Recovering Deleted Files

Hi Laurel,

Since you have AutoSave that means you works with cloud storage (OneDrive or Sharepoint library). You may recover your previous version if you open that storage in browser, from 3-dots menu near file name select Version history and with opened pane you may restore the version you need. If you sync cloud storage with local drive it try to restore using File Explorer it works only with  file history on local drive, not in cloud. Different mechanism.

Save As is not available with AutoSave, there is Save a Copy instead. Actually works the same way as SaveAs on drive storage. As a comment and bit simplified, in cloud  files connected not to the name but internal ID:s, with SaveAs here you'll have exactly the same file but renamed. Save a copy is more correct.

As for the #REF it appeared as soon as your sheet was deleted. Excel doesn't remember the history of what it was before, if you add identical new sheet to the workbooks that means nothing for Excel.

In brief, try to restore previous version directly in cloud.