Version History Issues

How to Recover Lost Excel Changes After Choosing Discard Changes

Bushra Parveen Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to recover unsaved changes to an Excel workbook after accidentally selecting 'Discard Changes' following a power outage or connection loss.

How to Recover Lost Excel Changes After Choosing Discard Changes

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A power outage or lost connection interrupted work, and the user accidentally clicked 'Discard Changes' upon reopening the OneDrive-synced file.
Observed behavior: Recent edits to the Excel workbook are missing, and AutoSave does not immediately show a recoverable copy because the changes were explicitly discarded.

Before you start

Ensure you are logged into the Microsoft account linked to your OneDrive and temporarily pause any PC cleaner utilities that might permanently delete system temporary files.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the Recover Unsaved Workbooks Feature in Excel

Excel's built-in recovery tool can sometimes retrieve temporary drafts of files even if changes were accidentally discarded.

When Excel closes unexpectedly, it typically generates an AutoRecover file. Although selecting 'Discard Changes' normally deletes this temporary file, there is a chance a backup draft was retained in the Unsaved Workbooks directory.

Open Excel

Launch the Microsoft Excel application and click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner.

Navigate to Manage Workbook

Select 'Info' from the left-hand menu, then locate and click on the 'Manage Workbook' button.

Recover Unsaved Workbooks

Click 'Recover Unsaved Workbooks' from the dropdown. A file explorer window will open showing any available temporary drafts. Select your file if it appears and click 'Open'.

Save the Document

If the file opens successfully, immediately click 'Save As' to secure the recovered document to a permanent location.

Use the Recover Unsaved Workbooks Feature in Excel

New Workbooks Restriction: If the document was a completely new, unnamed file that had never been saved using 'Save As', AutoSave may not have generated a recoverable copy.

Solution 2

Restore from OneDrive Version History

Since the file was stored on OneDrive with AutoSave enabled, earlier versions of your document might be saved securely in the cloud.

Solution 3

Check the OneDrive Web Recycle Bin

If the temporary AutoSave copy was discarded and subsequently deleted from the server, it might temporarily reside in the OneDrive online Recycle Bin.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did AutoSave not save my new Excel file before the power outage?

If the workbook was completely new and had never been manually saved using 'Save As', Excel may not have established a definitive save path. In this case, AutoSave might fail to create a recoverable cloud copy before the disruption occurred.

Can I recover discarded changes if the Excel file wasn't on OneDrive?

If the file was saved locally instead of on OneDrive, your best chance is checking Excel's 'Recover Unsaved Workbooks' folder. However, deliberately clicking 'Discard Changes' usually instructs Excel to permanently delete the local AutoRecover file.

Where are Excel temporary AutoRecover files stored on my computer?

By default in Windows, local AutoRecover files are typically stored in the hidden AppData folder. You can usually find them by navigating to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\.

Document & File Issues