What Is Auto Recover In Google Sheets?
The methods to auto recover in Google Sheets enable us to recover a Google Sheet automatically, in the case when we want to undo undesired deletions and edits. These techniques help in restoring the Google Sheets version that existed before making the unintended changes.
Users can utilize the auto-recovery methods in Google Sheets to ensure they do not lose critical data or files manipulated or deleted accidentally.
For example, we have a Google Sheets file in our Google Drive, which we selected and deleted by mistake using the Move to trash option (Bin icon).
The requirement is to recover the file.
Then, following the definition of auto recover in Google Sheets explained earlier, we can restore the specific deleted file from the Trash.
Click the Trash icon from the left menu on the Google Drive page. The Trash folder opens, showing the deleted file. Click on the three dots, which is the More actions icon, and select the Restore option.
Now, click the My Drive option from the left menu to view the restored file listed along with the remaining files in the drive.
The example describes one auto-recovery method. We shall see the other auto recover in Google Sheets techniques in the ensuing sections.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- The techniques to auto recover in Google Sheets help us to restore a Google Sheet automatically, when we require to revert accidental changes made to the file.
- Users can make use of the auto-recover methods in Google Sheets to ensure their files contain the required data in the desired format without unwanted edits.
- The most prevalent auto-recovery techniques in Google Sheets are the Undo and Version History options to revert edits made to data, Trash folder to restore deleted files, and Google Drive Recovery to recover permanently deleted files.
How To Enable Auto Recover And Auto Save Options In Google Sheets ?
Let us check the various auto recover in Google Sheets techniques to enable auto recovery and autosave options.
#1 – Using Undo And Version History
We can perform data auto recover in Google Sheets using the Undo and Version history options. These two options are useful for reverting erroneous changes we make accidentally to the data in Google Sheets.
Using Undo
- Assume we edit the data in a cell or cell range in one go, which we wish to revert.
- Select the Edit tab- Click the Undo option to see the changes reverted to the original data.
Please note that the Undo option will perform data auto recover in Google Sheets one cell or range, where the changes got updated in one go at a time. We must keep clicking the Undo option to rectify till all the changes we made get rectified.
Using Version History
- Assume we edit the data in a cell or cell range at one time or make changes in the current file, which we wish to revert.
- Select the File tab – Choose the Version history option – Select the See version history option.
3. The Version history window will open, where we can check all the versions and click on the version containing the required data before the edits.
4. Click the Restore this version button, which will show on the top-left corner of the window for all the versions except the current one.
5. We will get a warning message stating the selected version will replace the current version. Click Restore to proceed and view the chosen version of the specific Google Sheets.
For example, the current file contains a dataset.
Assume we edit the cell B3 data, which we want to revert.
Then, the steps for using auto recover in Google Sheets methods are as follows:
Step 1: Select Edit – Undo to revert the change immediately.
Otherwise, use the following method.
Step 1: Select File – Version history – See version history.
The above step will open the Version history pane on the right of the workspace. The pane shows the different versions, indicated by the date-timestamps, of the specific file.
Step 2: Click on a version date-timestamp to check if it shows the data that was before the edits. Likewise, we can check all the versions to determine the one that contains the required rectified data.
Next, once we find the required version, click the Restore this version button on the top left corner of the window.
We will see a warning message stating the chosen version will replace the current version. Click Restore to proceed.
The file will show the rectified data, as depicted below.
#2 – Restoring From Trash
In some cases, we might accidentally delete a Google Sheets file, which we may want to recover. Then the steps for using auto recover in Google Sheets, which is the Trash option-based, are as follows:
- We must open our Google Drive using the link drive.google.com. Next, click the Trash option (Bin icon) from the left menu of the window.
2. The Trash folder will open, where we must look for the deleted file we aim to recover. Please note that the Trash folder retains the deleted files for 30 days post-deletion, after which the file gets deleted permanently.
3. Once we find the required file, click the More actions option (Three dots icon) and click the Restore option. Otherwise, right-click the file and choose Restore to move the specific file back to the main Drive folder.
Now, when we click the My Drive option from the left menu, we can view the recovered file in the home folder.
#3 – Google Drive Recovery
The Trash folder retains a deleted file for 30 days. So, when we wish to restore a file, deleted more than 30 days ago and is now not available in the Trash folder, we can get support from Google using Google Drive Recovery. It adheres to the meaning of auto recover in Google Sheets explained in the first section.
