restore overwrite data

Question

I was saving my Excel workbook, but I accidentally overwrote another workbook with the same name. As a result, the original workbook that I had been working on was replaced. Is there any way to recover it?

Answer 1

Hi @Mahmoud Abdelfatah Mohamed,

I’m really sorry this happened. I’m aware of a few approaches that might help, and I’m more than happy to share them so you can give them a try.

Could you kindly confirm where the file was saved? The recovery options can vary depending on whether the file is stored in OneDrive/SharePoint or only on your local computer.

If your file was stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, there’s a good chance you can recover it using version history:

• Open the overwritten workbook in Excel
• Go to File > Info > Version History
• In the Version History panel, look for an earlier version
• Open it to review, and if it contains the correct data, click Restore.

This is usually the most effective method if the file was saved in the cloud.

If the file was saved only on your local machine, recovery depends on whether backup features were enabled:

• Right-click the file in File Explorer > select Properties
• Go to the Previous Versions tab
• If any earlier versions are listed, you can choose Open to check or Restore to recover.

Please note that this only works if File History or a backup solution was already enabled before the file was overwritten. If there are no previous versions listed, File History or another backup likely wasn’t configured for that location, and this method won’t work.

Another option you can try is Excel’s Recover Unsaved Workbooks feature:

• Go to File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks
• Look for a recent version of your file
• If you find one with the original content, open it and use Save As to save it under a different name.

I truly hope the suggestions I’ve shared can at least point you in the right direction and give you a few places to check. I also sincerely hope you’ll be able to recover your original file.

If unfortunately none of these methods work, I completely understand how frustrating that can be, and I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I hope you’re still able to find another way to move forward.

Thank you so much for your time and your understanding.

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