Lost my document during syncronization

Question

I had an Excel file in my company's OneDrive which was syncronized to my own MacBook. I shared this document with my colleague, who started working on it in the online version. We noticed today that our files do not look the same so I restarted my computer when my filed started syncronizing. It turned out it didn't sync my file in the last week or so and since the online version was the last saved one, now all my progress is gone. I use the desktop version with my company email. Is there any chance we can recover the document?

Answer 1

Hi @ZH

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.  

I understand that you are encountering an issue with an Excel file stored in your company’s OneDrive account. 

You could try the following steps to recover it: 

Check for a “Conflicted Copy” 

OneDrive’s sync client is designed to create a backup file when it detects a conflict (local changes vs. newer cloud version). 

Open Finder and go to your OneDrive folder. 

Search inside it (Command + F) for your file name and the word “conflicted” or “Conflicted copy”. 

For example: YourFileName (Conflicted copy 2026-... ).xlsx 

If you find it, open both the conflicted copy (your old progress) and the current file, then copy-paste your changes across or save the conflicted one as the new master. 

Recover from Excel’s AutoRecover files 

Excel on Mac automatically saves temporary recovery versions while you work, even if sync was broken. 

In Finder, go to Go > Go To Folder (or press Shift + Command + G). 

Paste this exact path and press Return: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft 

Look inside for an AutoRecovery folder or any files that match your workbook name (they may have .asd or temporary extensions). 

Open any promising files in Excel. If Excel detects them on launch, it may prompt you automatically. Save anything you recover immediately with a new name. 

You can refer via: Recover files in Office for Mac - Microsoft Support 

OneDrive/SharePoint Version History 

This won’t contain your unsynced local work, but you can roll back to any point before or during your colleague’s online edits. 

Go to Onedrive (sign in with your company account). 

Find the file > right-click > Version history. 

Browse the list, open any version, and click Restore if needed. 

Reference: 

Restore a previous version of a file stored in OneDrive - Microsoft Support

I hope this helps. 

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. 

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Answer 2

Yes, there are several built-in recovery options that may restore the lost work, depending on where and how the file was saved and synced.

1. Check Excel Document Recovery

• Open Excel on the Mac using the same company account.
• If Excel previously crashed or closed unexpectedly, the Document Recovery pane may appear automatically and list recovered versions of the workbook.
• Review the listed files and open any recent recovered versions to see if they contain the missing work.

2. Check OneDrive online: Version History If the file is stored in OneDrive for work/school:
3. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 portal and open OneDrive in a browser.
4. Browse to the folder containing the Excel file.
5. Select the file, choose the ellipsis (...) next to it, and select Version History.
6. Look for earlier versions from the last week (before the overwrite happened).
7. For a suitable version, select Restore to roll the file back to that version.
8. Use OneDrive Files Restore (if many files were affected) If multiple OneDrive files were overwritten or corrupted around the same time:
9. In OneDrive for work/school on the web, go to the top-right menu, choose Options → Restore your OneDrive (if supported by the organization).
10. Select a restore point from before the sync/overwrite issue.
11. Confirm to restore. This undoes actions on files and folders in the last 30 days.
12. Check local copies on the Mac If the OneDrive sync client was used on the Mac, there may be a local copy that did not sync:

• Use Finder to browse the local OneDrive folder and look for:
  • The original file
  • Temporary or duplicate copies (e.g., with suffixes like “-conflicted copy”)
• If found, copy any version that contains the missing work to a safe location outside OneDrive.

5. If still not resolved If none of the above restores the missing work:

• Contact the organization’s Microsoft 365/SharePoint/OneDrive administrator.
• Provide the file name, OneDrive library URL, and the approximate date/time when the file was last in a good state.
• An admin may be able to use Microsoft 365 backup options (within the retention window) to restore content at the site/library level.

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References:

• Recover your Microsoft 365 files
• How to recover missing, deleted or corrupted items in SharePoint and OneDrive for work or school