Many years ago Microsoft released software that has the capability of keeping a collection of huge amounts of recorded data in tabular form. 

The software became so famous that years after its release that software is still used in every organization (large or small) to keep their data and records in a neat and clean tabular form. 

Yes, you get it right!

I am talking about the infamous Microsoft Excel. Excel uses a file extension of .xls/.xlsx to save your excel file in your disk space. Now there arises some situation when you mistakenly delete your saved excel files.

Now, this is a really bad situation as you use the excel software to store numerous information and record of your organization. But worry not. As every lost excel file can be recovered from your system. 

And that is what I am going to discuss today. This topic will provide you some valuable information about how you can restore your deleted Excel files. So just hang on to the last and you will get your lost data back. 

Recover Deleted XLS/XLSX Files- Step by Step Instructions 

There can be many reasons if you have lost your all excel files from your computer. You might have mistakenly deleted it or you might have faced a brutal virus attack that has deleted all your files present on your system. 

But irrespective of the reason, there is always a way to recover your lost data and get it back on your system. Below I will be listing some methods by which you can easily recover deleted XLS/XLSX files. 

Method 1: Restore your deleted Excel File from Recycle Bin 

This is the most basic method to recover your deleted Excel file. Not just excel file, if anyone deletes any files from their system, they first go to the recycle bin to recover back that file. And this process is also applicable to Excel Files. 

So in order to recover deleted XLS/XLSX files from the recycle bin you need to follow the below steps:

Firstly: Go to your desktop and open the recycle bin by clicking on the icon.

Secondly: In the recycle bin, now search for the .xls or .xlsx file that you have accidentally deleted from your computer. 

Thirdly: Now that you found that file, right-click on the file icon and select the Restore option. 

After this procedure, now you will be able to access your deleted excel file on the disk space of your system. You will find the file to be restored in the original location on your personal computer. 

Methode 2: Recover your lost Excel File from .tmp folder

As per the Microsoft Office data security policy every software of Microsoft Office like Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc, all are added with an AutoRecovery tool. 

Now as this option is turned on, Microsft automatically created a temporary file to store your saved or unsaved Office file. 

Basically .temp or temporary folder in your Windows operating system stores all the forms of temporary files. So if your file gets deleted from your system then you remain with an option to recover that file from this temporary folder. 

So you might say this method is your second option to recover your lost excel files other than recovering it from the recycle bin. 

Therefore, in order to carry out this method, you need to follow the steps I am listing down below.

Firstly: Look for the lost excel file as the .tmp extension in the temporary folder.

For Windows 10 or 8 or 8.1:

users : CL\Users\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles

For Windows 7/XP:

users : C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\

Secondly: In the temporary files section look for the excel files which begin with “$” or “~” and the file should always end with.TMP extension. 

Thirdly: Now copy these files from the temporary folder and store them in a secured location of your disk space. 

Fourthly: At last change the file extension from “.tmp” to “.xls or “.xlsx.

Method 3: Use the help of an xls and xlsx file recovery tool 

I think if you follow method 1 and method 2 properly then you will be able to recover your lost excel file either from the recycle bin or from the .tmp folder. 

But if you still can’t get back your excel file then you can try this last option. That is recovering that xls or xlsx file with the help of a recovery tool. 

There are a lot of third-party recovery tools available on the internet. 

Just type Xls or xlsx recovery tool on the search engine and you will be presented with a huge number of tools that will definitely recover deleted your excel file.

Some Final Thoughts

Losing valuable data has become a common thing in today’s world. A lot of people mistakenly lose their valuable data records. But as technology is getting advanced day by day, now recovering any form of data is so much easier than before. 

In the above topic, I have discussed some valuable methods to recover your lost xls or xlsx file that you have mistakenly deleted from your system. Each of these methods is very much applicable to the real world. And by following these methods you can easily get back your lost excel files.

So I hope that this article will help those readers who have lost their data records which they have stored in the lost excel files. You can completely trust these methods and steps in order to get back your lost excel files.