Recovery of excel files after deletion
Recovering deleted Excel files can be a fairly simple process if you act quickly and use the right tools. Here are some ways to restore deleted Excel files:
1. Check the trash: If you accidentally deleted your Excel file, the first place to check is your trash on your computer or cloud storage (for example, Dropbox or Google Drive). Open the recycle bin and find your file there. If it is, then just return it to the desktop.
2. Use the "Undo" function: When you click the "Delete" button in a Microsoft Office program (including Excel), you can use the "Undo" command to undo the last step - for example, deleting a file.
3. Previously saved versions: The Microsoft Office program automatically creates backup copies each time a file is saved under a new name or temporary file extension (.tmp). You can ask Windows to show hidden elements of the operating system to access these temporary data.
a) Find the desired directory:
– For Windows 7/8/10: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OfficeUnsavedFiles
– For Mac: /Users/Username/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Office/Office 2011 AutoRecovery
b) In this folder you should see temporary Excel files with the extension .xls or .xlsx. Select the desired one and rename it by adding the correct extension (.xls or .xlsx) to the file name.
4. Use a program to restore data: If none of the previous methods help, you can use specialized software to restore deleted files (for example, Recuva). These programs scan your computer for lost data and can recover deleted Excel files.
It is important to note that the faster you act after accidentally deleting a file, the greater the chances of its successful recovery. Therefore, it is recommended to start the process as soon as possible.