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Missing Excel File

James Longland 0 Reputation points
2026-05-11T19:23:27.7933333+00:00

An excel file I was working on last week has disappeared. Tried all the usual methods such as recycle bin and even restored my one drive to the previous week but still cannot see the file. I am desperate to find the file and need help trying to locate it please.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
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  1. Ferdinand Nanalig 29,360 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-12T05:38:00.8166667+00:00

    Hi! Let me help you.

    Please try these steps;

    Search Using File Explorer.

    Open File Explorer.

    Click This PC.

    Open the C: drive.

    In the search box (top-right corner), type:

    *.xlsx

    This searches for all modern Excel files.

    You can also search for older Excel formats:

    *.xls

    Or search both:

    .xls

    To search by filename

    If you remember part of the filename:

    budget*.xlsx

    or

    report

    If that didn't work, try the deep search.

    Inside the search box on C:, use:

    kind:=spreadsheet

    Then:

    Click the Search tab.

    Select:

    All subfolders

    Hidden items

    Wait for indexing/search to finish.

    This may take time, depending on drive size.

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  2. Craig Long 17,830 Reputation points
    2026-05-11T20:41:07.9266667+00:00

    In Excel, did you try Open > Recover unsaved Workbooks?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EEegd_frzE

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