Recovering Unsaved Word Documents
- 1. In MS Word, click the File Tab in the upper left.
- 2. Click Manage Document and select Recover Unsaved Documents from the drop-down list.
- 3. Check for your missing file in the dialog box..
- 4. Open the recovered Word document and click the Save As button in the top banner..
You can also select each file to open and review the document. After opening any file in the list, you can continue working in it, and you can close the Document Recovery pane when you've recovered all documents that you want to save. Delete unwanted recovered files Select the arrow next to the file name in the recovery pane. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options. In the Navigation Pane, click Save. In the AutoRecover file location box, note the path, and then click Cancel.
5 Ways to Recover an Unsaved or Deleted Word Document
Closing the Word accidentally or program/system crash may cause the unsaved Word document to disappear. Luckily, there is still a chance to recover unsaved Word documents in Windows 10 from Temporary Files, AutoRecover, or Word Document Recovery. Besides, if your saved Word document gets deleted, you can restore deleted Word documents from the recycle bin or using one of the best data recovery software. You may apply any fix listed here to bring your unsaved Word file back:
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Fix 1. Recover from Temporary Files | Open Word > Click 'File' > 'Info' > 'Manage Document'..Full steps |
| Fix 2. Recover from AutoRecover | Open Word > Click 'File' > 'Options' > 'Save' > Copy AutoRecover file..Full steps |
| Fix 3. Use Document Recovery | When your system comes back online, reopen Microsoft Word..Full steps |
| Fix 4. Restore from Recycle Bin | Go to the Recycle Bin. Check if the deleted word file is still there. If you don't know the name..Full steps |
| Fix 5. Try Data Recovery Software | Choose the hard disk drive or a specific folder and click the San button..Full steps |
Have you accidentally closed your Word application without saving the document you had been working for a few hours? Have you lost the Word file unsaved due to a sudden program crash? Or mistakenly deleted some saved and essential Word document? If you are looking for an effective solution, you've come to the right place. In this article, we will show you the most useful ways to recover unsaved Word documents. Furthermore, we also introduce you to a renowned office file recovery tool - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to help you get back deleted Word document in a few clicks. It is also competent to repair corrupted video files.
Solution 1. Recovering Unsaved Word Document from Temporary Files
Unsaved Word documents vanishing is a very unpleasant problem. Take it easy. There are three possible ways to bring them back in Word 2019/2016/2013/2010/2007/2003. And these guides also work for recovering unsaved Excel documents on Windows.
- Tip
- The following operations are performed on Word 2016 edition. The steps are similar for Word 2013-2019.
This method is similar to the AutoRecover in Solution 2. It requires you to turn on the AutoSave feature to find the temp files of lost or unsaved Word files on PC. You can find the unsaved File directly through the following path:
C:UsersOwnerAppDataLocalMicrosoftOfficeUnsavedFiles
Or you can follow the steps given below to do it.
Step 1. In MS Word, click the 'File' tab in the upper left.
Step 2. Click Manage Document and select Recover Unsaved Documents from the drop-down list.
Step 3. Check for your missing File in the dialog box. If it was a recent loss, it should appear.
Step 4. Open the recovered Word document and click the Save As button in the top banner.
Solution 2. Recovering Unsaved Word Document from AutoRecover
Another way to get back an unsaved Word document is by using AutoRecover. AutoRecover file names end in the .asd file name extension. By default, Word searches for AutoRecover files every time that it starts, and then it displays any data found in the Document Recovery task pane. If the Document Recovery pane does not open, manually search for auto-recovered files. To do this, use one of the following procedures according to your Word version:
For Word 2010 - 2019:
Step 1. Open the Word program, and click 'File' > 'Options'. In the left navigation pane, click 'Save'. Copy the AutoRecover file location path and paste it into File Explorer.
Tip: You can change the time of AutoSave interval in 'Save AutoRecover information every xx minutes' and click OK.
Step 2. Go to the File Explorer, find the unsaved document, and copy the .asd file.
Step 3. Go to your Word app, click 'File' > 'Open' > 'Recover Unsaved Documents' at the bottom.
Step 4. Paste the copied .asd file into the File Name box popping up. Mummy game free download for windows 7. Open the Word file recover it.
If Word warns that 'Word experienced an error..', repeat the steps and click 'Open and Repair' at the open Unsaved Document window.
