How to restore deleted excel file​？

Restoring a deleted Excel file can be a critical task, especially if the file contains important data. Fortunately, there are multiple methods you can use to recover a deleted or lost Excel file, depending on how the file was lost, your backup strategies, and the specific tools available.

1. Check the Recycle Bin

Before diving into more complex recovery methods, the first place to check is the Recycle Bin. When files are deleted, they are typically moved to the Recycle Bin (on Windows systems) instead of being permanently deleted. Here’s how to restore a deleted Excel file from the Recycle Bin:

Steps:

Open the Recycle Bin: Double-click on the Recycle Bin icon located on your desktop.

Locate the Deleted Excel File: Scroll through the list of deleted items or use the search bar to find the file by name.

Restore the File: Right-click on the Excel file and select “Restore.” The file will be restored to its original location.

If the file is not in the Recycle Bin, it’s likely been permanently deleted, or you may have emptied the bin.

2. Use Excel’s Auto-Recovery Feature

Excel has a built-in Auto-Recovery feature that can help you recover unsaved files or files that were closed unexpectedly. If your Excel file was lost due to a crash or power outage, this feature can often restore a version of the file.

Steps:

Open Excel: Launch Excel, even if it wasn’t open when the file was deleted.

Look for Auto-Recovered Files: In the “Document Recovery” pane that appears on the left (after opening Excel), you may see a list of autosaved versions of the file. These files are stored in temporary locations.

Recover the File: Click on the desired file to open it. Once opened, save it to a new location on your computer to avoid overwriting any existing versions.

If the Document Recovery pane doesn’t show up, it’s possible that Auto-Recovery was not enabled, or no autosaved versions exist for the file.

3. Restore from Backup

If you’ve been diligent about backing up your data, restoring from a backup is often the simplest and most reliable method to recover a deleted Excel file. Most modern operating systems and file management software offer built-in backup tools.

Windows Backup:

Open File Explorer: Go to the folder where your Excel file was stored.

Right-click on the Folder: Select “Restore previous versions.” This will show you a list of available backups for the folder.

Select a Previous Version: Choose a version of the folder from a date before the file was deleted, and click “Restore.” This will restore the entire folder to the previous version, including your Excel file.

Using Cloud Backups:

If you use cloud storage services like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, check the trash or version history within these services to see if a deleted Excel file can be recovered.

OneDrive: Go to the OneDrive website, select the deleted file from the trash, and restore it.

Google Drive: Right-click the file in the trash and select “Restore.”

Dropbox: Go to the Dropbox website, click on the file, and choose “Version History” to restore an earlier version.

4. Check Excel’s Recent Files List

Excel keeps a list of recently opened documents. If you’ve recently opened the deleted file, it might still appear in the “Recent” files list, even though it has been deleted from your computer. You can attempt to open the file from this list and then save it to a new location.

Steps:

Open Excel: Launch Excel.

Click on the “File” Tab: Navigate to the File menu.

Select “Open”: Under the “Open” section, click on “Recent.”

Look for the Deleted File: If the file appears in the recent documents list, click on it to open and save it to a safe location.

5. Use Data Recovery Software

Panda Assistant is a powerful data recovery software designed to help users retrieve lost, deleted, or corrupted files from various types of storage devices. Whether you’re dealing with accidental deletion, system crashes, or data corruption, Panda Assistant provides a user-friendly solution to recover important files from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and more.

The software is designed with a simple interface that makes it easy for both beginners and experienced users to navigate. It offers various recovery modes, including quick scan for recently deleted files and deep scan for more thorough recovery from damaged or formatted storage devices. Panda Assistant also supports a wide range of file formats, including documents, images, videos, audio files, and emails, making it a versatile tool for many data recovery scenarios.

6. Check for Temporary Files

When you work on an Excel file, Excel creates temporary files to back up your progress. These files might be located in hidden folders, so you may be able to locate and recover them manually.

Steps:

Navigate to the Temp Folder: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, then type %temp% and press Enter. This opens the Temp folder.

Search for Temporary Files: Look for files that have the same name or a similar name to the Excel file. They may end with extensions like .tmp or .bak.

Open the Files: Try opening the files in Excel to see if they contain the data you need.

Save the File: If you find the file, save it immediately to a new location and rename it to have an .xlsx extension.

7. Use Previous Versions (Windows)

Windows offers a feature called Previous Versions which allows you to revert to earlier versions of files or folders. This can be particularly helpful if you accidentally deleted the Excel file or overwrote it with an older version.

Steps:

Right-Click on the Folder: Go to the folder that previously contained the Excel file.

Select “Restore Previous Versions”: From the context menu, select “Restore previous versions.”

Choose a Version: If previous versions are available, choose a version from a date before the file was deleted and click “Restore.”

8. Contact a Professional Data Recovery Service

If all else fails, and the file is critical, you can contact a professional data recovery service. These services specialize in recovering data from damaged or corrupted drives and can often recover files that are otherwise inaccessible. However, this option can be expensive, and there’s no guarantee of success.

Steps:

Research Data Recovery Services: Look for a reputable data recovery service in your area or one that operates online.

Send the Drive for Recovery: You may need to send the storage device (hard drive, USB drive, or SD card) to the company.

Receive Recovered Data: If the service is successful, they will return the recovered files, often in a format that you can save and use.

9. Prevent Future Data Loss

To avoid the risk of losing Excel files in the future, it’s essential to set up a good backup and file management strategy. Here are some steps you can take to prevent future file loss:

Enable AutoSave: In Excel, enable the AutoSave feature to automatically save your file every few minutes.

Use Cloud Backup: Consider saving your files to cloud storage services like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox to ensure you have remote backups.

Create Regular Backups: Set up a schedule for regular backups to an external drive or network-attached storage (NAS).

Use Version Control: If you’re working on important documents, consider using version control software like Git to keep track of changes.