Version History Issues

How to Recover Lost Data in an Excel Collaboration Workbook

Elise Williams Oct 16, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to recover data and edits that disappeared from an Excel workbook shared via Teams or SharePoint due to sync failures.

How to Recover Lost Data in an Excel Collaboration Workbook

Product: Microsoft Excel, Teams, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Collaborating on and editing a shared Excel workbook using Microsoft Teams or SharePoint.
Observed behavior: Recent edits vanish without saving, version history is missing, and conflicting save prompts appear during collaboration.

Before you start

Verify that your internet connection is stable and ensure you are correctly signed into your Microsoft 365 account on the Excel desktop application to prevent further synchronization interruptions.

Solution 1Recommended

Restore Previous Versions from SharePoint Document Library

Use the SharePoint version history feature to locate and restore a previously saved state of the workbook.

When collaborating via Microsoft Teams, the actual files are stored in a connected SharePoint document library. Accessing the file directly through SharePoint provides a robust version history tool that often retains backups even if the Teams interface does not display them correctly.

Open SharePoint Library

Navigate to the Teams channel where the file is stored, click the 'Files' tab, and select 'Open in SharePoint' from the top menu.

Access Version History

In the SharePoint document library, locate your Excel workbook, right-click the file name, and select 'Version History' from the context menu.

Restore or View Version

Review the list of saved versions by date and author. Click the down arrow next to the date of the version you want, and select 'Restore' to replace the current file, or 'View' to open and manually copy the missing data.

Restore Previous Versions from SharePoint Document Library

Data Loss Warning: If the version history is completely empty, it means the changes were never successfully uploaded to the cloud and may not be recoverable.

Solution 2

Contact Microsoft 365 Administrator for Log Investigation

Escalate recurring synchronization failures to your IT administrator to investigate underlying Microsoft 365 connectivity issues.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office for Reliable File Synchronization

If you frequently encounter frustrating synchronization failures and lost data in Microsoft Office, consider making the seamless switch to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative with its own reliable cloud storage and built-in version history to keep your collaborative work safe.

1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website to download and install WPS Office for free on your device.
2. Open Your Files: Launch WPS Spreadsheets and open your existing .xlsx workbooks directly without any formatting loss or complicated import processes.
3. Enable Cloud Sync: Sign in to your WPS account and enable WPS Cloud to automatically back up your files and securely track version history for collaborative projects.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) formatsBuilt-in WPS Cloud for secure, real-time file synchronizationEasily track and restore previous document versionsFree, lightweight, and fast alternative to Microsoft 365

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my Excel changes disappear after several days?

This usually occurs when edits are saved to a local cache but fail to synchronize to SharePoint due to connection drops or account authentication issues. Once the local cache clears or conflicts arise, the unsynced changes disappear from your view.

Can I recover my Excel edits if there is no version history available?

Unfortunately, if no version history exists in the SharePoint document library, it indicates that the changes were never successfully uploaded and synchronized to the server. The data cannot be recovered from the cloud.

Does using the Excel desktop app prevent sync issues?

Using the desktop app provides a more robust editing environment and utilizes the OneDrive sync client, which handles temporary offline editing better than the web app. However, you must still ensure you are correctly signed in and that the sync client is running without errors to prevent data loss.

Document & File Issues