My Excel file doens't open. The Recents list shows it in Macintosh HD>Users>myname>Library>Mobile Documents>Trash

The best recovery chance is to use iCloud.com → Data Recovery → Restore Files, because Excel’s Recent list is only retaining a path into iCloud’s hidden Mobile Documents/Trash area and cannot itself restore the workbook.

1. Recover it from iCloud Data Recovery

The normal macOS Trash may be empty even though the remembered path contains Mobile Documents/Trash.

1. Sign in to iCloud.com with the same Apple Account used on the Mac.
2. Open Data Recovery.
3. Select Restore Files.
4. Look for the workbook by filename and deletion date, select it, and restore it.
5. After restoration, open it through Finder → iCloud Drive, not Excel’s old Recent entry.
6. Immediately use File → Save As or Save a Copy to place another copy in a known folder.

Apple retains deleted iCloud Drive files for up to 30 days. Files already permanently removed cannot be restored through iCloud Data Recovery.^1^

Since you already searched both the Mac and iCloud, repeating a Finder search is unlikely to help. The Recent entry does not prove that the workbook still exists; it can remain after its target has been deleted or relocated.

2. Check Excel’s hidden AutoRecover storage

If iCloud cannot restore it, check Excel’s local recovery data:

1. Quit Excel.
2. In Finder, press Shift–Command–G.
3. Enter this path, replacing <username>:

/Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft

4. Inspect the folder and its AutoRecovery contents for a file matching the workbook name or modification date.
5. If found, copy it to the Desktop first, then open the copy in Excel.
6. Immediately save it under a new name.

Microsoft notes that this location is hidden and should be opened with Go to Folder. AutoRecover is intended for interrupted sessions; it may not contain a copy after a normal manual save, and choosing Don’t Save when closing removes the recovery file.^2^

3. Restore from a backup or another copy

If neither recovery location contains it:

• Restore the containing folder from Time Machine or another backup.
• Check email attachments, messages, shared copies, exported PDFs, and any other Mac or device where the workbook was opened.
• If the deletion was more than 30 days ago and no backup or AutoRecover copy exists, recovery is generally no longer possible after iCloud permanently removes both cloud and synchronized local data.^3^
• Apple Support is the remaining escalation route, although recovery after permanent removal is not guaranteed.

Avoid installing recovery software or writing large amounts of new data until backup options have been exhausted. Cloud-synchronized deletion differs from an ordinary local deletion, so disk-recovery utilities may not find a usable local copy.

Prevent this from happening again

1. Store important Excel workbooks in OneDrive and enable AutoSave.
   For Microsoft 365 for Mac, AutoSave works with files stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. It is not enabled for files stored only in a local folder or another cloud-storage service such as iCloud Drive.^4^
2. Open the workbook from Excel’s online location.
   In Excel, use File → Open → Online Locations, select OneDrive, open the workbook, and verify that AutoSave is on in the upper-left corner.
3. Use version history for rollback.
   For a workbook stored in OneDrive, choose File → Restore → Browse Version History in Excel for Mac. Open the required version and select Restore.^5^
4. Keep an independent backup.
   Enable Time Machine to a separate disk. Cloud synchronization and backup are different: synchronization can propagate a deletion, while a backup preserves earlier copies.
5. Keep Excel AutoRecover enabled.
   In Excel, select Excel → Preferences → Save → Save AutoRecover info. AutoRecover helps after crashes but is not a replacement for AutoSave, manual saving, or backups.^6^

References

1. If you're missing files in iCloud Drive - Apple Support
2. Recover files in Office for Mac | Microsoft Support
3. recovery of xls file - Microsoft Q&A
4. [macOS](https://support.microsoft.com/office/collab-files/what-is-autosave)
5. Collaborate on Excel workbooks at the same time with co-authoring
6. Save a file in Office for Mac | Microsoft Support