How to recover excel file

Answer

To recover an unsaved Excel file, use Excel’s Recover Unsaved Workbooks or Manage Workbook feature.

1. Open Excel.

2. Click File > Open.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the Recent list and click Recover Unsaved Workbooks (or go File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks).

4. Double-click a file in the folder that opens to preview it.

5. Select File > Save As to save the recovered workbook to a safe location.
   This method reads Excel’s Auto Recover cache, where temporary copies are kept after crashes or unexpected closures. 

How do I recover a workbook after Excel crashed and shows the Document Recovery pane?

To recover workbooks from the Document Recovery pane, open Excel after a crash and choose the recovered versions shown.

1. Restart Excel.

2. In the Document Recovery pane, review entries listed under Available Files.

3. Click an entry to open it.

4. Use Save As to store the recovered file permanently.

5. Delete entries you do not need by using the drop-down beside each recovered item.
   Excel places the recovered versions in the Document Recovery pane automatically when a crash occurred during the last session. 

What do I do when a workbook is corrupted and won’t open?

To attempt repair on a corrupted workbook, use Excel’s Open and Repair tool.

1. Open Excel.

2. Click File > Open > Browse and locate the corrupted file.

3. Click the file once, then click the arrow beside Open and select Open and Repair.

4. Choose Repair to recover as much as possible.

5. If the Repair fails, select Extract Data to salvage values and formulas.
   This built-in recovery feature tries first to repair the file structure and then to extract usable content when full repair is not possible. 

How do I recover a file I deleted?

To restore deleted Excel files, check local and cloud recycle/trash features.

1. On your computer, open the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac).

2. Select the file and choose Restore (Windows) or Put Back (Mac).

3. For OneDrive, open OneDrive in a browser and go to the Recycle bin on the left; select the file and choose Restore.
   Cloud services keep deleted files for a limited retention period, so restore from the Recycle Bin or OneDrive Recycle bin as soon as possible. 

How do I restore a previous version of a workbook?

To get an earlier version from version history or system backups, use version history (cloud) or File History / Time Machine (local).

1. For files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint: right-click the file and select Version history; pick a timestamped version and choose Restore or Open to inspect it first.

2. For Windows users with File History or previous versions: open File Explorer, right-click the file or containing folder, choose Restore previous versions, pick a version, then click Restore.

3. For macOS users with Time Machine: open the folder where the file lived, enter Time Machine, locate the file version you want, then click Restore.
   Version history depends on the storage and backup solution used; cloud saves often provide the simplest timeline for collaborative documents. 

Where are AutoRecover and temporary files stored (quick path for Windows)?

To check AutoRecover temp files manually on Windows:

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Paste the path %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles into the address bar and press Enter.

3. Look for files with names like UnsavedWorkbook*.xlsx and open them with Excel.
   This folder is where Excel keeps unsaved AutoRecover copies when a workbook had never been saved to disk. 

What to try when nothing seems to work (advance troubleshooting)?

1. Use Open and Repair as described earlier.

2. Create a blank workbook and use Data > Get Data > From File > From Workbook to import worksheets from the corrupted file.

3. Change the file extension to .zip and inspect contents (works for .xlsx, which is a zipped package) to manually extract sheet*.xml data.

4. Try opening the file on another machine or another Excel version to rule out local program issues.

5. Repair Office installation via Windows Settings > Apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify > Online Repair to rule out program corruption.
   These escalation steps help when corruption is limited to certain parts of the file or when the local Excel installation is at fault. 

What are the main platform differences (Windows vs macOS)?

1. AutoRecover UI location: Windows — File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks; macOS — Excel > Preferences > Save, then use Recover Unsaved Workbooks from File > Open Recent. 

2. System backups: Windows uses File History / Restore Previous Versions; macOS uses Time Machine.

3. Typical temp paths differ; Windows uses %localappdata% paths while macOS uses ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery or similar app container locations. Use Finder’s Go > Go to Folder to open the macOS path.

How to prevent future data loss (best practices)?

1. Save early and often; use Ctrl+S or Command+S regularly.

2. Turn on AutoSave when storing files to cloud storage and enable AutoRecover in Excel options with a short interval (for example, every 5 minutes).

3. Use OneDrive or SharePoint for automatic versioning and real-time backups.

4. Keep regular backups via File History (Windows) or Time Machine (Mac).

5. Test backups periodically by restoring random files to confirm backup integrity.
   Following these practices greatly reduces the chance of permanent loss and makes recovery straightforward when problems occur.

Quick checklist — pick your scenario and follow the numbered steps

1. Unsaved new workbook: File > Open > Recover Unsaved Workbooks. 

2. Excel crashed: reopen Excel and use the Document Recovery pane. 

3. Corrupted file: File > Open > Browse > arrow next to Open > Open and Repair. 

4. Deleted file: check Recycle Bin/Trash and cloud OneDrive Recycle bin. 

5. Need earlier version: use Version history (OneDrive/SharePoint) or File History/Time Machine.

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