99.5% recovery rate
4.6 ratings
21 years of excellence
99.5%
recovery rate
5min
average scan time
21 years
data recovery experience
100%
security
Visual Excel Recovery Roadmap
How to Choose Excel File Recovery Method
Deleted Scenarios
Unsaved Excel
Excel File Integrity Issues
Cloud & Versioning
Check 1: If it is in the Recycle Bin, go to Method 1🔻.Check 2: If you have enabled File History, go to Method 2 or 5🔻.
Pro Tip: If the file was emptied from the Bin or on a USB, try Recoverit.
Check 1: If the Document Recovery pane appears, go to Method 3🔻.Check 2: If your Excel files are unsaved, go to Method 4🔻.
Pro Tip: If Temp files are missing, Recoverit can scan the raw sectors of your hard drive to find binary traces of unsaved work.
The "Open and Repair" utility tries to fix and open damaged files, making it one of the
first options you should try.Pro Tip: Recoverit also supports corrupted Excel file repair.
Check 1: If you have enabled automatic backups on Onedrive, go to Method 6🔻.Check 2: If your Excel files are overwritten, Method 2, 4 and 5🔻 is also recommended.
Pro Tip: If the cloud version is also corrupted or deleted, Recoverit can recover the last healthy local cache version from your computer.
General Methods to Recover Excel Files
The Manual Ways to Recover Unsaved/Deleted/Overwritten Excel Files
Recovering deleted Excel files from the Recycle Bin is a simple process if the files were only recently deleted and have not been permanently removed.
If you have the habit of data backup, congratulations, you can quickly recover your lost or deleted Excel files by restoring Excel backup. For the majority of Windows 10/11 system users, restoring files through File History backup is a great option.
If you had a crash or experienced a power outage while working on an Excel file, the Document Recovery feature might help you recover your unsaved changes.
The Recover Unsaved Documents/Workbooks tool does what its name suggests - recovers unsaved documents. It utilizes AutoSave capabilities, preventing data loss with unsaved XLS files. Using it is effortless, and here's how you can do it:
If File History is enabled on your Windows for Excel file backups, follow these steps to effortlessly recover a previously saved version of Excel file.
Many Cloud services like OneDrive allow Excel file recovery as it automatically saves multiple versions of your Excel files, providing a convenient backup and enabling you to restore saved Excel files when needed.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to Use Recoverit to Recover Unsaved/Deleted Excel Files
Recoverit is committed to smarter, safer, and more streamlined technology for Excel file recovery. Get back every cell and chart in just 3 simple steps.
Comparison Chart with Other Free Solutions
| Scenario / Method |
|
Method 1 Recycle Bin |
Method 2 File History |
Method 3 AutoRecover Pane |
Method 4 Manage Workbooks |
Method 5 Previous Versions |
Method 6 OneDrive History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Deletion |
|
 |
|
 |
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| Shift+Delete |
(Deep Scan)
|
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| Formatted Drive Recovery |
(Sector-level)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Unsaved/Crashed Excel Files |
(Temp Extraction)
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| Overwritten History |
(Three-step)
|
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| External Media (USB/SD) Data Recovery |
(Full Devices Support)
|
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|
|
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| Success Rate / Scope |
Highest
(All-in-one)
|
Very Low | Medium | Medium (Crash only) |
Medium (Temp only) |
Medium | High (Cloud only) |
What Kind of Devices and Loss Scenarios Do We Support
Universal Recovery Across All Storage Devices And All Possible Scenarios
Advice on Excel Recovery
How To Prevent Losing Excel Files in the Future
Few people know that you can set up automatic backup when saving Excel files. When necessary, you can easily restore lost Excel files through the backup content.
1. Save or Save As an Excel file to open the Save dialog box.
2. Click on the Tools button next to the Save button.
3. Choose the General Options on the tools list and then a small window will appear with some more options.
4. Click OK on the Always Create Backup option to enable AuotBackup.
·AutoRecover automatically saves a temporary copy of your Excel file at regular intervals. Make sure you have AutoRecover enabled. To enable it, go to File > Options > Save, and make sure Save AutoRecover information every X minutes is checked.
·Adjust the time interval as needed. We suggest a minimum value (1 minute) for optimal protection, but be aware of potential performance impacts on your computer.
·To enable AutoSave, click the AutoSave toggle in the top-left corner of the Excel window while working on a file stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.
To ensure your Excel documents remain safe, there are several effective ways:
· External Storage: The simplest method is copying Excel files to a USB flash drive or SSD.
· Disk Partitioning: Creating a separate partition on your hard drive allows you to format the OS partition while keeping data on the other intact.
· Cloud Services: Platforms like OneDrive (offering 5GB free) sync your files online for access anywhere.
· Automated Systems: Mac users can rely on Time Machine, while businesses often use NAS (Network-attached Storage) for shared network backups.
Why Users Choose Recoverit
to Recover Excel Files
A 100G 4K file was unable to open and things looked dicey. That is what photographers can't stand.
My lost CSV sheet recovered! It truly save my day!
Inadvertently reformatted my SD card and lost an entire event of photos/videos.
My SD card had been accidentally formatted, over 1,000 precious photos were lost.
A 100G 4K file was unable to open and things looked dicey. That is what photographers can't stand.
My lost CSV sheet recovered! It truly save my day!
Inadvertently reformatted my SD card and lost an entire event of photos/videos.
My SD card had been accidentally formatted, over 1,000 precious photos were lost.
When I connected my 360 camera to my computer, the file appeared to be corrupted and wouldn't open.
I’d restored 42GB of files to a secondary SSD.
Nearly lost two essential scenes for my graduation project, using Recoverit saving me from the hassle of reshooting.
I mistakenly added a wrong folder name and lost 30GB footage videos.
When I connected my 360 camera to my computer, the file appeared to be corrupted and wouldn't open.
I’d restored 42GB of files to a secondary SSD.
Nearly lost two essential scenes for my graduation project, using Recoverit saving me from the hassle of reshooting.
I mistakenly added a wrong folder name and lost 30GB footage videos.
Tips and Video Tutorials about Recovering Excel Files
See What Our Users Ask Frequently
Are temporary Excel files deleted automatically?
Where does Excel store AutoRecover files on Windows 10/11?
What should I do when Excel says my file is corrupted or cannot be opened?
Can I recover a corrupted Excel file without software?
Does Excel have a "Trash" or "Recycle Bin" inside the application?
