Reversing a save in Excel means restoring a previous version of a spreadsheet after unintended changes have been made and saved. Users may want to reverse a save in Excel for several reasons:
To recover lost data or formatting: If a user accidentally deletes or overwrites important data or formatting in a spreadsheet, reversing to an earlier save can restore the spreadsheet to a previous state before those changes.
To undo unwanted edits: If someone else edits the user’s spreadsheet and makes unwanted changes that get saved, the user may want to go back to their own previous version.
To revert broken workflows: Sometimes workflows or formulas can break in complicated spreadsheets after editing. Reverting allows the user to go back to a working version.
To cancel incorrectly saved changes: If a user saves changes that are incorrect or problematic, reversing the save brings the spreadsheet back to a known good state.
Overall, the ability to reverse saves gives users important protection against accidental or unintended changes to their spreadsheets.
When You Can Reverse a Save
There are a few situations where you may be able to reverse a save in Excel and recover a previous version of your file:
If you have the AutoRecover feature enabled, Excel will automatically save versions of your file as you work. You can access these AutoRecover files to restore an earlier version before your changes. AutoRecover saves files every 10 minutes by default, so you can roll back to a version within the last 10 minutes (source).
Excel’s Version History allows you to view or restore previous versions that were manually saved. You can revert to an older version before you made changes that you want to undo. Version History retains the last 25 saves by default (source).
If you have backups of your Excel file, you may be able to restore from a previous backup copy before the changes you want to reverse. This lets you roll back your file to the state it was in when the backup was made.
These are the main scenarios where you can reverse a save in Excel, provided the previous file versions are still available.
Recovering Earlier Versions
If you have automatic backup or file history enabled, you can retrieve previous versions of an Excel file to reverse changes. Excel’s AutoRecover feature saves versions of a file every few minutes so you can restore an earlier copy if needed.
To restore an earlier version in Excel 2016 or later:
- Go to File > Info > Manage Versions.
- Under Versions, you will see a list of automatically saved versions. Click the version you want to restore.
- Click Restore to replace the current version with the earlier one. Make sure to rename the file if needed.
For Excel 2013 and earlier, the steps are:
- Go to File > Info > Previous Versions.
- Select the version to restore and click Restore.
This allows you to roll back changes to recover unsaved work or reverse accidental saves over important data. Just be aware restoring an earlier version will overwrite the current file.
Using AutoRecover Files
One way to recover unsaved changes in Excel is to locate and open the AutoRecover files that Excel automatically creates. By default, Excel saves your workbook’s changes to an AutoRecover file every 10 minutes while the file is open. You can then use this AutoRecover file to restore lost data if you forgot to save your changes or your Excel crashed before saving.
To restore data from an AutoRecover file in Excel:
- Open Excel and click File > Open.
- Click the “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” option at the bottom of the Open panel.
- This will display a list of available AutoRecover files. Look for the one with the name of your unsaved workbook.
- Select the AutoRecover file and click Open. This will create a new workbook with your recovered data.
The AutoRecover data may not be complete, depending on when the last AutoRecover save happened. But it can restore a significant portion of your unsaved changes. You can adjust the AutoRecover save frequency in Excel’s Options to maximize recoverability.
For more details, see this helpful Microsoft support article: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/recover-an-earlier-version-of-an-office-file-169cb166-e7e2-438e-8f39-9a8927828121
Reverting to a Backup Copy
If you have a backup copy of the Excel file saved on your computer, external drive, or cloud storage, you can restore the file from that backup to revert to an earlier version. Here are the steps:
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the location where your backup files are stored.
- Find the backup copy of the Excel file you want to restore. The file name will typically include the date or timestamp of when it was backed up.
- Copy or move the backup file to a convenient location like your Desktop.
- Open the backup copy of the Excel file. This will open the earlier version.
- Go to File > Save As and save the file with the original name, replacing the existing file if prompted.
Now when you open the Excel file, it will be reverted to the earlier version from your backup. Just be sure not to overwrite your only backup copy in case you need to restore again.
To automate backups, use File History on Windows or Time Machine on Mac. Or use cloud backup services like OneDrive, Dropbox or Google Drive which can version and restore files.
Undoing Saves with Version History
One way to restore an earlier version of an Excel file is by using the version history feature. This allows you to view, compare, and restore previous versions that were automatically saved by Excel.
To access version history in Excel:
- Open the Excel file you want to restore an older version of.
- Click on the File tab and select Info.
- In the Info pane on the right, click the Manage Versions button.
