Where to See Excel Recovered Files?

Where to see Excel recovered files? This article guides you to locate the unsaved/deleted/lost Excel files using built-in features or data recovery software.

By @Penny Last Updated September 13, 2024

Where are recovered Excel files stored?

   
   
   
       

I was working on my Excel file for the last 10 days but today after making so many recent changes, I accidentally clicked NOT to save it. I lost the data and the time I invested in making the whole report. So is it possible for me to recover unsaved Excel files, and where are recovered Excel files stored?

       

- A user from Bentley Communities

Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft. It provides a more convenient way to process data and organize your work. 

Although data loss has become commonplace in the digital age, it could be difficult for some users to recover unsaved/deleted/lost Excel files. Not to mention to figure out the Excel recovery file location. So where are recovered Excel files stored? Please check them out below.  

Three solutions to find the Excel recovery file location in Windows

Where to see Excel recovered files in Windows? In brief, the destination saved path is determined by the different document recovery solutions.

If you accidentally deleted Excel files, press the “Ctrl + Z” keys to execute the Undo Delete performance at once. And you can go to the original location to find the retrieved Excel files.

If you’ve done other performances after accidental deletion, you can open your Recycle Bin to recover the accidentally/recently deleted Excel files.

Otherwise, you could restore the permanently deleted Excel files with useable backups or data recovery software for Windows.

Solution 1. See the unsaved Excel files using AutoRecover

MS Office released the AutoRecover feature, which could save your Excel spreadsheets at default or customized time intervals.

Please follow these clicks to activate AutoRecover: Start your Excel 2010 and later on your PC, then click “File” > “Save” to tick the “Save AutoRecover information every x minutes” option and the “Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving” option. Please remember to click the “OK” button.

Where to see Excel recovered files? At the moment, please go to Excel recovery file location: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\.

If you prefer a change a destination place, you can modify its location. At the same time, the AutoRecover feature also can help you recover missing Excel files.

Solution 2. See the deleted/lost/damaged Excel files from File History

Where are recovered Excel files stored? If you’ve made backups with Windows features, at this point, you can specify the Excel recovery file location based on your needs. Let’s take File History as an example.

Activating File History or System Restore Point is such a crucial factor when it comes to this method.

Released in Win8.0 operating system, File History is a practical feature to backup files in the Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop folders, and OneDrive offline files stored on the computer. For example, you can use it to recover folders while organizing files you accidentally deleted.

Step 1. Open “Control Panel” by entering it in the search bar and click the “System and Security” option.

Step 2. Under the File History tab, please select the “Restore your files with File History” option.

Step 3. Click the Restore personal files” button.

Step 4. Click “Restore” to save your needed Excel files in the original location.

You can also right-click “Restore” > “Restore to” to store them in your specified saved path.

If you aim to retrieve the Excel documents during the editing process, with File History on, you can restore previous versions of Excel files.

Solution 3. See the recovered Excel files with data recovery software

Users who don’t have backups want to save their recovered Excel files in the designated storage path, consider utilizing data recovery software like MyRecover.   

▶Cater to different users’ needs by providing many flexible functions.

  • Besides HDD, use it to recover the deleted/lost files from portable devices such as SSD, USB, and other storage devices.
  • Recover 200+ types of data: Word, Excel, PPT, Photos, Videos, Audios, Emails, Webpages, and Compressed files.
  • Get the original format for the deleted and lost files.
  • Run Quick Scan and Deep Scan automatically to find all the deleted files and other lost files on your computer.  

▶Compatible with all operating systems.

  • Work well with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server.
  • Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.

▶ Provide a clear graphical user interface and easy-to-follow operating steps.

  • Only three steps can help you out.
  • Handel deletion, disk formatting, or other data loss scenarios.

Download this excellent tool now, and you can specify the Excel recovery file location based on your needs.

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Step 1. Run it on your PC. Then hover the mouse over the disk/partition including your needed Excel files before data loss, and click Scan.

Step 2. During the scanning process, you can search your needed files by entering the filename in the search box. After scanning automatically, the window will show all the deleted files and other missing files.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted files folder, preview, and select some Excel files you want to restore. Then click “Recover x files” and store them in your designated saved path.

If your desired Excel files are lost, please go to the Other missing files folder.

Further reading: How to recover unsaved Excel files on Mac?

How to recover Excel file not saved Mac? Similar to Windows, Mac also permits you to recover unsaved Excel files with AutoRecover or from the Temporary folder.

Let’s take the latter solution as an example. Go to Applications and select Utilities from the menu. Then click the “Terminal” option. Please enter “open $TMPDIR” and press Return to open the Temporary files folder.

Select the TemporaryItems folder and Restore your desired Excel files. Remember to copy them to a new location by changing the extension from tmp to .xls/xlsx.

Wrapping up

Where to see Excel recovered files in Windows? If you want to recover unsaved/deleted/lost Excel files, it’s easy to find the Excel recovery file location with the above methods.

Meanwhile, this passage also offers a method for you to recover unsaved Excel files on Mac. To prevent data loss in the future, you’re supposed to make regular backups using Windows features or free backup software like AOMEI Backupper.