For Word 2002 - 2007:
| Versions | Steps |
|---|---|
| Word 2007 | 1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click 'Word Options' > 'Save'. 2. In the AutoRecover file location box, note the path, and then click 'Cancel' and close Word. 3. Open the folder that you noted in step 2. 4. Look for Word document that you are looking for ends in .asd (AutoRecover files). Then, double-click it to open and save it immediately. |
| Word 2003 & 2002 | 1. On the 'Tools' menu, click 'Options'. 2. Click the File Locations tab, double-click AutoRecover files, note the path, click 'Cancel', and then click 'Close'. Note: In the Modify Location dialog box, you may have to click the down arrow in the Folder name list to see the whole path to your AutoRecover files. Close Word. 3. Look for files whose names end in .asd (AutoRecover files) after locating the AutoRecover file location. 4. Double-click the Word document to open it. Next, save it immediately. |
Then, you can check the file content and save it as a new Word file at another secure location.
Additional Help - How to Turn on AutoRecover
Many of us have experienced a situation where we have created a Word document and then accidentally closed it out without saving it. To avoid this kind of situation, you'd better enable AutoRecover.
Step 1. Open Word, go to 'File' > 'Options' > 'Save'.
Step 2. Tick the box of 'Save AutoRecover information every * minutes' and 'Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving'.
Step 3. Click 'OK' to save the changes.
Then, you can always recover office files even if you suddenly close Word without saving the Word content.
Solution 3. Recovering Word Documents After a Crash
When your system comes back online, reopen Microsoft Word. The program automatically recovers unsaved Word documents in most cases. Or, return to MS Word, on the left select 'File' and select 'Open'.
If you are a Mac user and lost an unsaved document in Microsoft Office, click and follow this tutorial article for help: How to recover unsaved Word document Mac.
- Important
- We don't recommend you try any data recovery software to recover unsaved Word documents. This type of program only helps you recover lost saved Word document due to accidental deletion, disk formatting, virus attack, partition loss, etc. Namely, there needs to be an original file saved before on your computer or storage media.
Solution 4. Recovering Deleted Word Documents from Recycle Bin
If you deleted a Word document without emptying the recycle bin, you could undelete Word document with simple clicks.
Step 1. Go to the Recycle Bin. Check if the deleted word file is still there. If you don't know the name, look for file types such as DOC, DOCX, DOT, etc.
Step 2. Select the Word file and click 'Restore' to recover it.
If you have emptied the recycle bin after deleting files, the deleted Word file may have been permanently removed. If you are in the same case, follow the next solution to get back deleted or lost Word with a data recovery program.
Solution 5. How to Recover Deleted or Lost Word Document on Windows 10
If you have lost saved Word document because of careless deletion, hard drive formatting, or system errors, the above ways won't work. At this time, you have to resort to a professional hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. With this capable tool, you can recover deleted files in Windows 7/8/10 from recycle bin, HDD/SSD, Micro Card, Camcorder, Music Player, or recover from USB flash drive/SD card.
Except for the Microsoft Office Word/Excel/PPT document, EaseUS data recovery program also enables you to retrieve other popular files, such as photos, videos, audios, email, ZIP, and more. Besides, you can use its free version for the first attempt, which allows you to recover the 2GB file for free.
Step 1. Choose the Word file location
If it's on a USB flash drive or SD card, connect it to your computer first. Choose the hard disk drive or a specific folder and click the 'Scan' button.
Step 2. Scan and select lost files
The software will start immediately scanning all lost data on the selected drive. After the scan, click 'Filter', choose 'Word' from the drop-down list, and click the tree view on the left side to navigate the wanted Word documents.
Step 3. Preview Word files and recover
You're allowed to double-click and preview a Word file if you have Microsoft Word application installed on your computer. Finally, select the desired Word file and click 'Recover'.
We have also written another helpful guide to recover deleted files，read on:
After deleting a file, you can first recover deleted files from Recycle Bin. If the lost files are not in the Recycle Bin, you can use EaseUS data recovery software to recover permanently deleted files from laptop or PC with simple clicks.
Conclusion
How To Open Microsoft Word Recovered Files
With the help of EaseUS file recovery software, you can restore lost Word documents, whether they are deleted, encrypted by malware, or corrupted when it was saved on a faulty partition. You can try the first three solutions if you're looking for information about how to recover unsaved Word documents.
Recover Unsaved Word Document Frequently Asked Questions
If you still have some Word recovery problems, you can read the following questions and answers to get more help.
How do I recover an unsaved Word document in 2018?
Step 1. Click the 'File tab', then choose 'Info', then select 'Manage Documents'.
Step 2. Select 'Recover Unsaved Documents' from the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Click 'Open' when you have selected the document you want to recover.
Step 4. Click the 'Save As' button and save your Word document.
Where are unsaved Word documents stored?
Open Recovered Microsoft Word Files Free
These Word files can be found via 'File> Open' and click the 'Recover Unsaved Documents' button at the very bottom of the Recent File List.
How long does Word keep unsaved?
Four days. Word keeps your unsaved documents from the for four days.