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How to Restore an Earlier Version of a Saved Excel File
Question details
The user needs to recover the previous content of an Excel workbook that was accidentally saved with unwanted changes, or identify specific cell edits.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A workbook was saved over with unwanted modifications, and the user wants to revert to an older state.
- Observed behavior
- The user seeks a way to undo the saved changes, restore the file to a previous version, and track which cells were modified prior to the latest save.
Verify whether your Excel file was saved locally on your computer or synced to a cloud service like OneDrive, as this determines which recovery options are available.
Restore an Earlier Version via OneDrive
If your file is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, you can easily access and restore previous versions of the workbook using the built-in Version History feature.
OneDrive automatically saves multiple versions of your working documents. Restoring an earlier version will replace the current file with the selected historical version.
Navigate to the folder on your computer synced with OneDrive, or log into OneDrive via your web browser.
Right-click the affected Excel file and select 'Version history' from the context menu.
Review the list of previous versions by date and time, select the three dots next to the desired version, and click 'Restore'.
Identify Edits Using the Show Changes Feature
Use this feature for cloud-saved files to see exactly which cells were modified before deciding to restore the entire workbook.
Recover Locally Stored Files via Windows File History
If your file was saved only on your local drive without cloud sync, you must rely on Windows File History or a previous manual backup.
Use WPS Office Built-in Backup Center to Easily Restore File Versions
WPS Office automatically backs up your spreadsheets as you work. You can effortlessly retrieve previous versions of your documents through the integrated Backup Center, ensuring you never lose important data due to accidental overwrites.
- 1. Open WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office and open your spreadsheet file.
- 2. Access the Backup Center: Click on 'Menu' in the top-left corner, navigate to 'Backup and Recovery', and select 'Backup Center'.
- 3. Locate Previous Versions: In the Backup Center, look under 'Local Backup' to find the auto-saved versions of your file organized by time.
- 4. Restore the File: Double-click the desired historical version to open it, then save it as your current working copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I restore an earlier version of an Excel file if I don't use OneDrive?
If you don't use OneDrive or SharePoint, you can only restore a previous version if you have enabled the Windows File History feature, utilize a Mac Time Machine backup, or have a separate manual backup of your hard drive.
Why is the 'Show Changes' button grayed out in Excel?
The 'Show Changes' feature is only available for workbooks saved in OneDrive or SharePoint. It is not supported for locally saved files, files containing unsupported features, or older file formats like .xls.
Does Excel AutoRecover save multiple historical versions?
No, Excel AutoRecover is primarily designed to recover files in the event of an unexpected crash or power outage, not to keep a continuous history of your manual saves. For continuous version history, saving the file to OneDrive is required.
How do I turn on Version History for my local files?
Version History natively requires cloud storage (OneDrive/SharePoint). To achieve similar functionality for local drives, you must enable the 'File History' feature in your Windows settings and connect an external drive to continuously back up your files.
