[FREE] How to Recover Excel Temporary Files in Windows 10/11

Imagine you're seriously working on an important Excel spreadsheet when you experience a sudden system crash or application failure.

When you reopen Excel, you realize that your temporary files have disappeared into the digital abyss. You start to panic when you think that important data and hours of hard work will be lost. Don't be afraid because we will start recovering your Excel temp files.

Where Are Excel Temporary Files Stored in Windows 10/11?

“Hi, I lost my unsaved Excel due to a failure of my D drive. I know Microsoft Office has an autosave option to retrieve lost temporary files. But where is my temporary Excel file saved and what is the Excel autosave location in Windows 10?

Microsoft Excel creates a temporary file every time you create a new sheet. The most efficient and easiest way to perform Excel temporary file recovery is to go to the default directory where the temporary file is stored. The default directory for storing Excel temporary files is:

• Windows 10/11: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles.
• Windows 8/7/Vista: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles.
• Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles.

How to Recover Excel Temporary Files with Excel Built-in Feature

In Office 2010 and later versions, it is very easy to recover Excel temporary files using Auto Recovery. Here are two ways to recover unsaved Excel files in Windows 10. You can also use these 2 methods to recover unsaved Excel documents from temporary files.

✦ Method 1. Using Recover Unsaved Workbook

Step 1. Open Excel and click "File" > "Open" > "Recent" > "Recover Unsaved Workbook" in the bottom left corner.

Step 2. Select the unsaved file and click the "Open" button. Then, in the pop-up window, select "Save As" to restore it.

✦ Option 2. Using Managing Workbooks

Step 1. Open Excel and click File > Information > Manage Workbooks. Click Restore Unsaved Workbook from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. Select the unsaved file and click the Open button. Then select “Save As” in the pop-up window to restore.

Alternative to Recover Excel files More Easier

In addition to Excel's built-in functionality, you can also recover Excel temporary files through alternative methods. MyRecover will be preferable. It utilizes advanced scanning techs and algorithms to locate and recover deleted files from hard drives. Also, it should be compatible enough to apply to various operating systems.

With it, you don't need to find Excel temporary files from Excel workbooks, you can recover Excel temp files within 3 easy steps.

Step 1. Download and run MyRecover > Find the location and click Scan.

Step 2. Search for target Excel files while scanning.

• Type: include all file types, such as images, videos, documents, mails, webpage, compressed files, etc.
• Date Modified: support today, yesterday, last 7 days, last 30 days, and custom.
• Size: filter file size from less than 128KB to 128KB ~1MB to 1MB ~ 512MB and above, or custom.

Step 3. Select the Excel temp files you need > click Recover x files.

Conclusion

Loss of Excel files happens from time to time, both unsaved and saved documents. If you have lost unsaved Excel documents, you can try to recover them from Excel temporary files.

And if you want to recover unsaved or permanently deleted Excel files, then MyRecover can help you.   Not only a local drive, but it can also apply to an external hard disk, helping you recover files from external hard drives.