How to find a deleted excel sheet

Jordan Frangipani 0 Reputation points
2026-09-12T13:59:04.7466667+00:00

I was working on an excel sheet on my personal email and it was having me manually press save every time. My computer updated and all of my work deleted and it went back to the first day u created it with none of my work there. How can I find this work?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. John Jefferson Doyon 87,160 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-12T15:04:21.06+00:00

    I do not think it saved to one drive. I manually saved the excel and then during the update it closed and deleted. There is no version history available. I was accessing this excel sheet through the excel app on my Mac. I’m not sure if that’s what the issue was or what.

    Thanks, that helps. The steps I gave earlier were for Windows because the question was posted under Windows.

    Since you were actually using Excel on a Mac and the file was not saved to OneDrive, try this instead:

    If you haven't tried it yet, first, check Excel's AutoRecovery folder:

    • Open Finder.
    • Click "Go" > "Go to Folder," or press Shift + Command + G.
    • Paste this path:

    ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft

    Look for an Excel recovery file with a date around the time the Mac updated. If you find one, open it and immediately use "Save As" to save a separate copy.

    Also, when you reopened Excel after the update, did it show any "Document Recovery" files?

    To help narrow this down:

    1. Where was the original Excel file saved on the Mac: Documents, Desktop, Downloads, or somewhere else?
    2. What "Date Modified" does the original file show in Finder?
    3. Do you see anything recent in the AutoRecovery folder?

    Thanks!

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  2. John Jefferson Doyon 87,160 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-12T14:45:41.5366667+00:00

    Hi, @Jordan Frangipani

    If you haven't tried it yet, first, open Excel and go to "File" > "Info" > "Manage Workbook" > "Recover Unsaved Workbooks." Check whether a newer copy appears there.

    If the file was saved in OneDrive, also open OneDrive on the web, locate the Excel file, right-click it, and check "Version history." You may be able to restore the version from before the Windows update.

    If the work is still missing, to help narrow down the issue:

    1. Was the Excel file saved in OneDrive, your Documents folder, Desktop, or somewhere else?
    2. When you open the file now, does "Version History" show any newer versions?
    3. Did Excel close unexpectedly during the Windows update, or did you manually save the file before the update started?

    Click "Add comment" to let me know.

    Thanks!

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  3. AI answer

    2026-09-12T13:59:18.81+00:00

    Try these recovery paths in order:

    1. Open Excel again and check Document Recovery. If Excel closed unexpectedly during the update, the next time Excel opens it may show Document Recovery with recovered versions. Open the most recent version, then use Save As immediately.
    2. Check for an unsaved recovered version in Excel. In Excel, go to File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
      • If a file appears, open it.
      • Select Save As to keep it.
    3. If the workbook was previously saved, check available versions. Open the workbook, then go to File > Info. Under Manage Workbook, look for a version labeled (when I closed without saving).
      • Open that version.
      • Select Restore to overwrite the current file, or save it separately first if comparison is needed.
    4. If multiple recovered files appear, choose the newest one. In the Document Recovery pane, review the date and time under each file name. Usually the most recent version contains the latest changes. Use Open/View to inspect it and Save As to keep it.
    5. If the file was stored in OneDrive, check OneDrive recovery options.
      • Open the OneDrive website.
      • Check Recycle bin and restore the file if it was deleted.
      • If the file is still missing, confirm the correct Microsoft account is signed in.
      • If available, use Restore your OneDrive to roll back files and folders from the last 30 days.

    Important limitation: if the workbook was saved back to the older version and no AutoRecover, unsaved workbook, version history, or OneDrive recovery copy exists, the missing edits may no longer be recoverable.

    To help prevent this next time, keep the file in OneDrive or SharePoint and use AutoSave when available.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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