How to Find Previous Version of Excel File?

February 27, 2024 (updated May 21, 2024)

By Alison

Finding an earlier version of an Excel file can save lives when unexpected problems occur, such as accidental shutdowns, power failures or program crashes. Fortunately, Excel has features such as AutoRecover, which can help restore unsaved files. In this article we will explore various ways to find previous version of excel file.

5 Methods to Find Previous Version of Excel File on Windows

Method 1: Use Document Recovery Pane in Excel

Here are the steps you need to take to use the document restore window in Microsoft Excel:

Start up Microsoft Excel
Select “Show recovered files” and click on it.
The restored files will be shown in the document recovery panel.

Method 2: Use the Workbook Management Option in Excel.

You can go back to an older version of an Excel file with the Excel Workbook Manager feature. To use this tool to get back files, do the following:

Open up Excel
Press “File” and then “Information.”
Choose Options for Managing Workbooks
“Recover Unsaved Workbooks” should be shown.
Choose the file you want to open, then click Open.
Open the file, then go to the File tab and choose “Save as” to save the list of files.

Method 3: Use File History Properties in Windows

You can get back to older versions of Excel files in Windows by using the “file history” option. But this function needs to be turned on ahead of time. Use it like this:

Select the desired file on your system
Right-click the file and select the Properties tab.
In the dialog, click the previous version selector.
Click on the “Recover Previous Version of Excel File” option.
Select the desired file from the previous version list
Click Open and it’s okay.

Method 4: Use Shadow Copy

Windows has a shadow copy function, which takes photos of documents at different times. This feature can be used to go back to an earlier version of an Excel file. However, it must be enabled before saving a file. Here’s how to recover an earlier Excel file using Shadow Copies:

Right-click the Excel file you want to restore.
Select Properties
Open previous version tab
Click “Recover Previous Version of Excel File”
Select the desired version from the previous version list
Click Open and it’s okay.

Method 5: Use OneDrive Backup

OneDrive has a built-in version history function that allows you to locate previous Excel files. To do this, make sure that automatic saving is enabled before encountering unexpected program shutdowns. Follow these steps:

Go to OneDrive and find the Excel file you want to recover under “My Files”.
Select File. Click on the “” icon and select the “Version History” option.
Select the desired version of the Excel file and click on the “” icon near it.
Select “Restore” to restore the Excel file to its previous version.

Bonus Tip: How to Find Previous Excel/Word Files

If your Excel file has not been overwritten but is missing or removed, special recovery software such as WinfrGUI is available. This tool is known for recovering deleted files and can handle various data loss situations. Follow these steps to use Winfr GUI:

Run WinfrGUI and select the missing drive.
Start the scan by clicking “Find missing information”.
Call the scan result and select the file you want to view first.
Click on “Recover” and select the repository to save the recovered data.

Download WinfrGUI Free

What if the file doesn’t open?

Excel files that can’t be opened may be damaged. A sudden system or program shutdown may harm files. When launched, Microsoft Excel immediately starts file recovery mode to fix corrupted worksheets. If file recover mode fails, Excel’s Open and Repair tool can recover the corrupted workbook. Follow these steps:

Click File > Open
In the Open dialog, select the corrupted workbook.
Click on the arrow on the side of the Open tab and select Open & Repair.
To recover as much data as possible, click Repair.
If the repair failed to recover your data, please click Data Extraction to extract values and formulas from the workbook.

If the open and repair tool is not working, advanced Excel repair software such as WinfrGUI is available. This software specializes in repairing severely damaged Excel files and recovering all data in just a few simple steps.

How to find previous Excel files on Mac

To restore previous versions of Excel files on Mac, you can use the Time Machine backup feature or the Track Changes feature. Here are the steps for each method:

Method 1: Use a time machine

Time Machine is a built-in Mac feature that automatically backups files to restore previous versions of Excel files using Time Machine. Follow these steps:

Select “Enter Time Machine” from the menu bar above.
Try the version of the Excel file and select the file you want to go back to.
Click “Restore” to restore that version.

Method 2: Open Track Change

If you enable the Track Change feature, you can recover Excel files in previous versions on Mac. This feature tracks edits made in the document and allows you to control changes that should be saved or removed. Here’s how to recover older Excel files using the Tracking Change:

Open Excel and go to “Review”
Select “Tracking” and then select “Show Last Marked”. The changes will appear on the right.
Check the changes and return to the previous version of the Excel file if desired.

Conclusion

To sum up, the above-mentioned methods can help you find previous version of excel file in case of file corruption. Microsoft open and repair tools or professional Excel file recovery software such as WinfrGUI are available. These tools guarantee complete data recovery. Remember to download a free version of the software to see what data can be recovered in advance and start the recovery process.