How to recover recently closed excel file

Imagine you had been working on a really important Workbook for hours and the system crashes. The file is not saved, and you just lost hours of work because you forget to hit the save button.

Table of Contents Show

How to Recover an Unsaved Excel File on a Windows 10/11 PC
Using File History to Recover Excel Files in Windows
How to Recover Unsaved Excel File in Office 365
Understanding the AutoSave Feature in Office 365
How to Recover Unsaved Excel File After a Restart or Crash
Getting Your Excel Workbooks Back
Send To Someone
Missing Device
How do I recover an Excel File that was closed suddenly?
Where do unsaved Excel files go?
How do I find recently worked in Excel?

But what about when you realize that you made a mistake while working on the workbook an hour ago? How do you go back to an older version of the Excel file?

Well, don’t panic because we have compiled together some of the most efficient tips to recover unsaved Excel files and their older versions.

By default, Microsoft provides an AutoRecovery option which can recover files that were saved, but their latest version cannot be accessed because the system or Excel crashed.

Configure the AutoRecover Settings in Excel

Go to the File tab and click on Options
Click on the Save tab
Make sure both ‘Save AutoRecover information every Z minutes’ and Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving’ are checked. You can also keep the autorecover duration to the smallest to make sure every file is saved
Click on OK

After this, whenever you open Excel after a crash, you will be able to see the files that can be autorecovered. But, this only applies to files that have been saved at least once. For files that haven’t been saved at all, follow the steps in the next section.

Recover unsaved Excel file

In order to recover an Excel file that you forget to save, follow the steps below

Go to the file tab and click on ‘Open’
Now click on the Recent Workbooks option on the top left
Now scroll to the bottom and click on ‘Recover Unsaved Workbooks’ button
Scroll through the list and search for the file you lost.
Double-click on it to open it
The document will open in Excel, now all you have to do is hit the Save As button

Recover overwritten Excel files

If you are using Excel 2010 or 2013, then you can easily recover an older version of the document. It is extremely helpful if you made a mistake on the Workbook and realized it late or you just want to see what the workbook looked like before.

To do this, here are the steps you need to follow

Click on the File tab and select Info
Now click on the manage versions tab. There you will be able to see all the versions that were autosaved by Excel

But you can also see these autosaved versions until you have saved the file. Once the current version of the file has been saved, all the previous autosaved files will disappear. To save them, you need to take the backup of the file.

Saving a backup of Excel file

Taking a backup of Excel files makes it possible to revisit older versions in case you made a mistake. This can be useful when you hit the save button when you didn’t mean it or when you delete the main original final.

Here is how you can take a backup in Excel 2010 and 2013

Go to the File tab and click on ‘Save as’
Now click on the Browse tab at the bottom
A Save as window will open up. At the bottom of it, there is an option called Tools
Click on Tools and select ‘General options’
In the new Window, check on ‘Always create backup

Now every new Excel file that you create will have a backup file associated with it. But remember that backup Excel files have a different extension – .xlk

Overall, it’s very easy to recover Excel files even when you forgot to save them. All you have to do is not panic and follow the steps we mentioned.

Excel is considered the gold standard of spreadsheet programs. It’s one of the most popular Microsoft tools used by both companies and individuals for storing and processing essential data. That’s why it can be so stressful to lose these valuable entries unexpectedly.

An Excel file can go unsaved for several reasons. Often, it’s a simple mistake of accidentally closing the file without saving changes. Other times, it can be a sudden Excel crash, your laptop battery runs out, or similar issues.

Fortunately, none of these represent a doom scenario, and there are ways to recover the unsaved Excel file with a few easy steps.

How to Recover an Unsaved Excel File on a Windows 10/11 PC

Excel is native to Windows 10 as they’re both created by Microsoft. So, it’s typically the go-to data analysis tool among Windows users. It’s known to be very reliable, so it’s not that surprising that some people forget to save the file as they’re working on it.

While it’s not the best idea, some users work on Excel spreadsheets without ever saving the file until they’re done for the day. But accidentally clicking on “Don’t Save” when closing the file or experiencing a sudden power outage can mean all that work is gone. Or does it?

It’s natural to go into panic mode, but Microsoft has features to mitigate the catastrophe. All Microsoft programs, including Excel, have a built-in recovery system that allows users to retrieve their unsaved files and continue working on them. Here’s how that works:

Create a new Excel workbook and select the File option from the toolbar.
From the left-side pane, select Open followed by Recent.
Find the Recover Unsaved Workbooks button at the bottom and click on it.
Search through the unsaved Workbooks to find the one you need and save it using the Save As function in Excel.

However, there is another way to achieve the same result in Windows. Microsoft programs like Excel save copies of unsaved files at a specific location by default:

“C:\Users\[YourSystemName]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles”

You can search this folder directly and open an unsaved copy of the file in a browser. There will also be a “Save As” option in the notification bar of the browser, which you can use.

Using File History to Recover Excel Files in Windows

For Windows 10 users, there is another route to restoring unsaved Excel files. Windows 10 has a native system facility called File History, and it’s pretty easy to use. Here’s how it works:

Type “Restore file” into the Search bar and click on Restore your files with File History.
Find the unsaved Excel file and click on Restore to to save it to a specific location.

Note: For this method to work, you need to have the correct Windows drive installed. Make sure that you do before relying on File History to recover files in Windows 10/11.

