How to Recover Unsaved Powerpoint

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Have you ever encountered the disappointment of losing an important PowerPoint presentation that you have not saved? Don’t worry. We’ve been here to help PowerPoint be the platform for creating presentations since its launch in 1987. PPTX and PowerPoint programs are not susceptible to data loss, damage, or infections. System failure, accidental presentation deletion, or corrupted files. A solid data recovery solution is essential. 

How PowerPoint Files Get Lost

Understanding how to lose a PowerPoint file is important in finding the right solution. We have compiled a detailed table explaining the common situations and reasons for losing PowerPoint files:

  • Deleting accidentally formatted PPT/PPTX or HDD/SSD data: Error deleting file or formatting disk containing a PowerPoint file.
  • PowerPoint accidentally closed without saving:
  • Forgetting to record your work or loss of power while working on a presentation
  • Problems such as excessive memory leakage or hard drive/SSD failure can cause applications to crash.
  • Operating system crash: Like a PowerPoint application that crashed, the system may be caused by excessive memory leakage, heat or hard drive/SSD failure.
  • Virus and Malware:
  • Infection via email attachments to downloaded apps or suspicious image names can destroy PowerPoint files.
  • PowerPoint file corruption: HDD/SSD failure or the use of old or unused disk drives may cause PowerPoint files to be corrupted.

How To Recover Deleted or Unsaved PowerPoint Files

Now we have a better understanding of the possible problems and their causes. Let us explore solutions to recover deleted or unsaved PowerPoint files in Windows 11 / 10.

Method 1: Restore deleted/missing/unsaved PPT with WinfrGUI

WinfrGUI can recover lost or deleted PPT/PPTX files. It can manage over 500 data loss scenarios such unintentional deletion, application or system failure, virus infection, and hard drive disaster. It also fixes faulty PowerPoint files during sample viewing.

Here’re the steps:

  • Open WinfrGUI and choose “Hard Drive and Location”.
  • Select the lost data location and let the program scan the disk. 
  • Configure your search by adding filters for file status, type, time, size, and tag.
  • Check the previously found PPT/PPTX file to make sure it’s the file you want.
  • Recover files by clicking on the “Recover” button.

WinfrGUI not only can recover PowerPoint files, but also supports more than 1,000 other file types and works with various storage devices.

>>Also Read: Accidentally Closed Word Document Without Saving in MS Word, What to Do? 

Method 2: Search for unsaved PowerPoint files in temporary folders.

Both Windows and macOS systems have temporary folders that store the most recent data. By accessing these directories, you can search for unsaved PowerPoint presentations. Follow these steps:

For Windows:

  • Open the file detector and go to “C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft”
  • Search for a PowerPoint folder and find a “. tmp” file similar to a PPT or PPTX file.
  • Copy these files to your desktop and change the extension from “.tmp” to “.ppt” or “.pptx” according to your Microsoft Office version.

For macOS:

  • Close all active programs
  • In the Finder, click “To” > “To Folder” and enter “~/Library/Caches”.
  • Find the PPT/PPTX file in the cache folder and drag it to your desktop or open it and save it elsewhere.

Keep in mind that deleting temporary files and caching may lose storage space, but do so after finding the required information.

Method 3: Use PowerPoint’s unsaved presentation recovery feature.

The “updated” feature in PowerPoint maintains temporary PPT/PPTX files or cache to discover and recover unsaved presentations. Follow these steps:

  • Start PowerPoint after failure.
  • Select “Open” from “Files”
  • Choose “Last Presentation” and open the unsaved PowerPoint. 

For data security, please remember to save the file to a secure location when you open it.

Method 4: Recover unsaved PPT files using PowerPoint AutoRecover

The PowerPoint AutoRecover feature is designed to recover unsaved files in case the system or application fails. To use this feature:

  • Open a PowerPoint presentation and go to File > Home > Options > Save
  • Click on the box that says “Save automatic recovery data every minute” and “Keep the last deleted version if I close without saving it.”
  • Copy path to file from AutoRecover file location
  • Open Windows Explorer. Path down the address bar and press “Enter” to find missing PowerPoint files to unsaved.

You can edit the frequency of AutoRecover and change the location where the PowerPoint file is saved.

Method 5: Recover Deleted PowerPoint Files From Recycling Tanks

If you mistakenly deleted a PowerPoint presentation, please check the recycling tanks first. You can follow these steps to revive them:

  • Open the recycling tank.
  • Find the desired PowerPoint presentation. Right-click and select “Restore”
  • Search for recovered PPT/PPTX files in their original folders.

If you have the recycling tank empty, a specific data recovery app such as WinfrGUI is your best solution.

Method 6: Recover Lost PowerPoint Files Using Windows File History

For Windows users, the built-in backup and recovery tool called File History can help restore lost or saved PowerPoint presentations. This is how to use File History on Windows 10.

Click the Windows icon and select “Settings”

Go to “Updates & Security” and find the “Backup” option.

If the file history is not enabled, please add a drive to back up and let it start automatically switching.

If the file has already been backed up, select “Recover File from Current Backup” to access the supported file.

Find the unsaved PowerPoint file you want to recover and click the Restore icon.

For Windows 11 users, follow similar steps by searching for “file history” in the Windows menu.

Keep in mind that the file history is only useful if you set it as a previous backup option.

How To Ensure You Don’t Lose PowerPoint Files in the Future

To prevent future loss of PowerPoint files, please consider the following tips:

  • Save your files manually, except for AutoSave and AutoRecover features.
  • Install a reliable antivirus or antimalware tool to protect against viruses and malware.
  • Consider investing in a non-stop power supply (UPS) to prevent data loss caused by power surges or shutdowns.
  • Remove important applications, operating systems, and files from different partitions or storage devices.

Conclusion

Finally, Microsoft PowerPoint is a popular presenting tool. PowerPoint files can cause many issues, but there are ways to restore deleted or saved presentations. You can recover PowerPoint files using WinfrGUI, temporary folder surveys, PowerPoint features, or file history. Take care to prevent data loss.