6 Solutions to Restore a Previous Version of Excel File in Windows 10

Accidentally overwriting or losing an important Excel file can be frustrating, especially when it contains critical data. Fortunately, Windows 10 offers several ways to recover previous versions of Excel files, whether they were deleted, unsaved, or modified unintentionally. From built-in recovery features like File History, AutoRecover, and Manage Workbook, to cloud-based solutions such as OneDrive Version History, there are multiple methods to retrieve an earlier version of your file. Additionally, if these options aren’t available, third-party recovery tools like WinfrGUI can provide an alternative way to recover lost data.

Is It Possible to Restore a Previous Version of an Excel File?

Absolutely! You can easily retrieve a prior Excel file under specific situations. Most people use Microsoft Office’s ‘Previous Versions’ tool. This feature is only available with File History enabled. To restore a prior Excel file, the appropriate parameters must be activated.

Solution 1. Restore Excel to a Previous Version from AutoRecover

AutoRecover is a great tool for restoring an Excel file without saving it. AutoRecover stores and recovers documents when activated. Enable it using these steps:

Step 1: Enable AutoSave and AutoRecover by navigating to File > Options > Save and selecting both “Save AutoRecover information every X minutes” and “Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving.”

Step 2: Access unsaved files by opening Excel, clicking File > Info, then selecting Recover Unsaved Workbooks under Manage Workbook.

Step 3: Identify the required AutoRecovered file—typically named “AutoRecover Save of [Filename].xlsb”—in the list and open it.

Step 4: Save the recovered file immediately by selecting File > Save As, choosing a secure location, and assigning a new filename to prevent data loss.

Solution 2. Restore Excel to a Previous Version from a .TMP File

Temporary files (.TMP) can sometimes help recover a lost or overwritten Excel file. These files are automatically created by Excel while working on a document and may contain unsaved or previous versions of your work.

Step 1: Open File Explorer and go to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles to locate temporary files with a .TMP extension or names resembling ~Excel[RandomNumbers].tmp.

Step 2: Copy the identified .TMP file to a secure location such as your Desktop to avoid accidental deletion, then right-click it and select Open With > Excel to access its contents.

Step 3: Once the file opens in Excel, immediately save it by choosing File > Save As, selecting .xlsx or .xls format, and storing it in a safe folder to prevent data loss.

Solution 3. Restore Excel to a Previous Version from Version History under Info

If you accidentally overwrite or lose important data in an Excel file, restoring a previous version using the Version History feature under the Info tab is a reliable method, especially when the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint where version tracking is automatic.

Step 1: Open the Excel file you want to recover by launching Excel and navigating to the specific document.

Step 2: Click the File tab, select Info from the left-hand menu, and choose Version History (or in some versions, click Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks) to view available versions.

Step 3: Browse the list of previous versions identified by timestamps, and click on any version to open a preview and verify its contents.

Step 4: After confirming the correct version, click Restore to overwrite the current file or use Save As to create a separate copy without altering the existing file.

Solution 4. Restore Excel to a Previous Version under Properties

If you accidentally overwrote an Excel file, Windows Previous Versions—part of File History or Restore Points—can help you recover an earlier version, provided this feature was enabled on your system.

Step 1: Open File Explorer, navigate to the folder containing your Excel file, and locate the file you wish to restore.

Step 2: Right-click the file, select Properties, and switch to the Previous Versions tab to view any available backups.

Step 3: Review the list of saved versions with timestamps, then select the one that matches the point you want to restore.

Step 4: Click Restore to overwrite the current file with the chosen version, or choose Open or Copy to review or save it to a different location without replacing the existing file.

Solution 5. Restore Excel to a Previous Version via Manage Workbook

If you accidentally closed an Excel file without saving or want to retrieve an earlier version, Excel’s Manage Workbook feature can help recover unsaved files or restore versions saved automatically during editing.

Step 1: Open Excel (even without the original file open), click the File tab in the upper-left corner, and access the file management options.

Step 2: In the Info section, click Manage Workbook, then choose Recover Unsaved Workbooks to find files that weren’t saved, or check under Manage Versions if AutoSave or versioning was enabled.

Step 3: Browse the list of available unsaved or previous versions, select the file you want, and once it opens, go to File > Save As to save it securely to your chosen location.

Solution 6. Restore an Older Version of Excel with WinfrGUI

In unfortunate situations such as mistaken deletion or mysterious disappearance of Excel files, a reliable data recovery tool can save lives. WinfrGUI is a graphical version of Windows File Recovery, which was developed by Microsoft Corporation, which makes the recovery process easier without complicated commands. Here are the features of Winfr GUI:

• Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and other easily erased or missing files.
• Recover files from Windows, USB flash drives, SD cards, external hard drives, etc.
• Repairs unintentional deletion, formatting errors, RAW file system issues, and damage.
• Supports 1000+ data types for photo, video, audio, and document recovery.
• Fast scans and strong security to protect data during recovery. 
• 100% FREE and it will always be!

To recover lost Excel files using WinfrGUI, follow these steps:

• Choose Location: Select the drive with the missing or deleted Excel file in WinfrGUI. Choose the file type to scan in the following window.
• Scan for deleted Excel files: Sit back while WinfrGUI scans the drive for recoverable files.
• See Sample and Recover Deleted Excel Files: Please choose the Excel file you wish to recover from the retrieved files after the scan. Click ‘Recover’ to recover the deleted excel file.

With WinfrGUI, you can say goodbye to the problem of missing Excel files and enjoy the smooth recovery convenience at your fingertips. It could also recover deleted word document in the same way.

FAQs About Previous Version of an Excel File

Q1. Can I recover the Excel file I saved?

Yes, there are some ways to recover saved Excel files:

• Recover Excel to an earlier version from the previous version under Properties
• Recover Excel to a previous version using Manage Workbook

Q2. How can I recover my saved files?

You can recover saved files using an earlier version of the tool or the workbook management features in all of the Office apps.

Q3. Why is there no previous version of my Excel file?

If you could not find an earlier version of your Excel file, it may be because you did not enable the file history property.

Q4. How do I get back to the latest Excel file?

There are several ways to restore your Excel file to the latest version:

• Restore Excel to a previous version from the previous version under Properties
• Restoring Excel to an earlier version through Workbook Manager
• Recovering Excel to previous version from file.TMP

Q5. How to recover previous versions of Excel files on Mac

For Mac users, open the file and go to File > Back to > Find all versions. Select the desired version and click OK.

Conclusion

Losing or accidentally overwriting an important Excel file can be stressful, but as you can see, there are plenty of practical ways to get your data back. From AutoRecover and Version History to File Properties and Manage Workbook, Windows 10 and Excel give you several built-in tools to restore previous versions. If your file was saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, version history makes it even easier. And if these don’t work, tools like WinfrGUI offer a simple, free way to recover lost files without needing to mess with complicated commands. The key is to act quickly and choose the method that fits your situation best—so you can get back to work without missing a beat.

🔗 Also Read: Where Are Excel AutoSave Files Stored? Quick Steps to Find