Excel saved my spreadsheet yesterday back to 3/15/26

David Rader 0 Reputation points
2026-08-31T18:17:13.2033333+00:00

When I saved my spreadsheet yesterday and reopened it this morning all information after 3/15/26 was gone. What do I do?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | MacOS
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  1. Kai-H 26,135 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-01T09:36:25.83+00:00

    Hi, David Rader

    This can happen if Excel saved a temporary file incorrectly, opened a different copy of the workbook, or the folder was restored from an older backup. Avoid saving over the current file until you finish checking.

    Besides the solutions provided by the Q&A Assist, here are some suggestions you can try: 

    In Excel, open File > Open > Recent. Point to the workbook and check the full file path. Make sure you are opening the expected copy, especially if the file exists on OneDrive, a USB drive, or another folder.

    Search the computer for the workbook name and *.xlsx, then sort the results by Date modified. Open any recently modified copy and immediately save it under a different name.

    Check the folder containing the workbook for unusually named temporary files created yesterday. Excel creates a temporary file in the destination folder while saving, and an interrupted save may leave that file behind.

    If Windows File History or another backup program was enabled, right-select the folder containing the workbook, choose Properties > Previous Versions, and check yesterday’s folder copy.

    If none contains the missing information, the changes may not have completed the save process and may no longer be recoverable.

    Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-31T18:17:28.1266667+00:00

    Try these recovery paths in order:

    1. Restore an earlier version from Version History
      • If the file is stored in OneDrive, go to the folder where the Excel file is stored.
      • Right-click the file and select Version history.
      • If needed in OneDrive, select OneDrive > Version history.
      • Review the dated versions, choose one from before the rollback, select the three dots next to it, and select Restore.
      • This replaces the current file with that earlier version, so changes made after that version will be lost.
    2. Check Excel for recovered or previous versions
      • Open the file in Excel.
      • Go to File > Info.
      • Under Manage Workbook, look for a version labeled (when I closed without saving).
      • Open it and select Restore if it contains the missing work.
    3. Check for unsaved recovery copies
      • In Excel, go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
      • Open any candidate file.
      • If it contains the missing data, use Save As to save it as a separate file.
    4. If AutoSave saved unwanted changes, roll back using Version History
      • At the top of the file window, click the filename, then Version History.
      • Open an earlier version and use Restore if it is the last good copy.
    5. If the workbook appears corrupted after reopening
      • In Excel, go to File > Open.
      • Double-click the workbook name.
      • Click Yes to reopen it to the last saved version.
      • This discards changes after the last good save.

    If the missing work is not present in Version History, Manage Workbook, or Recover Unsaved Workbooks, the context does not provide another supported recovery method.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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