Finding an unsaved Excel file can be very upsetting, especially if you have a lot of other Office work to do. We will talk about many ways to help you find lost Excel files in this detailed guide.
Part 1: Best way to recover unsaved Excel files
WinfrGUI is a user-friendly data recovery freeware designed specifically to fix disappointments caused by mistaken clicks in Excel. It serves as a graphical interface for Windows file recovery and is provided free of charge by Microsoft Corporation.
Here’s how WinfrGUI can help you recover unsaved Excel files:
- Enable WinfrGUI: Open the Winfr GUI application on your Windows PC.
- Drive Selection: Select the disk where you lost your Excel files. WinfrGUI supports recovery from various storage devices including internal and external USB drives, flash disks, SD cards and NAS storage units.
- File Scan: Allows WinfrGUI to scan the selected drive to find missing or deleted Excel files. It will perform a thorough search and compile a list of recovered files.
- Show sample and select: It takes a while to view the recovered file. This procedure will confirm your identification.
- Recover: After selecting an Excel file and clicking on the “Recover” button, select a system location to save the recovered file.
Sit down and relax while WinfrGUI does the recovery process. Once completed, your Excel files will be safely restored to the specified location.
Part 2: How to replace editing unsaved Excel files by mistake
In addition to WinfrGUI, there are many other ways you can try to recover unsaved Excel files. Search for the following options:
Method 1: Rapidly save unsaved Excel files from the recovered file display.
Here is the main way to recover unsaved Excel files. Follow these steps:
- Open Excel and click “File” and then “Open”.
- Click on “Last” and then select “Show recovered files” to view all unsaved files.
- Rename and save desired files。
Method 2: Quickly restore unsaved Excel files from Temp files
Microsoft Office has a “automatic recovery” feature that saves files without saving records manually. Temporary files are stored in separate folders depending on the version of Windows. Here are some examples:
- Windows 10: C:\Users\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\unsaved files
- Windows 8/7/Vista: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\Unsaved file
- Windows XP: C:\Documents & Settings\User Name\Local Settings \Application Information\Microsoft\Office\Unsaved Files
Temporary file names usually include tiles (~) to refer to temporary storage. These files save hard drive space.
Method 3: Recovery using automatic saving in Excel
AutoSave and AutoRecover assist retrieve unsaved data. AutoSaver automatically saves Excel files at regular intervals, while autoRecover restores them after system shutdown or failure. Use this feature by following these steps:
- Click File > Open > Last in Excel.
- Search “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” or equivalent options for your Windows version.
- Visit the website to find the Excel file.
Method 4: Recover unsaved files from most recent workbook options in Excel
- Again, go to File > Open > Recent Workbooks > Recover Unsaved Workbooks. The dialog will appear.
- Select the desired file and save it.
Method 5: Search for unsaved Excel files after clicking “Save” instead of “Don’t Save” in previous versions.
If you want to search for previous unsaved versions of edited Excel workbooks, follow these steps:
- Open an existing Excel file
- In the document recovery window, you will see a list of unsaved documents. Click on any name to load the file.
- Rename files as desired
Method 6: Recover Excel Files from OneDrive and Dropbox
Both OneDrive and Dropbox have cloud storage solutions where you can save your work and access it from anywhere. Here’s how you can recover your lost Excel files using these platforms:
OneDrive Recovery:
- Go to https://onedrive.live.com
- Log in or create a Microsoft account
- Discover the OneDrive interface and find the desired Excel file
Dropbox Recovery:
- Go to http://dropbox.com
- Log in or create a Dropbox account
- Find the Excel file you want.
- Once found, select the file and click the Download button.
- Open the file and happy to find your missing Excel file.
Part 3: Frequently Asked Questions About “Don’t Save” Error Click in Excel
Q: How do I enable the automatic saving and recovery function?
A: To make sure your Excel files are saved automatically and follow existing recovery options, follow these steps:
- Click “Files”>”Options” and go to the “Save” tab.
- Enables both “Automatic storage of OneDrive and SharePoint Online files” and “AutoRecover every X minutes”.
Q: Can I make a backup of the saved Excel file?
A: Yes. You can enable automatic backup for your workbook by following the following steps:
- Go to “File”>”Save as” and click “Browse” to open the Log As dialog.
- In the dialog, click the “Tools” option. (located in the lower right part).
- Click on “General Options” and check the “Always Create Backup” option in the dialog.
- Click OK and save the file to the desired folder or location.
>>Read Also: 7 Fixes to Accidentally Clicked Don’t Save Excel Issue
Conclusion
In conclusion, we provided seven ways to recover unsaved Excel files after clicking “do not save”. WinfrGUI has an easy-to-use interface and simplifies recovery, thus we prefer it over the other 6 methods. Following these methods will help you find your valuable Excel files.
