[2025 Guide] How to Recover Unsaved Word Documents on Windows

Apr 09, 2025Amanda Brown

Excel is the best companion to help you deal with data and info graphics. Overwriting an Excel file to keep it to the latest one is very common. However, accidents always come unexpectedly, like Jaffa:

"I make some changes in my Excel file, and saved it over. However, when I realize there are something that I want to keep in the previous Excel file. How can I recover an Excel file I saved over?"

When you realize you want to recover a previous version of Excel file on Windows and Mac, you come to the right place.

Today, we will share you the list of best 6 efficient ways to help you recover an Excel file that is saved over. You can always find the best one to restore the wanted Excel file saved over.

Part 1. Best Solution – Professional Data Recovery Software
Part 2. Recover Overwritten Excel Files on Windows
Part 3. Recover Overwritten Excel Files on Mac

Part 1. Best Solution – Professional Data Recovery Software

In this solution, you need the professional Excel file data recovery tool to help you. Excel File Data Recovery is the reliable hard drive recovery software for Excel 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2013RT and 2016.

It is designed to recover all lost files like office documents from any data loss situations. Only three steps can recover all lost Excel files.

143,182 Downloads

Data Recovery

It recovers Excel from corruption, not responding, crashing, non-working, saved over, etc.
Support Excel recovery in 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016.
Apart from Excel, other document like Word, RTF, TXT, etc. are supported.
Media files like photos, images, videos, audio files are available to the recovery.
You can make Excel recovery on your Windows & Mac
Excel recovery on computer, flash drive, removable drive, memory card, etc. is fully met.

Free DownloadFor Windows

100% Secure. No Ads.

Free DownloadFor macOS

100% Secure. No Ads.

Step 1:

Free download this software to your computer. Install and launch it immediately. In the main interface, pick up the hard disk drive. Click Start Scan.

Free DownloadFor Windows

100% Secure. No Ads.

Free DownloadFor macOS

100% Secure. No Ads.

Step 2:

From the scan result of scan, you can click Document to find XLS or XLSX folder.

Step 3:

Open Excel folder, check the exact Excel file that you need, and click Recover to start to restore the overwritten Excel file to your computer.

If you cannot find the Excel file, you can click Deep Scan to get more Excel files scan.

Part 2. Recover Overwritten Excel Files on Windows

AutoSave

If you don’t want to download any third-party tools, you can try the AutoSave function in Excel. However, this requires

Step 1:

Open the overwritten Excel again.

Step 2:

Click Info under the File option from the top left corner.

Step 3:

Choose a version you want to recover.

Excel Built-in Tool

This method is also doable when you forget to enable AutoSave in Excel.

Step 1:

Open Excel and enter the Info interface. Then, choose Recover Unsaved Workbooks.

Step 2:

Choose an unsaved file and select Open.

Step 3:

Click Save As at the top to save it.

Temp File

Step 1:

Follow this path to locate the Microsoft Office temporary files: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles

Step 2:

Open a file and choose Save As to save it.

Windows Previous Version

If the above methods don’t work, you can try using the Windows Previous Version function to get the content back.

Step 1:

Right-click the Excel and choose Properties.

Step 2:

Switch to the Previous Versions, choose a version you want to restore and choose Restore.

Part 3. Recover Overwritten Excel Files on Mac

After knowing the solutions on Windows, let’s take a look at macOS. We have prepared 2 solutions.

Time Machine

Time Machine is a built-in recovery app developed by Apple to recover files on macOS. Thus, using it can be the easiest and quickest way to recover your files.

Step 1:

Launch the Time Machine on your Mac.

Step 2:

Choose the folder where your overwritten files are.

Step 3:

Select the Restore button to replace the current file.

AutoSave

Step 1:

Follow this path: Finder > Go > Go to Folder.

Step 2:

Enter ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery and choose GO.

Step 3:

Choose the file you want to recover and hit Go.

Conclusion

Here we should make a conclusion that, there are several options to help you recover the Excel file saved over on Windows and Mac. The free solutions are limited to use in some a situation. The first way is regarded as the easiest and highest successful rate.

You can pick up the most suitable one that you need exactly according to your needs.

If you have any questions when you follow the method, do not hesitate to leave your comments below.

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