Urgent File Recovery Request – Excel Android App (Local Files Lost)

Dear Marius,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community.

I completely understand your alarm and the urgency of this situation. Losing days' worth of work on such important files is incredibly distressing, especially when you've invested hundreds of hours. It's truly a difficult experience when data vanishes unexpectedly. Even if you didn't manually delete them, here are some common reasons files might disappear or be marked as deleted in such a setup:

• Files might have been accidentally deleted or removed during syncing issues between your phone’s local storage and Google Drive.
• Corruption or app glitches in the Excel Android app or the syncing service could mark files as deleted.
• Automatic cleanup or cache clearing apps might have removed local copies.

You've already checked the most obvious places (phone Recycle Bin, Google Drive Trash, Excel Recent tab), which is excellent. Let's explore additional avenues:

1. Check Cloud and Device Trash Thoroughly

• You mentioned checking Google Drive Trash and phone’s Recycle Bin; ensure you also check any other linked cloud services (OneDrive, Dropbox) if applicable.
• Sometimes Google Drive Trash can take up to 25 days to permanently delete files, so restoration is still possible if within this window.

2. Use Excel’s Version History Feature

• If your files were synced with OneDrive or SharePoint via Excel, try accessing Version History for each file through the Excel app or web interface. This can restore previous saved versions even if the current file is deleted or corrupted.
• 1. Open Excel on your Android device: Launch the Excel app on your phone 

2. Browse for the file: Locate the Excel file that contains the lost data. You can find it in the default storage location or any other folder where you might have saved it. 
3. Press and hold the file's name: Once you have found the file, press and hold its name for a couple of seconds. This action will bring up a context menu with various options related to the file. 
4. Choose "Version history": From the context menu, select the option labeled "Version history." This will open a new screen showing you the different versions of the file that are available. 
5. View the versions: On the version history screen, you'll see a list of available versions of the file. Each version should have a timestamp indicating when it was saved. The most recent version will be at the top of the list. 
6. Select a version: Tap on the version you want to explore or restore. By selecting a version, you'll be able to view the content of the file as it was at that specific point in time. 
7. Restore the version (if needed): If you find a version that contains the data you want to recover, you can choose to restore it. Restoring a version will overwrite the current file with the content of the selected version. If you are sure that the selected version has the data you need, tap on the "Restore" button to proceed. 
8. Review and Save: Before restoring a version, Excel will typically display a preview of the changes made in that version. Review the preview to ensure it contains the data you want to recover. If you are satisfied, confirm the restoration, and the selected version will replace the current file. 
   Please note that the availability of version history depends on several factors, including the type of Excel file and how it was stored (e.g., locally or in a cloud service like OneDrive). Additionally, if the file was never explicitly saved or uploaded to a cloud storage service, version history may not be available. Keep in mind that the version history feature is designed to track changes made to a document over time and not specifically for data recovery. Therefore, it may not have a comprehensive record of all changes, especially if the file was never explicitly saved after the data loss occurred. If the version history doesn't have what you're looking for, it's possible that the data may have been permanently overwritten and is not recoverable through Excel's built-in features.

3.Use Android Data Recovery Software

• Since files were saved locally on your phone, specialized Android data recovery tools can scan your phone’s internal storage or SD card for deleted files that have not yet been overwritten.
• Recommended tools include FoneDog Android Data Recovery, DiskDigger, or Recoverit:
  • Connect your phone or SD card to a PC.
  • Enable USB debugging on your Android device.
  • Run the recovery software to scan for deleted Excel files and recover them to your computer

4. Check Other Devices and Backups

If you accessed these files on other devices (PC, tablet), check if those devices still have the files or previous versions.

Also check if you have any automatic backups (Google Backup, OneDrive backup) that might contain copies.

 5. Contact Support or IT

If these files are work-related and your device is managed by an organization, contact your IT department immediately as they may have backups or enterprise recovery options.

Microsoft Support may also assist if the files were synced with OneDrive or SharePoint.

6.Contact Google Drive Support (for potential cloud recovery):

• Since your files were synced with Google Drive, Google's support team might have tools for deeper recovery, including checking server-side logs or undeleting files beyond the standard trash retention period, especially if you have a paid Google Workspace account.
• Go to: https://support.google.com/drive
• Look for "Contact us" options. You might have options for email, chat, or phone support, depending on your Google Drive account type (free vs. Google Workspace).

I hope this comprehensive information helps clarify the situation and provides you with workable solutions. Losing such valuable work is truly upsetting, and I sincerely hope you are able to recover your files. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Kind regards, 

Kai-L - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Dear Marius,

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful. If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back.

Same thing just happened to me. I opened up an excel file on my android phone. I open this file daily. Today it just disappeared. A message came up that said some files may need to be resigned in. A 2nd important file disappeared. The only files still showing up were 2-3 years old. I sync with my laptop so I looked on it and NO EXCEL files were there even the 2-3 year old ones were gone. It acted like I had never used excel or saved excel files. Earlier today my email would not let me log in and I had to change the password. I am wondering if something is up with Microsoft. They require so many different log ins to use any of their apps. I pay for the files on my phone and laptop. I am at a loss. The information I lost in those 2 files took years to accumulate. I am thinking that Microsoft is done and intentionally causing problems. There are too many reported issues in the past 2 months.

Looking like Google might be the better option. Or Proton.