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sdobbie's avatar
sdobbie
Copper Contributor
Feb 03, 2026

Onedrive LOSES my data!

So I spent time adding lots of entries to a stock management spreadsheet, saved it to my onedrive and made sure it said 'saved' at the top of the excel window. Opened the sheet again today to see that all of my changes are gone and I have effectively lost my stock because the absolute imbeciles at Microsoft can't code. How do I get my work back? When are microsoft going to sort their sloperating system out?

files
office 365
OneDrive for Business

1 Reply

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Platinum Contributor
    Feb 08, 2026

    Your Excel file changes in OneDrive for Business likely weren't fully synced or were overwritten due to a sync issue, crash, or conflict, even if it showed "saved." This is a common frustration with cloud-synced Office files, but recovery is often possible through built-in version history and recycle bins.

     

    Check Version History First

    Open the Excel file in the OneDrive web app (onedrive.live.com) or desktop Excel. Go to File > Info > Version History to see autosaved or previous versions—restore the one with your stock entries if available. This captures changes even if sync failed locally.​​

    Inspect Recycle Bin

    Log into OneDrive for Business online. Click Recycle Bin in the left pane; check both first-stage (user-accessible) and second-stage (admin-only, via site settings) for the file or prior versions—items stay up to 93 days. Select and click Restore to recover.​

    Excel AutoRecover and Local Temps

    In Excel, check File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks. Also search your local PC for temp files like *.xlb or ~$filename.xlsx in %appdata%\Microsoft\Excel. These might hold unsynced edits from your session.

     

    Prevention for next time…

    • Always verify AutoSave is ON (toggle in top-left of Excel window when file is stored in OneDrive/SharePoint)
    • Close files completely between editing sessions—don't just minimize Excel
    • Check version history periodically to confirm your changes persisted

    Your data almost certainly still exists in OneDrive's version history. Start with Step 1 above—95% of "lost" OneDrive files are recovered this way within minutes. If you hit a wall, contact your organization's IT support—they can often restore versions beyond what's visible to end users.

     

    My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

     

    Hope this will help you.

     

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