How to recover unsaved changes on Excel

Question

My excel spreadsheet didn't save my most recent work. How to retrieve it?

Answer 1

Hello Microsoft soft

I'm unable to open a file in my Excel

It's showing only

"Getting things Ready"

Do help me out of this issue

Answer 2

Michelle provided suggestions for if you had saved your workbook before closing it.

If you chose to not save changes when closing the workbook then your changes can not be recovered.

Answer 3

Hi @Kim Herold

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum. 

I understand you've lost your most recent work on an Excel spreadsheet because it didn't save correctly, and you're looking for ways to recover those unsaved changes. There are several built-in features designed to help you recover your most recent changes. Please find below a few steps that may help resolve the issue:  

Method 1: Search 'Terminal' on your computer > Type **open $TMPDIR and Enter **> Find the unsaved Excel file under "TemporaryItems" and restore it.  

Method 2: Check Version History in OneDrive > This is the most reliable method if your file was saved to OneDrive or SharePoint and the AutoSave feature was turned on, please follow this article to restore a previous version > Restore a previous version of a file stored in OneDrive - Microsoft Support 

Method 3: Restore a Previous Version Using Time Machine (macOS Only) > If you are using a Mac and have Time Machine set up for regular backups, you may be able to recover a previously saved version of your file. Please refer to the official document below: 

Recover files using Time Machine and Spotlight on Mac – Apple Support (UK) 

Note: This method will only work if you had previously saved the file at least once. Time Machine creates backups of files that are saved to your drive. It cannot recover unsaved changes that only existed in Excel's memory before the application was closed. If you never saved the file at all, this method will unfortunately not work. 

Disclaimer: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. The sites are not controlled by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above link 

Please give those troubleshooting steps a try. If the issue persists, please feel free to provide us with any additional details. Thank you for your understand.   

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