- A version history panel will open on the right showing all auto-saved versions. Click on a version to preview it.
From the version history panel you can also compare versions side-by-side. To restore an older version, click on the version you want, then click Restore to replace your current file.
Version history allows you to easily view and restore previously saved versions without needing a backup. However, it only shows versions that were auto-saved by Excel, not manual saves. It’s limited compared to other recovery options.
Learn more about using version history in Excel at Microsoft’s support site.
Other Recovery Options
In addition to using Excel’s automatic file recovery tools, you may be able to recover previous versions of your Excel files through SharePoint or OneDrive, if you have those services available.
Both SharePoint and OneDrive retain previous versions of files you store there, allowing you to restore an older version if needed. The number of previous versions retained and how far back you can restore depends on the specific SharePoint or OneDrive plan you have.
In SharePoint, you can access a document’s version history and restore an earlier version. Just go to the library where it’s stored, select the file, and under the Files tab choose Version History. Click on the version you want to restore and select Restore.
Similarly, in OneDrive you can view a file’s version history and restore an older version. Right-click on the file, choose Version History, and then click on Restore next to the version you want to roll back to.
So if you overwrote an Excel file stored in SharePoint or OneDrive, check the version history as you may be able to restore a previous version. Just keep in mind version history settings and retention policies that dictate how far back you can recover.
When You Cannot Reverse a Save
In some cases, it may not be possible to recover an overwritten Excel file if certain precautions were not taken. Here are some scenarios where recovering the data is likely impossible:
No backups exist of the file. If you did not have any automatic backup copies through AutoRecover or Version History, and you did not manually back up the file elsewhere, then there are no earlier versions to restore after overwriting the data.
The file was saved to a non-recoverable location. If you saved the overwritten file to a temporary location or external drive that is now disconnected, it can be difficult or impossible to find and recover the file.
Too much time has passed. The longer it takes to try recovering an overwritten file, the lower the chances of recovery. This is because new data may continue to overwrite the old data you want to retrieve.
The file was permanently deleted. If you deleted the overwritten file you want to restore from the Recycle Bin or performed a permanent delete, recovering it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible without advanced data recovery methods.
The hard drive is physically damaged. If the drive where the overwritten data was stored has failed, is corrupted, or is physically damaged, recovering the lost Excel file is likely impossible without expensive data recovery services.
Recovery software cannot find the file. If you have tried recovery software tools but they do not detect the overwritten file, it may mean the original data is overwritten to an unrecoverable state.
As you can see, taking preventative measures like regular backups and using version history features are key to ensuring you can reverse accidental file overwrites in Excel. Without those protections in place beforehand, recovering lost data after it has been overwritten can quickly become impossible.
Best Practices
To avoid losing your work in Excel when you forget to save or make a mistake, it’s important to utilize the various autosave, versioning, and backup features that Excel provides. Here are some best practices to follow:
- Enable AutoRecover by going to File > Options > Save and checking the “Save AutoRecover information” box. This will save versions of your file at set intervals in case Excel crashes. You can access AutoRecover files from the Document Recovery pane when you restart Excel after a crash. See this Microsoft support article for details.
- Turn on Version History by going to File > Info > Version History > Enable. This tracks changes over time so you can restore to an older version. Save versions are created when you manually save the file.
- Set up an AutoSave location under File > Options > Save to automatically backup your file to OneDrive or SharePoint. Older autosaved versions are available via File > Info > Manage Versions.
- Manually save your work frequently and use descriptive file names that indicate dates or versions (e.g. “budget forecast August 2022 v2”).
- Consider co-authoring features to collaborate with others. See Microsoft’s co-authoring guidelines.
Following these tips will help ensure your work is regularly saved and allow you to restore earlier versions if needed. Just be aware version history and autorecover options are limited compared to true backups.
Conclusion
Reversing saves in Excel can be extremely useful in recovering lost work or retrieving previous versions of a file. The key points covered in this guide were:
-
Using the AutoRecover files to restore unsaved changes when Excel closes unexpectedly.
-
Reverting to an earlier backup copy if you have unintentionally overwritten important data.
-
Leveraging the Version History feature to undo unwanted changes after saving.
-
Recovery options like AutoSave and the temporary undo file to rescue in-progress work.
While recovering an overwritten file is not always possible, following best practices like enabling AutoRecover, manually saving versions, and backing up files can help minimize data loss. Understanding how to reverse saves in Excel saves time and frustration when recovering from errors or unwanted changes.