The steps are as follows:
- Search for the phrase Recover a deleted file in Google Drive in Google search to open the specific page on the Google Support site.
2. Scroll down the page to view the steps to recover a permanently deleted file.
3. We shall see the Request file recovery button below the steps. Click it.
4. page will open where we must choose a Gmail account for logging in with the Gmail password.
5. Once logged in, we shall see the File Recovery page.
Scroll down the page to update the file owner’s first and last names in the listed fields. Next, there will be a field where we must confirm whether the files got deleted or removed from the Trash folder in the past 25 days.
The next field asks about the file type we want to recover, where we must choose the option that mentions Sheets. Finally, check the Consent agreement and click Submit.
Once done, we will get a status update at the email address with which we signed in. Please note that this method helps restore files that we deleted recently.
How To Recover A Deleted Worksheet Within A Google Sheet File
The steps to recover a deleted worksheet within a Google Sheets file
- Open the Google Sheets file where we deleted a worksheet and aim to recover it. We can find the file from our Google Drive.
- Select the File tab – The Version history option – The See version history option to open the Version history pane.
3. Check for a previous version in the Version history pane showing the deleted worksheet.
4. Once we find the applicable version, click the Restore this version button.
5. We will get a warning message stating the selected version will replace the current version. Click Restore to proceed and to view the file with the deleted sheet recovered.
For example, the current file shows only one worksheet, Sheet1.
Assume the current file had a Sheet2 worksheet, which we deleted and now wish to recover. Then, the steps are as follows:
Step 1: Select File – Version history – See version history in the file where we deleted a worksheet we aim to restore.
The Version history pane appears, showing the current and previous versions of the file.
Step 2: Check for the version showing the deleted sheet. Next, once we find the required version, click the Restore this version button.
We shall see a warning message stating that the chosen version will replace the current version. Click Restore to proceed.
Now, we will be able to view the deleted sheet restored in the current file.
How To Safeguard Data In Google Sheets?
We can safeguard data in Google Sheets using the following steps:
- Strengthen the user access control by ensuring that all users accessing the Google Sheets file should have strong passwords. Further, implement the two-factor authentication. It requires the users to supply a second type of identification, typically a code sent to their mobile device, along with their password.
- Handle user permissions effectively. For that, users must have the level of access to the Google Sheets file set according to their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, we can create user groups that align with their access needs and set the appropriate permission settings for the groups.
- Monitor the user activity by setting up a system for tracking user activity. Thus, we can keep a check on unauthorized access. Next, we must periodically review access permissions to identify the gaps in the access settings.
- Safeguard sensitive data by encrypting sensitive data. It ensures that even if an unauthorized user steals the data, they cannot access it without the encryption key. Next, we must keep the sensitive data in secure storage units to safeguard the data from potential attacks.
Important Things To Note
- Auto recover in Google Sheetsusing the Undo option will help us revert one unwanted edit at a time.
- Auto recovery of a deleted file in Google Sheets from the Trash folder will not be possible if the file got deleted 30 days before trying restoration. In such cases, we must try the Google Drive Recovery option.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We can recover deleted Google Sheets after 30 days using the following steps:
1. We must ensure that we are the owner of the deleted file that we aim to recover after 30 days. We are the owner if we created or uploaded the file or folder, or we accepted the ownership from the previous owner.
2. Such files, which we want to recover over 30 days after deletion, will not be available in the Trash folder. So, we must request Google for file recovery. We can Google search the site link for Google file recovery. The site contains the option to request file recovery. Once we click the option, we would need to login to the File Recovery page.
3. Once the File Recovery page opens, we must provide our full name, the details about when we deleted the files and the deleted file types. Next, we must check the consent agreement and submit the form.
4. We shall then receive the update about the deleted files to our email account, used to log into the File Recovery page.
You cannot disable auto recover in Google Sheets. The application automatically saves the changes we make in a file in different versions. We can choose the version containing the data and aspects we want to recover and use the restore option for auto-recovery.
Auto recover works offline in Google Sheets by saving our work locally on our device. Next, all the local changes we make will get uploaded to the Cloud once a stable internet connection to our device gets restored.
We can then auto-recover in Sheets using the methods discussed in the article above.
Download Template
This article must be helpful to understand Auto Recover In Google Sheets, with its formula and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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