A missing Excel workbook is usually hiding in one of four places: Excel recovery, your computer's trash, cloud storage, or version history. Start with the path that matches what happened, then save a recovered copy before you keep editing.
Use these recovery options for deleted, overwritten, crashed, and unsaved Excel files.
1. Open Excel Recovery After a Crash
Use this when Excel crashed, froze, or your computer restarted while the workbook was open. Excel shows the Document Recovery pane after a crash when it has a recoverable copy from the last save, AutoSave, or AutoRecover state.
Open Excel.
In Document Recovery, select a recovered workbook.
Choose Open or View.
Select File, then Save As.
Save the workbook with a new name or in a new folder.
Repeat for every recovered workbook you need.
After saving the files, select Close in Document Recovery.
If Excel lists Show Repairs, open it before saving so you know what Excel changed during recovery.
If a listed workbook is not the one you need, use Delete only after you have checked it.
2. Recover an Unsaved Workbook Inside Excel
Open Excel.
Select File.
Select Info.
Select Manage Document.
Select Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
Select the workbook.
Choose Open.
Select Save As.
Save it immediately.
Use this when you created a workbook, never saved it, and then Excel closed.
For a saved workbook that you closed without saving the latest edits, open the workbook.
Go to File, then Info.
Under Manage Workbook, select the version labeled (when I closed without saving).
Choose Restore.
On Mac, use Excel's AutoRecover folder.
Open Finder.
Choose Go.
Select Go To Folder, or press Shift + Command + G.
Enter /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft.
Open the AutoRecovered file.
Save it immediately.
One catch on Mac: when you close an Excel file and choose Don't Save, Excel deletes the AutoRecover file.
3. Restore Deleted Files From Recycle Bin or Trash
Deleted local files go to Recycle Bin or Trash first, so check there before opening recovery tools or backups.
On Windows: open Recycle Bin.
Select the Excel file or folder.
Right-click it.
Choose Restore.
On Mac: open Trash.
Select the file or folder.
Right-click it.
Choose Put Back.
Once Trash is emptied, use Time Machine, cloud recovery, or another backup path.
4. Bring Back Excel Files From Cloud Trash
OneDrive web: go to the OneDrive website.
Sign in.
Open Recycle bin.
Select the file or folder with the circle checkbox.
Choose Restore.
Personal OneDrive keeps deleted items for 30 days; work and school OneDrive keeps them for 93 days unless an admin changed the setting.
OneDrive mobile: open the OneDrive app.
Tap the Me icon.
Select the account.
Open Recycle Bin.
Select the files.
Tap Restore.
iCloud Drive: go to iCloud Drive on iCloud.com.
Sign in.
Open Recently Deleted.
Select the file.
Choose Recover.
For other app data, go to iCloud recovery.
Choose Restore Files.
Select the files.
Choose Restore Files.
Google Drive: go to drive.google.com.
Open Trash.
Select or right-click the Excel file.
Choose Restore.
Google Drive Trash items are permanently deleted after 30 days.
Dropbox: go to dropbox.com.
Open Deleted files.
Click the file or folder name.
Choose Restore.
Dropbox keeps deleted files for 30 days on all accounts, with longer windows on Professional and team plans.
Shared files require Can edit access.
Box: in Box web, hover over More.
Open Trash.
Hover over the item row.
Open the ... menu.
Choose Restore.
Select Okay.
Box's default Trash retention is 30 days, and business or enterprise admins can change it.
Cloud services keep their own deleted-file areas. That matters because OneDrive online-only files deleted from the cloud do not appear in your computer's Recycle Bin or Trash.
For many OneDrive deletions, overwrites, corruption, or malware, restore the whole OneDrive instead.
On a personal Microsoft 365 account, open OneDrive on the web.
Select Settings.
Choose Options.
Select Restore your OneDrive.
On a work or school account, open OneDrive on the web.
Select Settings.
Choose Restore OneDrive.
Use the activity chart or feed to pick a restore point.
Choose Restore.
This works for actions from the last 30 days and does not recover files permanently deleted from the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
5. Roll Back a Workbook Version
Use version history when the workbook still exists, but the contents are wrong. This is the clean recovery path after accidental edits, overwrites, or a bad import.
For current Microsoft 365 files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, open the workbook.
Click the file title.
Select Version history.
Choose a version.
Select Restore.
In Office 2016 through 2021, open the workbook.
Choose File, then History.
Select the version you want.
On Mac, click the document name in the title bar.
Select Browse Version History.
In older Office for Mac, use File, then Browse Version History.
In Excel for the web, use File, then Version History.
Select a version.
Choose Restore.
OneDrive gives you another route: on OneDrive web or in File Explorer with the OneDrive sync app, right-click the workbook.
Select Version history.
Open the ... menu next to a version.
Select Restore.
Personal Microsoft accounts keep the last 25 versions in Microsoft 365 app version history.
For Google Drive, select the .xlsx file.
Open More.
Choose Manage versions.
Download the older version or upload it as the new version.
For Dropbox, open the file ... menu.
Choose Activity.
Select Version history.
Choose a version.
Select Roll back to this version.
Confirm Roll back to this version.
