How to Perform Microsoft Word File Recovery on Windows

What causes Microsoft Word file loss?

Microsoft Word is one of the most widely used tools for creating and managing documents. However, despite its reliability, users sometimes face the frustration of losing their files. Understanding the causes of Word file loss can help you take preventative measures and avoid unnecessary stress. Below are the common reasons behind Microsoft Word file loss:

1. Accidental deletion: Users may inadvertently delete Word files, either by pressing the wrong key or choosing the wrong option when clearing up storage. Files deleted from the system's recycle bin can be particularly challenging to recover.

2. Software crashes: Microsoft Word or the operating system may unexpectedly crash due to bugs, corrupted software, or insufficient system resources. These crashes can result in unsaved changes being lost or entire files becoming inaccessible.

3. Corrupted files: Word files can become corrupted for various reasons, such as malware attacks, hard drive issues, or saving the file on damaged storage media. Once corrupted, the file may refuse to open or display errors.

4. Hard drive failures: Physical or logical hard drive failures can lead to the loss of all data, including Word files. Common causes of hard drive failure include overheating, bad sectors, or age-related wear and tear.

5. Malware or virus attacks: Cyberattacks in the form of malware, ransomware, or viruses can target and destroy Word files. Some malware may encrypt or corrupt your files, rendering them unusable.

Built-in Microsoft Word file recovery features

First of all, there are several inbuilt functions to recover your lost, missing, or deleted Microsoft files.

Feature 1. With AutoRecover

One of the best features for avoiding total data loss is AutoRecover. This tool automatically saves your document every few minutes, providing you with a backup in case of an unexpected shutdown or crash. Here’s how you can access AutoRecover files:

Step 1. Find the file saving path (e.g.: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles).

Step 2. Here, copy the file name of the Word document you want to recover.

Step 3. Open your Microsoft Word, click "File". Then, click "Manage Document" and select "Recover Unsaved Documents" from the drop-down list. Please paste the copied file into the file name column and click "Open".

Manual active the AutoRecover: Click “File” > “Options” > “Save”. Then tick “Save AutoRecover information every x minutes” > “Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving” > “OK”.

Feature 2. Via recovering Unsaved Documents

If Word crashes or you forget to save a document, it’s not the end of the world. You can recover unsaved documents through these steps:

Step 1. Open Word and click "File" in the upper left corner.

Step 2. Click "Manage Documents" and select "Recover Unsaved Documents" from the drop-down list.

Step 3. If it is a recently lost document, it should appear in this window. Open the target Word document and click the "Save As" button in the top banner.

Feature 3. Using the Document Recovery Pane

When Word crashes, it often opens the Document Recovery pane the next time you launch the application. This shows a list of available recovered files that you can open and save.

Step 1. From the main tab of Excel, click the "File" button and select "Options".

Step 2. Under the "Options" menu, on the left-hand pane, pick "Save".

Step 3. As shown in the photo, check the state of the feature. Set the automatic save time based on your needs.

If you enable the option and save the files once, Excel will display the lost files that can be recovered. You can now find and pick the target files, which will be opened in the software.

How to run Microsoft Word file recovery without built-in features

If the Windows native features fail to get your lost files back, don’t worry, the following content introduces several reliable recovery methods to increase the success rate of Microsoft word deleted file recovery.

Way 1. Searching for Temporary Files

Word creates temporary files while you’re working. These can sometimes be used to recover lost content.

Step 1. Navigate to the folder where your file was last saved.

Step 2. Look for files that start with “~” or “$” (temporary files).

Step 3. Open these files in Word to see if your content is recoverable.

Way 2. Restoring from Previous Versions

If you’re using Windows, you can restore earlier versions of your Word document from the file’s properties. Here’s how:

Step 1. Go to File Explorer and find the folder that contains the files you have deleted.

Step 2. Right-click the folder > Properties > Previous Versions > choose the latest version > Restore.

Way 3. Using OneDrive for file recovery

If you’ve been saving your documents to OneDrive, you have another recovery option. OneDrive keeps versions of your documents, which means you can revert to an earlier version.

Step 1. Go to the OneDrive website.

Step 2. Navigate to the folder where your document was stored.

Step 3. Right-click on the file and select Version History.

Step 4. Choose the version you want to recover.

Way 4. Resorting to Microsoft Office Word file recovery tool

Losing important Microsoft Office files, such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint presentations, can be extremely frustrating. Whether it’s due to accidental deletion, a system crash, or file corruption, the good news is that you can recover your files efficiently using AOMEI FastRecovery, a reliable and user-friendly data recovery tool designed to restore lost or deleted files from various storage devices.

It supports recovering data from formatted hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, memory cards, and more. With its advanced scanning algorithms and user-friendly interface, AOMEI FastRecovery makes it easy for users to recover Microsoft Office files quickly and efficiently.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data is lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool starts to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first to find your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovery to end.

Tips to prevent future file loss

While recovery methods are helpful, it’s always better to be proactive. Here are some tips to help prevent future file loss:

► Save your work often: Make it a habit to press Ctrl + S every few minutes.

► Enable AutoSave: If you use OneDrive, enable AutoSave to automatically save your work as you go.

► Use a backup solution: Regularly back up your important documents to an external drive or cloud storage.

► Update Word: Ensure you have the latest version of Microsoft Word to benefit from security updates and new features.

Conclusion

That's all about Microsoft Word file recovery. If you suffer Word file loss for some reason, Word’s built-in recovery features like AutoRecover, Document Recovery Pane, and restoring unsaved files offer quick solutions. If these fail, methods like searching temporary files, restoring previous versions, or using cloud services like OneDrive can help. For more advanced recovery, tools like AOMEI FastRecovery efficiently restore lost files from multiple storage devices.