Mac users can benefit from using Excel, too, as there is a version of Microsoft Office written especially for macOS.

If you need to recover a previously unsaved Excel file, there are two ways to do it on your Mac. The first option is to utilize the built-in recovery tool within Excel:

Start a new Excel workbook and navigate to the File option on the toolbar.
From there, select Open > Recent.
Click on Recover Unsaved Workbooks, find the Excel file you’ve lost and then click on the Save option to save the Excel file permanently.

The great news is that Mac users have another option for restoring unsaved Excel files or any other files.

This method requires you to use the Terminal, the command line system in macOS. It’s a relatively simple process and requires the following steps:

On your Mac computer, go to Applications > Utilities.
Now, click on the Terminal app.
Enter the “open $TMPDIR” command, which will open the folder with temporary files.
Select the “TemporaryItems” folder, select the unsaved Excel file and select “Restore.”

You may run into the problem of not being sure which file is the one you’re looking for as the file is unnamed. Checking the date of creation is the easiest and fastest way to find the Excel file. Also, make sure to save the Excel file in a different folder.

How to Recover Unsaved Excel File in Office 365

Some Excel users are happy to work with on-premises Excel versions, but others choose the cloud-based Office 365 version.

When it comes to recovering unsaved Excel files, this subscription-style spreadsheet program works the same as Microsoft Office 2019. So, if you’re dealing with losing an unsaved Excel file, here’s how to get it back:

Open Excel, start a new Workbook, and then go to the File tab.
Select Open followed by Recent.
Click on the Recover Unsaved Workbooks at the very bottom of the window.
Find the unsaved file in the dialog box and make sure to save it in a new location.

Understanding the AutoSave Feature in Office 365

Since Office 365 is cloud-based, users can store their files in OneDrive, the cloud-based storage service that comes with the subscription. One of the best parts of this package is the AutoSave feature available for World, PowerPoint, and Excel.

By utilizing AutoSave, you never have to worry about unsaved files, and everything you work on is automatically being saved on OneDrive. However, you need to make sure you’re signed into your Office 365 account to ensure it works. Here’s what you do from that point:

Open a new Excel Workbook and move the AutoSave button at the top-left corner from Off to On.
You’ll be prompted to save the file in OneDrive. Name the file and click Save.
If you need to check the previous versions of the specific Excel file, tap on the file name at the top of the window and select Browse Version History.
On the right side of the window, you’ll see all the versions of the file, along with who modified it and when.

So, Office 365 not only helps you retain data but also provides a clear overview of every version of the file and its modifications. However, the AutoSave feature will only work if you save the Excel file in OneDrive.

How to Recover Unsaved Excel File After a Restart or Crash

Locating a copy of an unsaved Excel file is relatively easy, as the program creates a helpful backup. But what happens if you’ve saved the file but then your computer crashes?

A lot of things can go wrong, like Excel freezing or your computer restarting unexpectedly. Somehow this always seems to happen at the worst time.

Fortunately, Microsoft Office has a recovery protocol for such occasions. When your computer is back on again, follow these steps:

Open Excel and or any Excel workbook on your computer.
When it opens, you’ll see the Document Recovery pane on the left side.
Find the latest version of the document by checking the time stamp.
Save the Excel file under a new name.

The extent of data loss – how much of the file has been saved – will depend on the AutoRecover setup. You can choose the time interval of the AutoRecover feature by doing the following:

Open an Excel Workbook and go to File.
Select Options and then choose Save from the dialog box.
Check the Save AutoRecover information every X minutes box. Enter the number of minutes you’d like between autosaves in place of the X.
Check the Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving box.

Taking these precautionary steps will ensure that you’ll lose the least amount of data even in case of a crash or restart.

Getting Your Excel Workbooks Back

Working with data in Excel typically requires a lot of concentration and attention to detail. But regardless of the many useful features in the program that prevent it from happening, losing data is sometimes occurs. However, not all need be lost as Microsoft has ensured you can find the unsaved Excel files with a few quick steps.

The Recover Unsaved Workbooks button is a lifesaver and can save you from so much repeat work. However, if you’re subscribed to Office 365, the AutoSave button ensures that every word and number entered is saved even if the computer crashes.

Additionally, make sure to set up the correct customizations when it comes to the AutoRecover feature, as it can minimize the loss of data. Finally, Mac and Windows 10 users have alternative options for file recovery they can also try.

Have you ever lost an unsaved Excel file before? Were you able to get it back? Let us know in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.

Send To Someone

Missing Device

How do I recover an Excel File that was closed suddenly?

Click File > Open. Double-click the name of the workbook that you have open in Excel. Click Yes to reopen the workbook. The workbook opens without any changes you made that might have caused the workbook to become corrupted.

Where do unsaved Excel files go?

Recovering Unsaved Excel Workbooks Go to File > Open and click the Recent option to see all the Excel files that you've previously opened on your desktop or laptop. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see the Recover Unsaved Workbooks button. Click that button, and you'll see a list of unsaved files.

How do I find recently worked in Excel?

Click the File tab. Click Recent. Select the check box to Quickly access this number of recent documents: and choose how many files you want to see. Links to those files will appear above Info in the navigation bar, regardless of where you are in the Backstage View.

recover recently closed excel file