Dropbox Basic, Plus, and Family keep versions for 30 days. Professional, Essentials, Standard, and Business keep them for 180 days. Advanced, Business Plus, and Enterprise keep them for 365 days.
6. Use File History or Time Machine
Windows File History: open File Explorer.
Go to the folder that used to contain the workbook.
Right-click the folder name.
Choose Restore previous versions.
Select a previous folder version.
Choose Open to preview it.
Select Restore or Restore to....
Mac Time Machine: open a Finder window for the folder where the file belonged.
Select the Time Machine icon in the menu bar.
Choose Browse Time Machine backups.
Use the arrows or timeline.
Select the workbook.
Choose Restore.
If the workbook is gone from local storage and the trash is empty, use your computer's backup system.
These backup paths work when File History or Time Machine was configured before the deletion or unwanted change.
Skip Backup and Restore (Windows 7) for normal file recovery. Microsoft marks it as deprecated and says File History replaced it for file backup.
7. Run Windows File Recovery on a Local Drive
Use this after Recycle Bin and backups fail on a local Windows drive. Windows File Recovery is Microsoft's command-line recovery app from the Microsoft Store. It works with local storage devices, requires separate source and destination drives, and does not support cloud storage or network file shares.
- 1.Install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store.
- 2.Press the Windows key.
- 3.Type Windows File Recovery.
- 4.Select Windows File Recovery.
- 5.Approve the Yes prompt.
- 6.Run winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches].
For an Excel workbook deleted from Documents on drive C and recovered to drive E, run winfr C: E: /regular /n \Users\<username>\Documents\*.xlsx.
Microsoft lists Windows File Recovery for Windows 11 and Windows 10, and Microsoft lists Windows 10 support as ended on October 14, 2025.
8. Ask an Admin for Work and School Recovery
Managed files have extra recovery layers.
Use the normal recycle bin and version history first.
Ask the site owner or admin to check the admin-only recovery tools.
Teams and SharePoint deleted files: under Chat, go to Channels.
Select the channel.
Open the Shared tab.
Select More options.
Choose Open in SharePoint.
Open Recycle bin.
Hover over the workbook and select the circled check mark in the left column of its row.
Choose Restore.
In SharePoint, users with edit permissions can restore items they or others deleted.
SharePoint version history: open the list or library.
Select the ... menu next to the file.
Choose Version history.
Hover over the date link.
Open the down arrow.
Choose Restore.
Select OK.
SharePoint library restore: go to the document library.
Or from a Teams channel, select Files, then More, then Open in SharePoint.
Select Settings.
Choose Restore this library.
Google Workspace Drive restore: ask an admin to open the Google Admin console.
Go to Menu, then Directory, then Users.
Point to the user.
Open More options.
Select Restore data.
Choose the date range that includes the trash-empty date.
Select Drive in the Application dropdown.
Choose Restore.
Google Workspace admins can restore Drive data within 25 days after a user empties Trash, but this admin tool does not restore individual files or folders one by one.
Box after Trash is purged: contact Box Product Support immediately.
Box documents a 14-day post-purge grace period for paying customers; the Free Individual plan is not included.
Box admins can also use Content Manager for files preserved by Legal Hold or Retention rules.
9. Set Up Excel Protection for Next Time
Once the workbook is back, fix the settings that make the next recovery easier.
Excel AutoRecover on Windows: open File.
Select Options.
Choose Save.
Under Save workbooks, check Save AutoRecover information every.
Enter the minutes.
Set the AutoRecover file location.
Make sure Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only is unchecked.
Microsoft's default interval is 10 minutes.
Microsoft 365 AutoSave: save or open the workbook directly from OneDrive or SharePoint.
Select File.
Choose Save As.
Select your OneDrive personal, work, or school account.
Pick a subfolder.
Enter a file name.
Select Save.
Confirm the AutoSave toggle is on in the top-left app header.
CSV files are not supported.
Excel backup copy on Windows: open File.
Choose Save As.
Select Computer.
Choose Browse.
Open Tools.
Select General Options.
Check Always create backup.
AutoSave is for Microsoft 365 Excel files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Local files use AutoRecover, and AutoRecover protects against crashes rather than every deliberate close without saving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Excel recover a file I never saved?
Yes. In Excel desktop, use File, Info, Manage Document, Recover Unsaved Workbooks, then open the file and save it. On Mac, check Excel's AutoRecover folder and save the file immediately.
Where should I look first for a deleted Excel file?
Check the place where it was deleted. Local Windows files go to Recycle Bin, local Mac files go to Trash, and cloud files go to that service's recycle bin, trash, deleted files area, or recently deleted area.
How long do deleted Excel files stay in OneDrive?
Personal OneDrive keeps deleted items in the OneDrive Recycle Bin for 30 days. Work and school OneDrive items are kept for 93 days unless an admin changed the setting.
Can I recover an Excel file after emptying Recycle Bin or Trash?
Use File History on Windows or Time Machine on Mac if a backup existed before deletion. On Windows local drives, Microsoft Windows File Recovery is another option. It does not work for cloud storage or network file shares.
Are AutoSave and AutoRecover the same thing?
No. AutoSave is for Microsoft 365 Excel files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. AutoRecover protects local Excel workbooks during crashes and uses the AutoRecover settings in Excel.
