Excel File History Cleared! How to See Recent Excel Files?

Why is Excel not showing recent files?

Normally, when users save Excel files, they can easily find them later in recent files. But some people have trouble finding them because Excel not showing recent files or they are missing. Some users are worried because their Excel files have suddenly disappeared forever.

Microsoft Office programs usually show a list of recently opened files so you can quickly access them. This feature is turned on by default, making it easy to see recent Excel files. However, if you can't see them, it could be for the following reasons:

To check your recent Excel files, go to File > Open > Recent. You can also right-click on any file in the recent list and select Remove from List if you no longer want to see it. If you are still having this issue on Windows 11/10, this article can help you find your recent files and gives tips on unsaved, overwritten, or damaged Excel files.

How to see recent Excel files when they are missing/disappeared/not showing up?

If the Excel recent files not updating, not showing up, or missing, you can follow the shared 2 ways to see recent Excel files.

Method 1. Use AOMEI FastRecovery

If your recent Excel files are missing from your computer, you can use a powerful data recovery tool like AOMEI FastRecovery in case of permanent data loss. This tool helps you recover recent Excel files and many other types of files, offering more options than traditional methods. It can recover over 1000 file types, including Excel, Word, PDF, and PowerPoint files. It’s a great choice for users who need to recover permanently deleted files easily.

 AOMEI FastRecovery can be compatible with all editions of Windows 11/10/8/7/Server.
It can recover deleted files from formatted HDD, SSDs, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other storage devices.
Supports repair corrupted files following the data recovery process, including Excel files.
Get deleted files back with their original filenames, formats, and paths.

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.

Method 2. Open recent unsaved Excel file in the temp folder

Sometimes, your attempt to save an Excel file might fail, resulting in lost work. This can happen when changes are made, but the program is closed without properly saving. Fortunately, Excel's autosave feature is designed to help in such situations, automatically saving your work every 10 minutes. Here's how to open recent unsaved Excel file.

To recover unsaved files, open Excel, go to the Open menu, and select the "Recover Unsaved Workbooks" option. This feature allows you to restore documents folder that weren’t saved correctly.

If the unsaved file isn't found using this method, try checking Excel’s temporary files folder:

Go to: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel

Sort the files by their modified date to quickly find the document you need.

Conclusion

That’s all on how to see recent Excel files. With the 2 simple methods, you can easily locate your recent Excel files. It is advisable to use powerful data recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery to get it back as soon as possible in case of permanently data loss. If you've lost any other important data, download AOMEI FastRecovery now to recover your files quickly.