Recover an earlier version of an Microsoft Office file

Modified on Tue, 26 Sep, 2023 at 1:05 PM

If the AutoRecover option is turned on, you can automatically save versions of your file while you’re working on it. How you recover something depends on when you saved it.

If you’ve saved the file

  1. Open the file you were working on.

  2. Go to File > Info.

  3. Under Manage Workbook or Manage Presentation, select the file labeled (when I closed without saving).

  4. In the bar at the top of the file, select Restore to overwrite any previously saved versions.

    Office 2016 Restore Documents

    Tip: In Word, you can also compare versions by clicking Compare instead of Restore.

If you haven’t saved the file

  1. Go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Workbooks in Excel, or Recover Unsaved Presentations in PowerPoint.

    Office 2016 Recover Unsaved Documents

  2. Select the file, and then select Open.

  3. In the bar at the top of the file, select Save As to save the file.

    Office 2016 Save Recovered File

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