How to Recover Excel File to Previous 

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To recover excel file to previous version may be necessary if you have mistakenly deleted it or suffered a computer failure. Fortunately, there are different ways to get your information on both Windows and Mac systems. Let’s take a look.

Part 1: How to Recover Excel File to Previous Version in Windows

In Windows, you have several options to recover the last saved version of an Excel file. If something goes wrong, whether you’re saving the file or not. The following solutions can help you recover an earlier version of your Excel files.

Situation 1: Recovering Excel Files Saved in Previous Versions

Using the version history feature provides a quick way to recover excel file to previous version. However, please make sure your auto-saving feature is enabled by following these steps:

  • Click the right mouse button on the Excel file that you wish to restore to the prior version, and then open the file.
  • Make your selection “Restore previous version”
  • When the feature dialog box displays, please navigate through the “Previous Version” section and choose the version that you wish to recover.
  • Simply click the “Restore” button to finish the process.

Scene 2: Recovering Excel files that were not saved in previous versions

If you haven’t saved an Excel file yet, but still want to restore it to a previous version, you can use the “Manage Workbook” feature in Microsoft Excel. Here’s how:

  • For the “Information” option, click the “File” button.
  • Through the use of the down arrow, locate the “Manage Workbook” option.
  • Open the dialog box by selecting the “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” option. It is open
  • Locate the file that you wish to open in Excel, and then click the “Open” button.
  • When you wish to save the recovered Excel files to the location of your choice, use the “Save as” command that is located in the “File” tab. 

Part 2: Recover previous versions of Excel files on Mac

On Mac systems, there are several ways to recover the last saved version of an Excel file. If something is wrong, try two ways:

Situation 1: Recovering Excel files saved in previous versions using temporary items

Like the auto-saving feature, TemporaryItems folders will store Excel files that are still being edited. If you accidentally deleted or lost files, or closed without saving them, you can try searching in the TempororyItems folder by following these steps:

  • Open the Finder and go to “Applications” and then click “Utilities” and “Terminals”.
  • In the terminal input, type “Open $TMPDIR” and press “Return”
  • Open TemporaryItems folder
  • Find the Excel file you want to recover specified by extension ‘.tmp’.
  • Rename extension to ‘. xls’ for compatibility
  • Open file using Microsoft Excel to verify content

Scene 2: Recover Excel files that were not saved through AutoRecover

If you haven’t saved an Excel file, don’t be afraid. You can use the AutoRecover feature to restore previous versions on your Mac by following these steps:

  • Select “Finder” and then click “Go” and select “Go to Folder”.
  • Print the correct path by replacing “~” with your username. This varies depending on your Office version. (2016, 2011, or 2008).
  • Click “to” to access the missing Excel file.
  • Find the previous version of the Excel file you want to recover.
  • Open the file to confirm that it is the correct version.
  • If so, click “Files” and select “Save” to store the files in the directory you want.

Part 3: Recover Excel File to Previous Version in SharePoint

If you use SharePoint to store your Excel file, follow these steps to restore the previous version:

  • Open the library using the Quick Start Bar, or click “View All Website Content” if the ocean’s name does not appear.
  • Right-click the space between the document name and date, then select “Generation History” from the menu.
  • If you can’t find the version history, please click the Ellipsis button. (…) To access it.
  • You will see a version list of your Excel file.
  • Select the version you want to return and click on “Restore”.

Part 4: A Simple and Secure Way to Recover Excel File to Previous Version with WinfrGUI

Professional data recovery programs like WinfrGUI may be ideal if other methods fail. This trustworthy software recovers Excel, video, image, and audio data. Recover earlier Excel files with following steps:

  • Install WinfrGUI on your computer.
  • Choose your Excel file’s directory before rewriting.
  • Click “Start” to scan.
  • Depending on file size, WinfrGUI may take longer to scan.
  • Select “Recover” to save the files after the software receives them.
  • Verify the file before saving. 
Download WinfrGUI Free

Conclusion

In conclusion, you have various ways to recover previous Excel files on both Windows and Mac systems. Do not forget to do it quickly and consider using WinfrGUI for the best results. Don’t let data loss hinder you when recovering Excel. It is possible that older Excel files will need to be restored in the event that data is lost or a computer malfunctions. An explanation of how to recover excel file to previous version is provided in this post for both Windows and Mac users.  

Recover Excel File to Previous Version: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover the Excel file I saved?

Yes. You can recover saved Excel files using the “Recover Previous Version” option or the workbook manager feature.

How can I recover my saved files?

You can recover saved files using the previous version of the application or the workbook management features available in all of the Office apps.

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.

How do I get back to the latest Excel file?

You can recover the most recent version of an Excel file by using options such as “Recover previous version from previous version under properties,” “Restore previous version through Workbook Manager” or “Recovery previous version of a file.TMP “

How to recover previous versions of Excel files on Mac?

On Mac, you can open the file. Go to File > Back to > Show all versions. Select the desired version and click OK.

Also Read: I Accidentally Saved Over a Word Document, What to Do?