How to Recover Previous Version/Saved Over/Deleted/Lost CSV Files

CSV is short for comma-separated values. It is a file format that is widely used to store data, especially statistical data for people to reference. Workbooks downloaded from the internet are likely in CVS format. It works more or less like a Microsoft Excel workbook. CVS files can be opened and saved in an Excel file with .xls or .xlsx file extensions.

Part 1. How to Restore Lost/Deleted CSV Files from PC/Hard Drives

If you have deleted CSV files or found CSV files lost from a PC or disk, the very first thing is to learn how to recover CSV files. On PC, check the recycle bin first. If the deleted CSV files are in the recycle bin, you can select them all, right-click and select "Restore". After then, you can see the restored CSV files in the original folders. If you have permanently deleted CSV files, emptied recycle bin, or can’t find the lost CSV files anywhere on your computer, then you’re supposed to get CSV files back as soon as possible.

iBeesoft Data Recovery is a professional tool specially designed for users to recover files from a pen drive, PC, Mac, CF card, etc. It will scan the hard drive, collect and display all the recoverable files, letting you preview and find files in a few minutes. Here are some of its main features.

Download the data recovery software to recover deleted CSV files now!

Step-by-step guide for how to recover deleted CSV files

1. Download and install the recovery software on your computer.

There are separate versions for Windows PC (iBeesoft Data Recovery) and Mac (iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac). After then, launch the file recovery tool.

2. Select the drive where CSV files were deleted and click "Scan".

The software begins to scan the hard drive, looking for the recoverable files. If the CSV files were deleted from an external hard drive, you should connect the external disk with your computer before the scan process.

3. Select the lost CSV to restore

When the scanning process is finished, you can see all found recoverable files. All of them are put into categories. Filter file types in the scanning result, find CSV files to preview. When finding the target CSV files, select them and click "Recover" to save them on your PC.

Part 2. How to Restore Previous Version of CSV File

If you want to recover previous version of a CSV file, you can make use of the feature for the CSV file, named File History. It records all the versions of the same CSV file.

1. Right-click on the CVS file, I mean, the current version, and click Properties.
2. In the new window, navigate to "Previous Version".
3. Scroll down to find the previous version you need. Select it and click "Restore".

Part 3. How to Retrieve Overwritten CSV File

If you refer to "Recover overwritten CSV file" as the deleted CSV file has been overwritten, then it is impossible to get back it at all. No tools and ways available to do that.

If you mean you have made changes to the CSV file, and you want the previous version of the CSV file, then try the method in #Part 2.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for CSV File Recovery

Do CSV files save changes?

Generally, CSV is a workbook that contains only data. And it doesn’t save any changes you have made on the file. When you click the "Save" button, a pop-up will tell you to save the CSV file as an Excel (either .xls or .xlsx) file. All the changes are saved to the Excel workbook.

How do I restore a previous version of a CSV file on a Mac?

Open the new version of the CVS file > click the File menu on the top > click Revert To > Browse all versions for this CVS file. Find the CVS version you need and click Restore. Later, check the file folder where the CSV file was saved to view the restored previous version of a CVS file on Mac.

How do I recover deleted CSV files from Mac?

Like Windows PC, there is data recovery software for Mac for help. It is able to scan your Mac, looking for all the available CVS files for you. Later, you can preview and get back the found CVS file on Mac.

1. Download and install the Mac data recovery on your iMac or MacBook.
2. Launch it and keep "Documents" selected, click "Start".
3. Select the hard drive where the deleted CSV files were saved before. Click "Scan".
4. Wait for the scanning process to finish. After then, filter file types to find CVS files. Select them to preview. After then, select the needed ones and click "Recover" to save them on your Mac.

CSV file format is for people to get the data easily. However, you can’t be made changes to it and save it in the same file format. In this case, if you want to keep and protect the CSV file, after getting the file, you’d better have a backup copy. If you accidentally deleted it, try iBeesoft Data Recovery to retrieve the deleted CSV file as soon as possible.