[Fixed] How to Recover a Word Doc that Was Not Saved?

User Question: How to recover a Word doc that was not saved?

Accidents like sudden software closures, system crashes, or power outages can result in file loss, especially for the documents that were not saved in time. It is frustrating to put in a lot of effort on work only to end up with nothing. Can I recover a Word document that I didn't save in time?

Fortunately, there are several practical recovery solutions for unsaved Word documents. If you are troubled by the same question, read through this guide to find an appropriate recovery way.

How to recover unsaved word files?

In this section, we will explore three effective solutions to recover unsaved Word documents. Choose the method that best suits your needs and follow the steps to recover your unsaved Word documents.

Recover Using AutoRecover Feature

Microsoft Office provides an AutoRecover feature to assist users in restoring unsaved works in case of unexpected interruptions. By default, this feature automatically backs up your data every 10 minutes, provided you have enabled it beforehand. And you are also allowed to set the intervals as needed.

How to set AutoRecover in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Go to File > Options > Save in turn.

Step 2: Make sure the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes and Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving boxes are selected.

Step 3: Customize the time intervals according to your needs.

How to recover a Word doc that was not saved? When you encounter an unexpected crash or closure, first try to restart Microsoft Word. You will see the Document Recovery pane on the left side of the window. Here you can choose the desired document to recover.

If the pane doesn't appear, follow these steps to manually recover your unsaved Word documents:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word, and click File > Open > Recent in turn.

Step 2: Select Recover Unsaved Documents at the interface bottom.

Step 3: Locate the Word document you lost, open and save it to the specified location.

Recover from Temporary Files

In Windows, there is a Temp folder on the C drive that stores various temporary files generated by the operating system and applications. These files typically have a .tmp extension. If your Word documents were unsaved and disappeared, you might be able to recover them from this location. But it might be time-consuming to locate the desired files since the filenames may not bear any discernible connection. 

Here’s how to recover unsaved Word files from the Temp folder:

Step 1: Navigate to the temporary file location using this path: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp. Repalce the UserName with your own one.

Step 2: Find the desired Word document here and change its extension to .docx or .doc.

Step 3: Open and save this file properly to the specified location.

Recover through Word Backup Files

If you have enabled the backup copy option previously in MS Word, you might be able to find a backup of your lost file. You can follow these steps to recover your unsaved Word files through backups:

Step 1: Open the File Explorer.

Step 2: Navigate to the location where your Word documents are stored.

Step 3: Look for a file with the name Backup of [Your Document Name].wbk here. Open and save it to the specified location.

Why can’t I find my Word documents?

In addition to issues with unsaved Word documents, another common problem we frequently encounter is not being able to locate certain Word documents. Our essential files can disappear from their original locations due to various reasons, such as accidental deletion, software bugs, system failures, and more. How to recover missing files?

How do I recover deleted Word documents?

The method for recovering these missing Word documents depends on the state of the files. When Word documents are deleted from their original locations, we can choose appropriate methods to get them back. One of the simplest and most effective ways is to recover deleted files using professional software.

AOMEI FastRecovery is a robust and reliable data recovery software for retrieving various deleted files from different storage devices on Windows PCs and servers. With its excellent performance, you are able to quickly scan and locate the desired files and recover them to the specific path. You can free download it to have a try:

Free Download Windows PCs & Servers

100% Secure

Let’s see how to recover deleted Word documents with AOMEI FastRecovery.

Step 1: Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery, and then choose the exact partition or disk where your documents are stored.

Step 2: Scan the specified drive to find the deleted documents. It offers two modes, Quick Scan and Deep Scan, aiming to find lost content comprehensively.

Step 3: Upon scanning completion, missing files will be displayed. Choose the document you want to restore and click Recover. 

Step 4: Specify a path for it, and wait for the process to finish.

Using Tips: ◆ You can recover files as soon as they appear on the interface, even while the scan is in progress. ◆ It is suggested to preview your files before recovery, ensuring you recover the right one. ◆ Choose a new location to save recoverable files to prevent your data from being overwritten.

How can I find the hidden files?

However, sometimes we cannot find certain files because they are hidden for improper operations. Hidden files might be invisible in your regular file browsing activities due to certain system settings or file attributes.

You can follow these steps to show these files again:

Step 1: Open the File Explorer.

Step 2: Click the View tab at the top toolbar.

Step 3: Check if the Hidden items option is selected in the Show/Hide group.

Strategies to Avoid File Loss

File loss occurs frequently and always makes us feel frustrated and disheartened. Here are several prevention strategies worth learning.

Double-Check before Acting: Take extra care when handling and managing files during routine tasks. Ensure that your actions do not lead to the unexpected loss of certain files. 

Save Your Files Properly: Although the AutoRecover feature in MS Word can help you recover unsaved files when necessary, it is still recommended to manually save your files in time to ensure data integrity.

Back Up Your Data Regularly: Implementing a regular data backup can greatly reduce the risk of losing data. It is also advisable to back up your essential files using system tools, professional backup tools, or cloud storage services.

Final Thought

File loss is hard to avoid in everyday work. Sometimes, we may lose crucial documents on account of unexpected incidents. “How to recover a Word doc that was not saved when my computer crashed?” This guide provides you with three effective strategies to solve the painful issue. If you still cannot find your files on your computer, they may have been deleted or hidden for unknown reasons. In that case, consider recovering them using the methods mentioned above. Additionally, to prevent important data loss in the future, it is recommended to perform regular backups.