a broken sheet while opening.<\/p>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_2_restore_an_earlier_version\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 2:<\/span> <span id=\"restore-earlier-version\">Restore an Earlier Version<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>If <b>Open and Repair<\/b> can&#8217;t save the file, a clean copy from before the corruption may still exist. Use <a href=\"#previous-versions\">Previous Versions in File History<\/a> or <a href=\"#onedrive-version-history\">OneDrive Version History<\/a>, both covered above, to roll back to a version that still opens.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f381; <b>Bonus:<\/b> You can also attempt to open the workbook in <a href=\"https:\/\/workspace.google.com\/products\/sheets\/\"><b>Google Sheets<\/b><\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.libreoffice.org\/\"><b>LibreOffice Calc<\/b><\/a>, which sometimes can read a file that Excel refuses.<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Warning:<\/b> Avoid free &#8220;online Excel repair&#8221; sites that ask you to upload your file, especially if your spreadsheet contains sensitive data. The \u201crepaired\u201d file a site like that sends back could include a hidden malicious macro inside it.<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>So which method should you use? It comes down to how the file went missing. For a deleted or lost Excel file (the most common case by far), <a href=\"#recovery-software\">recovery software like Disk Drill<\/a> is usually the quickest route. You just need to point the software at the drive or storage device that held the file, run a scan, and save the recovered copy somewhere safe (a different drive is best).<\/p>\r\n<p>For the other situations, match the fix to the cause:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"#backups\"><b>File History<\/b><\/a> or <a href=\"#previous-versions\"><b>Previous Versions<\/b><\/a> for files that were backed up before they were deleted or <a href=\"\/howto\/recover-overwritten-file-mac.html\">saved over<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"#unsaved-workbooks\"><b>Excel&#8217;s Recover Unsaved Workbooks<\/b><\/a> option for a workbook you closed without saving.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"#onedrive-version-history\"><b>OneDrive<\/b> or <b>SharePoint Version History<\/b><\/a> for files synced to the cloud.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"#open-and-repair\"><b>Excel&#8217;s Open and Repair<\/b><\/a> for a file that opens to an error or won&#8217;t open at all.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Whatever went wrong, the sooner you stop using the affected drive, the better your odds. When there&#8217;s no backup to lean on, <b>Disk Drill<\/b> is still our pick for Windows and Mac. It handles <a href=\"\/help\/file-types\/\">around 400 file formats<\/a>, Excel files among them.<\/p>\r\n<p><b>Read also:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"\/howto\/recover-deleted-files-windows10.html\">Recover Deleted Files in Windows 10 With\/Without Software<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"\/howto\/recover-deleted-files-windows-11.html\">Best Ways to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 11<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"faq\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<div><section itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/FAQPage\">\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq1\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq1\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"can_you_retrieve_a_deleted_excel_file\"><\/span>Can you retrieve a deleted Excel file?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq1\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>Usually, you can recover it from the <a href=\"#recycle-bin\">Recycle Bin<\/a>, from a <a href=\"#backups\">File History or cloud backup<\/a>, or with <a href=\"#recovery-software\">recovery software<\/a>. The two main threats that can prevent you from retrieving your Excel file are new data and TRIM. Saving new files to the same drive can put them right on the space your deleted file used to hold, overwriting it for good. And on an SSD, the TRIM command clears deleted data on its own, often within minutes, which leaves nothing to recover. Both are why you should stop using the drive the moment you notice the file is gone.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq2\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq2\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq2\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"where_do_excel_files_go_when_deleted\"><\/span>Where do Excel files go when deleted?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq2\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq2\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>That depends on how you deleted them. Delete a file the normal way from an internal Windows drive and it drops into the <a href=\"#recycle-bin\">Recycle Bin<\/a>, where it waits until you empty it. From there, you can restore your XLSX or XLS in a click. Delete it with <kbd>Shift<\/kbd> + <kbd>Delete<\/kbd>, or remove it from a USB stick, SD card, or network share, and it skips the Recycle Bin. To recover files that don\u2019t end up in the Recycle Bin, you&#8217;ll need a <a href=\"#backups\">backup<\/a> or <a href=\"#recovery-software\">recovery software like Disk Drill<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq3\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq3\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq3\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_can_i_recover_permanently_deleted_excel_files_in_windows_1011\"><\/span>How can I recover permanently deleted Excel files in Windows 10\/11?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq3\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq3\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>If <a href=\"#backups\">File History<\/a> was on, open <b>File Explorer<\/b>, go to the folder that held the file, right-click the folder, and select <b>Show more options<\/b> &gt; <b>Restore previous versions<\/b>. Choose a version from before the file was deleted and click <b>Restore<\/b>. If File History was off, that method can&#8217;t help, so use <a href=\"#recovery-software\">recovery software like Disk Drill<\/a> instead to scan the drive for permanently deleted XLSX and XLS files that haven\u2019t been overwritten yet.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq4\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq4\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq4\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_do_i_recover_a_deleted_excel_file_without_software\"><\/span>How do I recover a deleted Excel file without software?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq4\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq4\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>You can check the <a href=\"#recycle-bin\">Recycle Bin<\/a> or your <a href=\"#backups\">backups<\/a>. Open the Recycle Bin, find your file, and click <b>Restore<\/b>, or just drag it into a folder. If it\u2019s not there, right-click the folder that held the file and select <b>Show more options<\/b> &gt; <b>Restore previous versions<\/b>, or look in your cloud storage&#8217;s version history.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq5\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq5\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq5\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_can_i_restore_a_file_i_saved_over\"><\/span>How can I restore a file I saved over?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq5\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq5\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>If <a href=\"#previous-versions\">File History or Previous Versions<\/a> was running, the older copy could still be available. Right-click the folder that held the file, open <b>Properties<\/b>, and switch to the <b>Previous Versions<\/b> tab. Pick the version by its date and click <b>Restore<\/b>. If you\u2019ve kept the file in <a href=\"#onedrive-version-history\">OneDrive<\/a> instead, then open it in your web browser and find the Excel file you want to restore. Right-click it, choose <b>Version history<\/b>, and open and save an earlier copy from the cloud.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 01px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq6\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq6\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq6\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"why_are_there_no_previous_versions_of_my_excel_file\"><\/span>Why are there no previous versions of my Excel file?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq6\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq6\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>Previous Versions only show copies if Windows Backup, File History, or another compatible backup source was already running when the file was lost. With none active, you&#8217;ll need to rely on another backup or <a href=\"#recovery-software\">third-party recovery software<\/a>. To have versions on hand next time, switch File History on through <b>Control Panel<\/b> &gt; <b>System and Security<\/b> &gt; <b>File History<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you&#8217;ve lost an important Excel spreadsheet, whether from accidental deletion, closing it before saving, or overwriting it with the wrong version, the data is often still recoverable. This guide covers every practical way to recover deleted Excel files, along&#8230;","protected":false},"author":7887,"featured_media":27123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1759],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-27073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-recovering-file-types-formats"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Recover Deleted, Unsaved or Overwritten Excel Files [Solved]<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Did you accidentally delete or overwrite your precious Excel sheet? Spare us 5 minutes for some super easy data recovery methods.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/recover-excel-files.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Recover Deleted, Unsaved or Overwritten Excel Files [Solved]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you accidentally delete or overwrite your precious Excel sheet? Spare us 5 minutes for some super easy data recovery methods.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/recover-excel-files.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Data recovery tips. 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