How to Recover Overwritten Excel File with No Previous Version

If you want to know how to recover overwritten Excel file with no previous version, this post will help you. You can follow the clear step instructions to find your Excel file.

Posted by @Lucas November 19, 2024 Updated By @Lucas November 19, 2024

In general, data overwriting occurs in a computer when it continues to store new data on the computer while some files are deleted. It may also occur if you "replace" an existing file with the same name with a new one that you have stored on your computer. Subsequently, how can you retrieve Excel files that have been overwritten on your Windows computer system? This is the reason this article has been composed for you.

How to recover overwritten Excel file in Windows

Now, we prepare 5 ways to recover overwritten Excel files from your Windows computer.

Way 1. Recover overwritten Excel files with Excel built-in tool

If you were unable to locate the necessary files in the temporary location, you may attempt to recover the overwritten Excel files by utilizing the Office feature.

Step 1. Open your Excel and selecting "File".

Step 2. Click the "Info" tab at the left end to decide to "Manage Workbook."

Step 3. Select the option "Recover Unsaved Workbooks".

Step 4. Choose the file in question and click to "Open" it.

Step 5. Recover the overwritten file by selecting "Save As" and completing the process.

Way 2. Recover overwritten Excel files from Temp

If you have not saved your Excel file, Office generates a transient version of the file as a backup as you work on it. It is important to note that these transient files will not replace your previous files. However, if you save the Excel and overwrite some files, you will be able to locate them in the temporary files.

Go to the File Explorer, copy and paste the following path in the search box, then press Enter:

On Windows 8, 10, or 11, navigate to the temporary files by following this path:

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles\

On Windows 7 follow this path to get to the temporary files:

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Micrsoft\Excel (Word)\

Find the temporary file you need and open the file and click Save As to recover the overwritten Excel file.

Way 3. Recover overwritten Excel file via AutoSave

Step 1. Open the Excel File that has been overwritten in Microsoft Excel.

Step 2. Click the File option from the top left corner, then click Info.

Step 3. Find the Versions or Manage Workbook option. All the recently auto-saved Excel files will be listed here.

Step 4. Select an Excel file that was saved before overwrites. And check if it contains the information you need.

Step 5. Press Ctrl+S to save the file if you find the right one.

Way 4. Restore overwritten Excel file from Cloud

If the Excel overwrite problem occurs on a Cloud storage platform, such as OneDrive or Google Drive, the old version can be easily accessed to recover the overwritten Excel files.

Step 1. Access your OneDrive account by logging in.

Step 2. Locate the Excel file in its original location and select it with the right-click menu. Then, locate the "Version history" or a comparable option and select it.

Step 3. Begin the restoration process by selecting the version of the Excel file that you wish to recover. At that time, the specified version will be restored to your account.

Way 5. Recover overwritten Excel file with data recovery tool

Professional data recovery tools are the last one you could use to retrieve your rewritten Excel file. Given the abundance of professional data recovery tools on the internet, you could be asking which is the most trustworthy one to apply. AOMEI FastRecovery is a reliable instrument for safe access of your rewritten Excel files. This tool allows data recovery in Excel files, compressed ZIP, RAR files, photos, videos, and audio in several ways.

The UI of AOMEI FastRecovery is rather friendly, hence even if it is a professional program, navigating it is simple. The utility is available on Windows 11/10/8/7 operating systems as well as any Windows Servers. This tool can assist you in recovering deleted files, formatted drive, or lost files resulting from corrupted SD cards and external and internal hard drives damaged by failing systems.

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Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.

To sum up

Based on the material in this article, you now know that your Windows system allows you to restore rewritten Excel files. Acting early enough helps you to be more successful. Apart from the first two answers, though, using a third-party tool such as AOMEI FastRecovery is the best approach to retrieving your Excel files. This utility guarantees that you will get files that have been rewritten even several years ago.