What should I do if I accidentally clicked "Don't Save" on an Excel file on my Mac?

how to

This article will show you 3 tested methods to recover unsaved Excel file on Mac when you accidentally click “Don't Save”. Let's check them out!

Solution 1: Recover Unsaved Excel File from Accidental "Don't Save" Click via Software
Solution 2: Recover Unsaved Excel File from Temporary Files
Solution 3: Recover Excel File on Mac After "Don't Save" Click Using Auto-Save

Read on for the detailed steps of each method!

What to Do If You Accidentally Clicked “Don't Save” on Excel for Mac

During work hours, we often juggle multiple files, such as Word documents and Excel sheets, and using multiple windows can lead to accidental slip-ups. For instance, when closing Excel on Mac, you might have mistakenly clicked “Don't Save.” Does this mean all your effort is lost? Are you anxious about starting to edit the Excel sheet from scratch or unsure where to begin?

Don't panic – the good news is that you can still recover an unsaved Excel file on Mac after clicking "Don't Save." The key after clicking "Don't Save" is not to edit the unsaved file and instead immediately use one of the 3 recovery methods in this article (we recommend the fastest and most effective method Fix 1).

Once you click “Don't Save”, your disappeared Excel file on Mac needs a quick data recovery rescue, or you may lose the Excel document with all your edits.

In the next section, you'll learn about three effective ways to recover your file. Keep reading.

How can I recover an unsaved Excel file after accidentally clicking "Don't Save"?

There are times when you might accidentally click “Don't Save” while exiting an Excel sheet that you were editing, among other unintended mistakes. Here are three effective solutions.

Solution 1: Recover Unsaved Excel File after Accidentally Clicking “Don't Save” via Software?

The quickest and most effective way is to use professional data recovery software to recover unsaved Word document or Excel file on Mac. The Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro is a powerful document recovery tool that can recover unsaved Excel files, Word documents, and PowerPoint files on your Mac.

Tool to recover unsaved Word 2016 files on Mac and unsaved Excel files when you quit the application without saving. If you had accidentally clicked 'Don't Save', follow the steps to recover Excel file on Mac:

Note: You can create a backup by first clicking Disk Backup on the left. You can recover data from the backup image if the disk becomes damaged or if unsaved documents on the disk are accidentally deleted or lost.

Step 1: Select the Disk

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Hover your mouse over the device where you lost an unsaved file, then click Search for Lost Files.

Select the location to scan for unsaved documents

Step 2: Choose the unsaved document.

After the scan is finished, click “Type” and then expand “Unsaved Documents”. Click on the exact type of your lost unsaved file – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages, or Numbers.

Step 3: Preview and Recover the Unsaved Files

Double-click to preview an unsaved file, choose the correct version, and then click “Recover” to save the file to a secure location on your Mac.

We also have a video on how to recover unsaved Excel files on a Mac; check it out!

00:16 - What Causes an Excel File Not Saved on Mac
00:38 - Method 1: Recover from the TMP Folder
01:06 - Method 2: Restore from Auto-Save
02:05 - Method 3: Use Recovery Software

Please share this article on social media to help others learn how to recover an Excel file on Mac when they accidentally click “Don't Save.”

Solution 2: Recover Unsaved Excel File from Temporary Files

If you work with Word documents a lot, you might be familiar with Word temporary files on Mac. Excel files create temp files in the same way as Word documents do. Thus, you can recover unsaved Excel files from such temp files. Check out the steps:

Step 1. On your Mac, open Terminal from the Applications > Utilities folder.

Step 2: Type the command open $TMPDIR and press “Enter” to locate the temp folder.

The TMP folder on Mac

Step 3. Choose the unsaved Excel file you want to recover.

Recover Unsaved Excel File on Mac - 1

Solution 3: Recover Excel File after Clicking “Don't Save” on Mac

In addition to recovering unsaved Excel files from the Temporary Files folder, you can also retrieve them from the AutoRecover folder. Here's how:

Type the command “defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE” into the Mac terminal and hit “return” to make all hidden files visible.

Step 2: Open Finder on your Mac, and enter /Users/username/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery in the search field, then click Go to open the AutoRecovery folder for Excel on your Mac.

Recover Unsaved Excel File on Mac – 3

Step 3: Choose the unsaved Excel file from the “AutoRecover” folder and save it to a secure location on your Mac.

Conclusions

This article introduces you to a powerful Excel file recovery tool: Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro. It enables you to recover unsaved, lost, or deleted Excel files on your Mac. Moreover, it allows you to restore unsaved Excel files from temporary folders and the AutoRecovery directory.

Here are some answers to common questions about accidentally clicking "Don't Save" on Excel for Mac: 1. How can I recover an unsaved Excel file on my Mac if I mistakenly clicked "Don't Save"? Answer: If you're using a recent version of macOS, try these steps: - Immediately press `Command + Z` to potentially undo your "Don't Save" action. - Open Finder and navigate to "Recent Items" or "File" > "Recent Projects" to look for the file that might still be in memory. - If AutoSave is enabled, go to the "File" menu and choose "Recover" to view recent versions. - Use Time Machine (if enabled) for backup recovery. 2. How do I enable AutoSave for Excel? Answer: In Excel, click "Excel" > "Preferences" > "General." Under "Workbook Options," check "Save AutoRecover information every," and set an interval. 3. If I didn't have AutoSave enabled, are there other ways to retrieve the file? Answer: Try recovering from the Trash. Sometimes, even if you didn't save, the system might have moved the file there. Check the Trash to see if it's there. 4. What can I do if none of these methods work? Answer: If all else fails, you may need data recovery software. There are various paid and free tools available, such as Stellar Phoenix, Recuva, or Data Recovery Wizard. Make sure to stop using the hard drive before attempting these tools to prevent overwriting data. 5. How can I avoid this situation in the future? Answer: Develop a habit of manually saving files regularly and enable AutoSave and version history. This will provide an extra layer of protection for your work in the future.

Here are some issues you might encounter if you accidentally click “Don't Save” for an Excel file on your Mac, and how to deal with them!

**How to recover an unsaved Excel on Mac by accident?** On a Mac, if you accidentally click "Don't Save" when prompted to save your Excel workbook, the file won't be saved. However, there are several methods you can try to retrieve your data: 1. **Time Machine Backup**: If you have Time Machine enabled, connect your backup drive and restore the previous version of the file. 2. **Version History**: Locate the file in Finder, right-click, and choose "Get Info." Then click the "Versions" tab to view and revert to earlier versions. 3. **Recently Opened Files**: Open Excel, click "File" > "Recent," and see if the unsaved workbook is still listed. 4. **Trash Recovery**: Check the Trash to see if the file is there. If it is, move it back to its original location to recover it. 5. **Data Recovery Software**: If all else fails, consider using data recovery software such as Stellar Phoenix or Data Recovery Wizard, which might help you recover the lost file. Remember, prevention is better than cure. Regularly saving and backing up your work is the best way to avoid such issues.

Choose File > Open, and then click Recover Unsaved Workbooks near the bottom of the window. If you don't see this option on a Mac, go to the TEM folder to recover unsaved Excel files; see the steps under:

Step 1: On your Mac, open the Terminal application, found in Applications > Utilities.

Step Two: Type the command open $TMPDIR and press “Enter” to locate the temp folder.