How to Recover Deleted Excel Files?

Whether you’re a working professional, a small business owner, or a student—Excel files are most likely the backbone of data organization, analysis, and record-keeping for all your needs. With those crucial financial reports and budgets at stake, losing your Excel file can be a serious setback. And while a simple delete might just put your file into the Recycle Bin, permanent deletions are trickier.

Accidentally giving the Shift+Delete command, emptying your Recycle Bin, or losing your file due to corruption or formatting are some common reasons, but don’t worry. There still are effective ways to get your permanently deleted Excel files back. In this guide, we’ll walk you through several proven recovery methods that worked for us, no matter the scenario.

What Are the Methods to Recover Permanently Deleted Excel Files?

There are several ways for you to recover your permanently deleted Excel files, even after they’ve been removed from the Recycle Bin. Whether you choose to use built-in Windows features, cloud backups, or third-party recovery tools, there’s one key piece of advice we can give—act quickly before new data overwrites your deleted files!

Now, let’s take a look at some of these recovery methods.

Sr. no.	Method	Description
1	🗑️ Check Recycle Bin	Check if your Excel file is still there. Works only if the file wasn’t permanently deleted (Shift-Deleted).
2	📁 Restore Previous Versions	Right-click the folder where the file was saved and choose “Restore previous versions” if File History is on.
3	☁️ OneDrive/SharePoint Recycle Bin	If you’re using Office 365, Microsoft 365, or Copilot, recover from OneDrive or SharePoint’s Recycle Bin.
4	🔄 System Restore	Roll back your system to an earlier restore point when the Excel file existed. [Note: This may affect other files.]
5	🛠️ Stellar Data Recovery Software	Use Stellar’s Powerful Data Recovery Software to recover permanently deleted Excel files, even after the Recycle Bin is emptied!
6	💻 Command Prompt	Run commands like chkdsk and attrib to locate deleted files caused by disk errors.
7	🧑‍🔧 Data Recovery Services	We highly recommend professional help if DIY solutions fail; ideal for important business-critical files.

If you have tried methods 1 and 2 but still can’t access your files, it’s time to follow the steps given below.

How to Retrieve Deleted Excel Files in Office 365

If you’re using Excel through your Office 365 account, it has built-in options to help you recover recently deleted files from either the application or your cloud storage. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open Microsoft Excel and click on the “File” tab. Select “Open” and go to “Recent.”
   
2. Scroll through the list of recently opened files and look for your deleted Excel file. If it appears, click to open and save it again with Ctrl+S command.

Otherwise, if your files are saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, you can use the cloud Recycle Bin to recover them as follows.

1. Log in to your OneDrive or SharePoint account via your web browser.
2. On the left panel, click on “Recycle Bin.”
3. Search for your deleted Excel file in the list. Select the file and click on “Restore.” It will be restored to its original location.

Restore Deleted Excel Files Using Command Prompt

Command Prompt is a built-in Windows utility that can help recover deleted files by repairing file system errors or displaying hidden files. This method is useful when the Excel file was removed due to system-level issues or file corruption.

1. Type “cmd” in the Windows search bar. Right-click on the Command Prompt icon and run it as Administrator.
   
2. In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk X: /f (replace X with the letter of the drive in which your Excel file was stored; e.g., C, D, E, etc.). Press Enter.
3. If prompted, type Y to confirm and press Enter. Let the scan complete (usually takes 30 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the size of your disk).
4. Now type X: again (with the correct drive letter as before) and hit Enter to move into the drive.
5. Now type attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.* and press Enter. This command shows hidden files and can sometimes reveal deleted data.
6. Browse through the recovered folder paths or newly visible files to find your missing Excel file. If you find it, copy the folder path and search for it in the File Explorer!

If this method doesn’t work, you should take the help of a reliable and powerful tool.

How to Recover Deleted Excel Files With the Help of Stellar Data Recovery Software

In cases of permanent deletion, Stellar Data Recovery Software is your best bet since it’s designed to recover a wide variety of lost files, including Excel spreadsheets, even if they’ve been deleted using Shift+Delete or lost after formatting. Follow these steps to recover your deleted Excel files.

1. Download and Install Stellar Data Recovery Software from the official website.
2. Launch the application and select the file types you want to recover. In this case, choose “Office Documents.” Alternatively, you can also select “All Data” if you’re unsure.
   
3. Select the drive or folder from where you lost the Excel file.
4. Now click “Scan” to begin the search for your deleted Excel files. The scan takes a few minutes, and once it’s complete, you can preview and select the recoverable Excel files.
   
5. From the scan results list, select the Excel file(s) you want to recover and click on “Recover.”
6. You can now save all your recovered spreadsheet files (be sure to save them to a different drive to avoid overwriting lost data!).

[✅ Note: Stellar lets you recover up to 1 GB of data for free! For larger files or unlimited recovery, upgrade to the licensed version. This will help ensure a complete recovery with advanced features like deep scanning and support for multiple file systems.]

Contact Professional Data Recovery Service Provider

If you are apprehensive about using the software and other DIY methods, you should reach out to a professional data recovery service provider. Stellar Data Recovery is one such service provider in India. With over 30 years of experience as the industry leader, an R&D department with 100+ engineers, several teams of certified technicians, the only ISO-certified Class 100 Cleanroom in India, and cutting-edge & proprietary tools & technology, Stellar can successfully tackle even the most delicate data loss issues.

[✅ Note: All of Stellar’s services ensure the strictest levels of confidentiality and follow comprehensive data privacy protocols to make sure your data remains private and secure. Your data is in the best hands!]

How to Prevent Accidental Deletion

In our world of data recovery, there’s a golden principle—prevention is better than cure. Rather than having to go through the hassle of losing and recovering your Excel spreadsheets, here are a few handy tips to prevent losing them in the first place.

1. 🧠 Use Auto-Save: Enable Excel’s Auto-Save feature to ensure your progress keeps getting saved at regular intervals. This helps reduce your risk of data loss if you accidentally close the file without saving it or delete it.
2. 💾 Maintain Backups: Create regular backups of important Excel files. You can use Windows Backup, OneDrive, or third-party backup tools. Having a second copy of your data ensures recovery even if the original is permanently deleted!
3. 🔐 Enable Password Protection: Protect sensitive Excel files with a password to prevent accidental edits or deletions. This is especially helpful if you’re working in a shared environment like an office or when you’re storing files in public folders.
4. ☁️ Store Files on Cloud Services: Use cloud platforms like OneDrive or SharePoint. Cloud storage often has built-in file versioning and a recycle bin, which offer additional ways to recover your Excel files in case of permanent deletion.
5. 🛠️ Turn On File History: Enable File History in Windows. This feature lets you recover older versions of files, even after permanent deletion. It’s a helpful layer of protection against accidental overwrites or removals.

Final Verdict: Deleted Excel Files Can Be Recovered

Losing an Excel file can feel like a disaster—especially when it holds hours of rigorous work and critical business data. But the good news is, it’s not the end. As we’ve shown, there are multiple ways to get it back. You can try built-in Windows tools and cloud recovery options or rely on professional software like Stellar Data Recovery for a more thorough solution!

Remember, the sooner you act, the better your chances are. Also, keep in mind that it is imperative you avoid writing new data to the same drive where the file was stored (to prevent data overwriting). If basic methods don’t work, let Stellar step in. It’s designed to recover lost Excel files efficiently and safely—even in the toughest of scenarios.