Updated 2026-05-22 · Document Recovery

How to Recover an Unsaved Excel File

If Excel closed, crashed, or your workbook disappeared before you saved it, check Excel's built-in recovery options before searching your folders manually. Excel can recover some unsaved workbooks, earlier versions, and corrupted files, but the right path depends on whether the workbook had ever been saved.

Fastest Recovery Path

Reopen Excel and check for Document Recovery.
Go to File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
Open the most likely workbook.
Save it immediately with Save As.
If the workbook was saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, check Version History.

Recover Unsaved Workbooks

For a workbook that was never saved:

Open Excel.
Select File.
Select Info.
Select Manage Workbook.
Select Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
Open the workbook.
Save it immediately.

If you see more than one recovery file, open them one at a time and compare the contents before deciding which one to keep.

Use Version History for Cloud Files

If the file was stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, AutoSave may have stored versions while you worked. Open the file and check version history. Preview the version before restoring it, because restoring an older version can replace the current workbook.

Check Unsaved Changes in Microsoft 365

In Excel for Windows on Microsoft 365, Excel may show an Unsaved Changes pane for recent edits that did not save to the cloud. This is especially relevant when changes were waiting to upload.

The pane may not include every type of change. Microsoft notes that some changes, such as formatting, charts, filtering, hidden cells, and PivotTable operations, may not appear there.

If the Workbook Is Corrupted

If the workbook exists but will not open, use Excel's repair option:

Open Excel.
Go to File > Open.
Browse to the workbook.
Select the file.
Use the arrow next to Open and choose Open and Repair.

If repair fails, try extracting data or reverting to a previous version if you have one.

Prevention Settings

Make sure AutoRecover is enabled and that Excel keeps the last autosaved version if you close without saving. For important workbooks, saving to OneDrive or SharePoint can improve recovery options, but it also means AutoSave may preserve unwanted edits unless you use a copy.