How to Recover Overwritten PowerPoint Files in Windows 10

There are times when we end up overwriting a PowerPoint file by accident. Strictly speaking, it is nearly impossible to recover overwritten files. But some data is so crucial that it deserves at least a try. Read on to discover some ways that will tell you how to recover overwritten PowerPoint files in Windows 10.

1. Retrieve overwritten files from the Previous Versions

Previous versions come from File history and Restore Point. Before you use this method, make sure you've enabled the File History feature before the file is overwritten. Previous Versions is very useful. It allows users to recover overwritten files easily. To do this, open File Explorer and find the file or folder containing the file you wish to restore. Follow the steps to restore an overwritten PowerPoint file from the Previous Versions.

a. Right-click the presentation and choose Restore Previous Versions. Then the file's Properties dialog box appears.

b. In general, we restore the most recent file in the list. Or you can choose a file and click the Open button to see its contents. Close it directly if you don't want it and it will cause no effect to other files.

c. Click the Restore button to overwrite the existing document with the previous version you choose. If you click the down-arrow button to choose Restore to, you can save the file to another location without affecting the existing document.

If there are no previous versions available, move to the next trick.

2. Recover overwritten documents from Temp files

When you are working on a presentation, the PowerPoint software creates a temporary file automatically by default. Besides, these temporary files can't be overwritten. So, after you overwrite some files and save them, you still can recover the overwritten PowerPoint files through Temporary files. Check how to recover overwritten files from Temporary files below.

a. Open the File Explorer on your computer.

b. Paste the location of the temporary files to File Explorer. In Windows 10, the default location of temporary files is

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles\

Remember to edit the USERNAME on the location above.

c. Select the file you want and save it to your preferred location.

There is an alternative way to see temporary files. Open MS PowerPoint, and click the "File" tab. Click on "Open". After that, click on "Recover Unsaved Workbooks" at the bottom.

If the overwritten PowerPoint file is not found yet, follow the next way.

3. Restore overwritten presentations via System Restore

Backup and Restore is another build-in function with Windows. If you've ever made a backup of your Windows, you can try to use Windows Backup and Restore feature to recover overwritten PowerPoint documents. Follow the steps below to recover overwritten PowerPoint files via System Restore.

a. To do this, go to the Control Panel and select Backup and Restore (Windows 7) under the column named "System and Security".

b. Press "Set up backup" if you use backup for the first time. If not, you can press on Restore my files to select a file or multiple presentations.

c. Choose the file location you want to save, and then click on the "Restore" button. You can also save the file to its original location.

Again, this method is good if you have set up Windows Backup. If you haven't, proceed to the next method.

4. Recover overwritten files through Backup and Restore

System Restore is a feature in Microsoft Windows that allows the user to revert their computer's state to a previous point in time, which can be used to recover from system malfunctions or other problems. If your files have been overwritten due to a system error, then using this method may be able to recover your files. Here's how to recover overwritten PowerPoint files through Backup and Restore.

a. In the search box on the taskbar, type Create a restore point and click the top result.

b. On the System Protection tab in System Properties, click on the System Restore button.

c. Select the restore point you want to use. Click the "Next" button.

d. Click the Scan for affected programs to confirm the apps that will be deleted. Then click the "Finish" button.

If the issue is not resolved yet, follow the next method.

5. Recover overwritten documents from cloud storage

If you have the habit of automatically saving files to cloud storage, such as Dropbox or other storage devices, congratulations, you have one more chance to retrieve the overwritten files. The general steps are: Open the cloud storage software to view the historical version of the file. Then restore the required files. For specific steps, please follow the instructions of different cloud storage, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive.

In this article, we've discussed 5 useful solutions for recover overwritten PowerPoint files. If you're experiencing overwriting PowerPoint files by accident, take a few minutes to enact these tips.

When it comes to losing unsaved PowerPoint documents, you might wonder can you recover those files and how to recover them. See our article on 5 ways to recover unsaved PowerPoint documents, and you can use the tips to recover your unsaved documents.