Guide Files and recovery
I closed it without saving and it was three hours of work
It is recoverable far more often than people think. Excel keeps periodic copies of unsaved work, including files that were never saved at all — but only for a while, and only if the settings allowed it.
Open Excel and go to File → Open → Recover Unsaved Workbooks, at the bottom of the recent files list. That folder holds autorecover copies of files never saved. For a file that was saved but has lost recent changes, open it and check File → Info → Manage Workbook for earlier versions. Do this before doing anything else — the copies are deleted on a timer.
What Excel keeps, and for how long
Two different safety nets, and knowing which applies decides where you look.
Autorecover saves a snapshot every ten minutes by default, into a hidden folder. It covers a crash, and it covers closing without saving. For a workbook that was never saved, the copy is kept for four days. For one that was saved at least once, the last autorecover copy is kept when you close without saving — but only if Keep the last autorecovered version if I close without saving is switched on.
Version history applies to files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint. It is far better: proper versions, kept for much longer, restorable in a click. If your file was on OneDrive, start there.
Neither survives a file that was never opened long enough for a snapshot. If you worked for four minutes with a ten-minute interval, there may be nothing.
| What you see | What actually happened | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Closed without saving | Autorecover may hold a copy | File → Open → Recover Unsaved Workbooks |
| Excel crashed | Document Recovery normally appears on restart | Reopen Excel before anything else |
| Saved, but recent changes lost | An earlier version may exist | File → Info → Manage Workbook |
| File is on OneDrive | Full version history is available | Right-click the file → Version history |
| Nothing in the recovery folder | Autorecover was off, or too little time passed | Check the interval setting for next time |
How to recover an unsaved Excel file
Do not create new files first
Every hour that passes and every new file worked on makes recovery less likely. Do this first, before carrying on with anything else.
Recover Unsaved Workbooks
File → Open, then scroll to the very bottom of the recent list and click Recover Unsaved Workbooks. It opens the folder holding autorecover copies of files that were never saved.
They have unhelpful names and are ordered by time. Open the most recent and check it. Save it somewhere sensible immediately.
Check earlier versions of a saved file
For a file that exists but has lost changes, open it and go to File → Info → Manage Workbook. Any autorecover versions are listed there.
The same menu has Recover Unsaved Workbooks as an option, which is the same folder by another route.
Use version history if it is on OneDrive or SharePoint
Far more reliable than autorecover: real versions, kept much longer, restorable in a click. Right-click the file in OneDrive, or open File → Info → Version History in Excel.
This alone is a strong argument for keeping working files in OneDrive or SharePoint rather than on a desktop.
Then fix the settings
File → Options → Save:
- Set Save AutoRecover information every to 5 minutes or less. Ten is the default and it is too long.
- Tick Keep the last autorecovered version if I close without saving. Without it, closing without saving leaves nothing at all.
Everything on this page, as a workbook you can use on your own data
The Excel Data Cleanup Kit — a seven-tab workbook that finds all nine of these faults in a pasted column and hands back a cleaned version, a five-page PDF guide, and a short read-me. Free, no email required.
- Excel-Data-Cleanup-Workbook-Free.xlsx — paste a column, read the diagnosis, take the cleaned output
- Excel-Data-Survival-Guide.pdf — the eight failures, the import routine that prevents them, every formula explained
Plain .xlsx: no macros, no add-ins. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets,
Apple Numbers and LibreOffice Calc.
Where the folder actually is
If the menu route fails, the folder can be opened directly. On Windows it is usually under
%AppData%\Microsoft\Excel\; on a Mac, inside the Library folder under Application
Support. The exact path is shown in File → Options → Save as
AutoRecover file location — copy it from there rather than guessing.
Autorecover is not a backup
It is a crash net. It does not protect against a file being overwritten, deleted, corrupted, or saved over with wrong data. For that you need real versioning — OneDrive, SharePoint, or a backup that runs on its own.
Before doing anything risky
Press Ctrl+S, then Save As with a new name. Ten seconds, and it removes the entire class of problem. Anyone about to run a large delete, a big paste, or a find-and-replace across a workbook should do this by reflex.
Google Sheets does not have this problem
Sheets saves continuously and keeps a full version history under File → Version history, going back months, with named versions if you want them. It is the single biggest practical advantage it has over desktop Excel.
Questions people ask
Can I recover an Excel file I closed without saving?
Often yes. Go to File > Open and click Recover Unsaved Workbooks at the bottom of the recent files list. Do it before doing more work, because the copies are cleaned up on a timer.
How long does Excel keep unsaved files?
Autorecover copies of a workbook that was never saved are kept for four days. For a saved file, the last autorecover version is kept only if the keep-on-close option is enabled.
Where is the autorecover folder?
The exact path is shown in File > Options > Save as AutoRecover file location. Copy it from there rather than guessing, as it differs by version and platform.
What if the file is on OneDrive?
Use version history — right-click the file in OneDrive, or File > Info > Version History. It is far more reliable than autorecover and goes back much further.
How do I make this less likely next time?
In File > Options > Save, reduce the autorecover interval to five minutes and tick 'Keep the last autorecovered version if I close without saving'.
Is autorecover a backup?
No. It is a crash net. It does not protect against a file being overwritten, deleted or saved over with wrong data — that needs real versioning or a separate backup.
Related guides
Take the workbook with you
The Excel Data Cleanup Kit — a seven-tab workbook that finds all nine of these faults in a pasted column and hands back a cleaned version, a five-page PDF guide, and a short read-me. Free, no email required.
- Excel-Data-Cleanup-Workbook-Free.xlsx — paste a column, read the diagnosis, take the cleaned output
- Excel-Data-Survival-Guide.pdf — the eight failures, the import routine that prevents them, every formula explained
Plain .xlsx: no macros, no add-ins. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets,
Apple Numbers and LibreOffice Calc.