Lost Excel File and Have tried all of your suggestions

If your Excel file is showing in "Recent files" but indicates that it is missing, there are a few steps you can take to try to recover it:

1. Check the Recycle Bin: Sometimes files can be accidentally deleted. Check your Recycle Bin to see if the file is there.
2. Search for AutoRecover Files: Excel has an AutoRecover feature that may have saved a version of your file. You can check the AutoRecover file location by going to Excel Preferences > Save, and looking for the AutoRecover file location.
3. Look in Temporary Files: Sometimes, Excel creates temporary files that may contain your data. You can search for files with the extension .tmp or look in the %temp% directory on your Mac.
4. Use Time Machine: If you have Time Machine set up on your Mac, you can try to restore the file from a previous backup.
5. Check OneDrive: If you were saving your file to OneDrive, check the OneDrive website or app to see if the file is available there.

If none of these methods work, you may need to consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance, as they may have additional tools and resources to help recover lost files.

References:

• Support Engineers can't guarantee complete repair of all corrupted Office files

Hello Jeannette Kravitz,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum!

I understand that you are having issue with losing Excel files in OneDrive. I truly understand how you feel. Let me assist you go through this situation.

With your case, I suggest you try this:

1. Search your entire Mac for fragments of the name

Open Spotlight (⌘ + Space) and search:

ESSL2026
ESSL*
Contract Tracking
.xlsx

2. Check the local hidden AutoRecovery folder

In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder… and paste:

~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery

Also check:

/private/var/folders

Sort by Date Modified and look for unsaved Excel autosaves.

3. Check OneDrive’s local “Pending Changes” or “Conflicts” folders

Sometimes files never completed a sync. Look in:

~/OneDrive
~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive-<your account>/

4. Check OneDrive online Recycle Bin

https://onedrive.com > Recycle Bin (and Second‑Stage bin)

And to have Microsoft support agent assist directly:

1. Go to the official Microsoft support portal: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus
2. Choose:
   • Microsoft 365, Office, Windows, or whichever product fits your issue.
3. Click Get Help.
4. Type a short description of your issue.
5. The system will show support options — these may include:
   • Chat with an agent
   • Request a call (Microsoft will call you, so you don’t wait on hold)

Please note that the chat support team only works during certain working hours. Therefore, if the last window indicates that you are unavailable, try opening it again the next day. If you prefer phone support, you can leave a phone number. That way, they can call you and help you.

I hope this will help with your situation. Please feel free to reach back if you have further update or more questions.

Best Regards,