How to Recover Excel Sheet

Question

Okay, where do I start?

I've been working on an Excel sheet for months last year, and didn't touch it over December and January. I open the Excel sheet, and all my updates are GONE. It's autosaved and saved on my OneDrive. However, every time I try to do a backup, it's like I've never worked on it. It's the same file I've opened for the first time, and I KNOW I WORKED ON IT AND SAVED IT.

I've tried ALL of the backup directions suggested on the internet. I'm losing hope, and I NEED this updated file. I am NOT doing everything again.

If anyone can help me, please. I am desperate.

Answer 1

Hi Sabellla Barron

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum and thank you for your question.

First of all, sincerely apologize for the inconveniences that you are facing. I can understand that frustration that you are having now.

Have you checked out the Q&A Assist's answer yet? Please feel free to check it out to see if anything changes

You also mentioned that you have tried many steps but still not able to recover your Excel sheets. May I know what step you have taken so I can summarize and see what other steps I can provide.

I'll wait for your response. Thank you for your time

Answer 2

To recover your Excel sheet, you can try the following steps:

1. Check Version History: Since your file is saved on OneDrive, you can use the version history feature to restore a previous version of your workbook. Here’s how:
   • Open the Excel workbook.
   • Go to File > Info > Version History.
   • Look for a version saved prior to when you noticed the updates were missing.
   • Select that version and click Restore.
2. Check the Recycle Bin: If you accidentally deleted the file or it was overwritten, check the Recycle Bin on OneDrive. Sometimes deleted files can be restored from there.
3. Temporary Files: If Excel crashed or closed unexpectedly, you may find temporary files in the folder where you saved your original file. Look for files with a .tmp extension or similar.
4. File Recovery Software: If none of the above methods work, you might consider using third-party file recovery software, though success can vary.

If you have been using Office Scripts, be aware that you cannot undo changes made by a script using Excel's Undo command; you will need to restore a previous version of the workbook from your cloud storage.

---

References:

• Troubleshoot why Excel doesn't save changes
• Undo the changes made by Office Scripts