Recover unsaved excel file on ipad

Hi Rachel Johnston1, 

Thank you for replying, and the information that you have given to me I really appreciate it.    

According to your detail, it sounds like you're having trouble when you switched to a different app temporarily and when you returned to Microsoft 365 app, you have lost your spreadsheet. I’m so sorry about that. 

For now, to recover an unsaved Excel spreadsheet in the Microsoft 365 app on your iPad, you should try these steps: 

• Check Recent Files:

1. Open the Excel app on your iPad.
2. Tap File > Open > Recent to see if your unsaved spreadsheet is listed.
3. Look for files with a timestamp or labeled as "Recovered" or "Unsaved."

• Use AutoRecover:

1. If Excel crashed or closed unexpectedly, the AutoRecover feature may have saved a version of your file. By default, AutoRecover saves every 10 minutes if enabled.
2. When you reopen Excel, check the Document Recovery pane, which may appear on the left side. If it’s there, tap the file to open it, then save it immediately using File > Save As to a secure location like OneDrive or your iPad.

• Check OneDrive (if AutoSave was enabled):

1. If you were working on a file saved to OneDrive with AutoSave turned on (toggle in the top-left corner of the Excel app), your changes may have been saved to the cloud.
2. Open the OneDrive app or go to onedrive.com on a browser, sign in with your Microsoft 365 account, and check the Recent folder or the folder where you store your Excel files.
3. If the file is found, download or open it, then save a copy.

• Check Temporary Files:

1. On an iPad, temporary files are harder to access directly due to iOS restrictions, but you can try checking the Files app:
2. Open the Files app and navigate to On My iPad > Excel or Microsoft 365 folder.
3. Look for temporary or unsaved files. These may not have clear names, so check file creation dates.
4. If you don’t see the file, it’s possible it wasn’t saved locally.

• Recover from Version History (if saved to OneDrive):

1. If the file was saved to OneDrive or SharePoint, you can access previous versions:
2. Open the Excel app, locate the file under File > Open > OneDrive or SharePoint.
3. Tap File > Info > Version History to view and restore an earlier version of the file.

• Check iPad’s Files App for Backups:

1. If you enabled iCloud or another backup service, check the Files app under iCloud Drive or other connected cloud services for a copy of your file.

Recomended Tips: 

• Enable AutoSave: Ensure the AutoSave toggle is on when working on files in OneDrive or SharePoint to save changes in real-time.
• Adjust AutoRecover Settings: In Excel, go to File > Options > Save and confirm that Save AutoRecover information every X minutes and Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving are enabled.
• Save Early and Often: Save your file to OneDrive or locally on your iPad as soon as you start working to ensure AutoRecover can function.

NOTED: If none of these steps recover your file, it’s possible the unsaved changes were not captured, especially if AutoSave was off and the file was never saved. In such cases, there may be no way to recover the lost work. 

We truly appreciate your patience as we look into this matter. Thank you for choosing Microsoft and we value your support. 

If my answer is helpful, please mark it as an answer, which will definitely help others in the community who have similar queries to find solutions to their problems faster.   

Thanks and Have a good day!!! 

Best regards.      

Sting-Ng - Microsoft Community Support Specialist.

Hi Rachel Johnston1, 

Have a good day !

I value your feedback, please mark it as an answer if it answer your question and click Yes to help me improve the support experience.  

It's so important for me to mark it as an answer. It's help me to have a good motivation forward.

I appreciate your patience with me.    
Looking forward to your response and have a great day ahead!!  
  
Best regards.  

Sting-Ng - Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hi,

I have the same problem, none of the steps, described above helped.

From your recommended tips:

Recomended Tips: 

• Enable AutoSave: Ensure the AutoSave toggle is on when working on files in OneDrive or SharePoint to save changes in real-time.  - Yes, it was
• Adjust AutoRecover Settings: In Excel, go to File > Options > Save and confirm that Save AutoRecover information every X minutes and Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving are enabled. - There is no such option. Under File menue, IF Autosave is ON, there is no SAVE button, and nowhere to confirm “ Save AutoRecover information every X minutes… etc”
• Save Early and Often: Save your file to OneDrive or locally on your iPad as soon as you start working to ensure AutoRecover can function. - I was on, as I have the same problem yesterday, lost a day of work. Started new file, enabled Autosave, closed the file, half an hour later - and the same problem.