EXCEL Document MIA

Question

Hello

This is the second time that an excel document has gone missing. I was in the document last week and it does not show up in the file today?

Answer 1

Hi, thanks for posting here in Microsoft community, at this point, the file might not have been saved properly or could be permanently deleted.

You can try Excel AutoRecover, simply open Excel then File then Info then Manage Workbook then Recover Unsaved Workbooks.

Then search for .asd or .wbk files, these are auto-save or backup files Excel sometimes creates.

Also, check Backup Services, if you have Windows File History or another backup solution enabled, restore from there.

Also, do you recall if the file was ever saved to a specific folder or location before it disappeared? This will help narrow down whether we’re dealing with an unsaved file or a deleted one.

I hope this helps you out, let me know how it goes.

Chard

Answer 2

If an Excel document has gone missing, there are a few potential reasons and steps you can take to try to locate it:

1. Check Recent Files: Open Excel and check the "Recent" section to see if the document appears there.
2. Search Function: Use the Windows search function to look for the file by name or by searching for all Excel files in your system.
3. Check OneDrive or SharePoint: If you were saving the document to OneDrive or SharePoint, check those locations to see if the file is there.
4. Temporary Files: Sometimes, Excel creates temporary files. You can check the temporary files folder on your computer to see if a version of your document exists there.
5. File Recovery: If you suspect that the file was deleted, you might be able to recover it from the Recycle Bin if it was deleted recently.
6. Version History: If the document was stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, you may be able to restore a previous version of the document.

If none of these steps help, it might be worth checking with your IT department or support for further assistance.

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References:

• Troubleshoot why Excel doesn't save changes
• Excel or PowerPoint error: "This file cannot be saved because some properties are missing or invalid"
• "The page cannot be found" or "Missing file" error when you view or change an Office document
• Component 'item' or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid
• File specified was not found