Why an Excel Recovered File Is Smaller Than the Original
Question details
The user is trying to understand why a recovered Excel workbook is significantly smaller in file size (e.g., 373 KB) compared to the original file (1.17 MB) after using recovery methods.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to restore a crashed, unsaved, or corrupted Excel file using the Document Recovery feature or Version History.
- Observed behavior
- The recovered file generated by Excel is drastically smaller than the original workbook, indicating that the recovery process yielded an earlier or incomplete state of the file.
Ensure you do not immediately overwrite the original file with the smaller recovered version. Make a separate backup copy of both the original file and the recovered file before attempting any further repair steps.
Check Version History and Utilize the Original File
If the original file can still be opened, it is recommended to use it rather than the incomplete AutoRecovered version.
A recovered file is often smaller because it represents an earlier snapshot of your work before additional data or complex formatting was saved. If you rely on AutoRecover, it only captures changes at specific intervals.
Navigate to the local folder, OneDrive, or SharePoint directory where your original Excel workbook is stored.
Right-click the file and select 'Version History' (if using OneDrive or SharePoint) to see if a more complete, recent version is available to restore.
Open the original file in Excel to see if it functions correctly. If it opens without errors and contains more data than the recovered file, discard the smaller recovered file.
To prevent future data loss, toggle on 'AutoSave' in the top-left corner of Excel or manually use the Save command (Ctrl + S) frequently.
Use the Open and Repair Feature
Attempt to fix the larger original file if it refuses to open, rather than settling for the incomplete data in the smaller recovered file.
Prevent Data Loss with WPS Office's Smart Backup
If Microsoft Excel's recovery features frequently result in incomplete or corrupted files, consider switching to WPS Office. It offers an intuitive interface, robust local and cloud backup features, and seamless compatibility with Microsoft Excel formats, ensuring your spreadsheets remain intact and secure.
- 1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your computer or mobile device.
- 2. Open Your Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Spreadsheets and open your existing Excel (.xlsx or .xlsb) files directly without losing any formatting.
- 3. Enable Smart Backup: Go to Menu > Settings > Backup Setting to configure automatic local backups, giving you an exact copy of your file at regular intervals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does AutoRecover save an incomplete version of my spreadsheet?
AutoRecover saves your workbook at predefined intervals (e.g., every 10 minutes). If Excel crashes before the next interval, any data, complex formatting, or images added since the last AutoRecover save will not be included, resulting in a noticeably smaller file.
Can I recover the missing data directly from the smaller recovered file?
No. If the data or formatting is missing from the recovered file, it cannot be extracted from it. You will need to check OneDrive or SharePoint version history for a more recent snapshot, or attempt to repair the original file.
Does saving in XLSB format affect file recovery and size?
XLSB (Excel Binary Workbook) is highly optimized and naturally smaller than XLSX formats. However, if the recovered XLSB is drastically smaller than your original XLSB (e.g., 373 KB vs. 1.17 MB), it indicates that significant data is missing due to an incomplete save, rather than just format compression.
