mistakenly deleted a completed sheet

Question

have not turned off my computer, any way to recover the deleted sheet?

Answer 1

If that is just one sheet in an Excel file, if it is still open, then try pressing Ctrl + Z to try to undo the deletion.

Or right click the file in File Explorer, select Properties, then on the resulting dialog, select the Previous Versions tab to see if there is any previous version of the file available.

If you use OneDrive to sync your files online, log into OneDrive in a web browser (https://onedrive.live.com/) to check if there is a complete version of the file stored there.

Answer 2

If the sheet was in an Excel workbook that is still open and the computer has not been restarted, there are two main options, depending on exactly what was deleted:

1. If the worksheet (tab) inside the workbook was deleted

• Use Undo immediately:
  • Press Ctrl+Z or click Undo on the Quick Access Toolbar.
  • Keep pressing Ctrl+Z until the deleted sheet reappears.
• This only works if Excel is still open in the same session and enough undo history is available.

2. If the entire workbook file was closed or lost due to a crash

• When Excel restarts after a crash or unexpected closure, the Document Recovery pane may appear automatically:
  1. In the Document Recovery pane, select the file version that contains the completed sheet.
  2. Choose Open to review it.
  3. Use Save As to save the recovered version under a new name.
• If multiple recovered versions appear, check the date and time and open the most recent one that still has the sheet.

If the workbook is still open and Undo no longer brings the sheet back, or if the file was saved and closed after deleting the sheet, there is no built‑in way in Excel to restore just that deleted sheet from within the same file. In that case, only an earlier saved copy, an AutoRecover/backup file, or a separate backup (e.g., from OneDrive/SharePoint or another backup system) could restore it.

For future protection, consider enabling automatic backup and AutoRecover so earlier versions of workbooks can be restored if something similar happens again.

• To automatically save a backup copy of a workbook:
  1. Select File > Save As.
  2. Click Computer, then Browse.
  3. In Save As, select Tools > General Options.
  4. Check Always create backup.
• To automatically create a recovery file at intervals:
  1. Select File > Options.
  2. Go to Save.
  3. Under Save workbooks, check Save AutoRecover information every and set the minutes.
  4. Ensure Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only is unchecked.

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References:

• Video: Recover Office files
• Privacy supplement for Excel
• Repair a corrupted workbook
• Help protect your files in case of a crash