How to find an excel file that was deleted​?

Losing an Excel file can be a frustrating experience, especially if it contains important data or hours of work. Fortunately, depending on the situation and the tools at your disposal, it may be possible to recover the deleted file. This guide will explore different methods for finding and recovering deleted Excel files, covering everything from built-in features in Microsoft Excel and Windows to third-party software solutions.

1. Excel File Deletion: What Happens When You Delete a File?

Before diving into recovery methods, it’s important to understand what happens when you delete an Excel file. When a file is deleted, it’s typically moved to the Recycle Bin (on Windows) or Trash (on Mac), where it can still be recovered if not permanently deleted. If the file is removed from the Recycle Bin or Trash, the data isn’t immediately lost. Instead, the space occupied by the file is marked as available for new data. This is crucial because if you act quickly, there’s a chance you can recover the deleted file before new data overwrites the space.

2. Check the Recycle Bin or Trash

The first step in recovering a deleted Excel file is to check the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac). Files are usually moved here temporarily before they are permanently deleted.

Windows: Open the Recycle Bin from the desktop or by typing “Recycle Bin” in the Start menu. Look for your Excel file in the list of deleted items. If you find it, right-click on the file and choose “Restore” to return it to its original location.

Mac: Open Trash from the Dock. If you see the Excel file, right-click and select “Put Back” to restore it to its previous location.

3. Search for Excel AutoRecover Files

Microsoft Excel has a built-in AutoRecover feature that automatically saves backup copies of your work at regular intervals. If your file was deleted unexpectedly or the application crashed, there’s a chance the AutoRecover feature might have saved a temporary version of your file.

To check for AutoRecover files:

Windows:

Open Excel and go to the File tab.

Select Open and then choose Recent.

Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select Recover Unsaved Workbooks.

A dialog box will appear showing any available AutoRecovered files. Look for your deleted file and restore it if found.

Mac:

Open Excel and click on File in the menu.

Select Open Recent and check for any unsaved or AutoRecovered versions of your file.

If the file is listed, open it and save it in a new location.

4. Search for Excel Backup Files

If you had the Backup feature enabled for your Excel files, it might have created a backup copy of the file each time you saved it. By default, Excel creates backup copies in the same folder where the original file is stored, but they have a different extension.

Backup files usually have the extension .xlk (for older versions) or .xlsb (for newer versions).

To search for these files, navigate to the folder where your original file was saved and look for any files with the backup extension. You can also search your computer by using the following steps:

Windows:

Open File Explorer and type *.xlk or *.xlsb in the search bar to look for backup files.

Mac:

Use Finder and type *.xlk or *.xlsb in the search bar to find backup files.

If you find any backup files, open them in Excel and save them to a new location.

5. Use Previous Versions (Windows)

Windows has a built-in feature called Previous Versions, which allows you to restore earlier versions of files and folders, including Excel files. If your file was stored in a folder that had File History enabled, you can recover it from a previous version.

To use this feature:

Navigate to the folder where your Excel file was stored.

Right-click on the folder (not the file) and select Restore previous versions.

A list of previous versions of the folder will appear. Look for a version of the folder that contains your deleted Excel file.

Select the version and click Restore to bring back the entire folder or Copy to extract only the deleted Excel file.

6. Check OneDrive or Cloud Backup

If you have been saving your Excel files to OneDrive or another cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud, there’s a high likelihood that your deleted file is backed up and can be restored.

OneDrive:

Go to the OneDrive website and sign in with your Microsoft account.

Navigate to the Recycle Bin on the left-hand side of the page.

Browse for your deleted file, select it, and click Restore.

Google Drive:

Go to the Google Drive website and sign in to your account.

Click on Trash in the left-hand menu.

If your Excel file is there, right-click and choose Restore.

Dropbox:

Open Dropbox in your browser and sign in.

Go to the Deleted Files section under the File tab.

Find your deleted file and select Restore.

7. Use Data Recovery Software

Panda Assistant is a comprehensive data recovery software designed to help users recover lost, deleted, or corrupted files from various storage devices, including hard drives, USB drives, and SD cards. It supports a wide range of file types, from documents and images to videos and emails, making it an ideal solution for both personal and professional data recovery needs.

The software features a user-friendly interface that simplifies the recovery process, making it accessible even to those with limited technical experience. Panda Assistant uses advanced scanning algorithms to identify recoverable files, ensuring a high success rate in file retrieval. It also supports multiple file systems, including NTFS, FAT, and exFAT, ensuring compatibility with both Windows and Mac devices.

8. Recover from a Mac Time Machine Backup (Mac)

For Mac users, Time Machine is an excellent tool for backing up and restoring files. If you use Time Machine to back up your Mac, you can easily recover a deleted Excel file by restoring it from a previous backup.

To restore from Time Machine:

Open the folder where your Excel file was stored.

Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and select Enter Time Machine.

Use the arrows to scroll back in time to find the version of the folder containing the deleted file.

Select the Excel file and click Restore to bring it back to its original location.

9. Use Professional Data Recovery Services

If you have exhausted all other options and still cannot find your deleted Excel file, you may need to turn to professional data recovery services. These services use advanced techniques to recover data from damaged or corrupted hard drives, even when other recovery methods have failed.

Professional data recovery services can be expensive, and success is not always guaranteed. However, if the file is critical and no other options have worked, it may be worth considering.

Some reputable data recovery services include:

DriveSavers

Ontrack

Secure Data Recovery

10. Prevention: How to Avoid Losing Excel Files in the Future

While it’s important to know how to recover a deleted file, it’s equally important to take steps to prevent file loss in the future. Here are some tips to safeguard your Excel files:

Enable AutoSave: In Microsoft Excel, you can enable the AutoSave feature (available with Microsoft 365) to automatically save your work every few minutes.

Use Cloud Storage: Save your Excel files to a cloud service like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox. This ensures that your files are always backed up and can be recovered easily.

Regular Backups: Use Windows File History or Mac Time Machine to create regular backups of your files, including Excel spreadsheets.

Be Cautious with Deletion: Before deleting any file, double-check that you no longer need it. Consider archiving important files to a secondary storage device to keep them safe.