How to Recover Unsaved Word Documents

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how to recover unsaved word documents

Recovering unsaved Word documents can save lives, especially when you put in several hours of working time and forgot to press the Save button. Luckily, Microsoft Word has several features that can automatically save your progress and recover missing documents. Try exploring these options to find documents that have not yet been saved.

Can I Recover an Unsaved Word Document?

Yes, Word can recover unsaved documents in several ways. As a leader in digital writing, Word developers have used several useful features for such situations:

  • AutoRecover: This feature automatically saves a copy of your document at regular intervals. Usually every 10 minutes. If Autorecover fails or shuts off accidentally, download the newest version.
  • Word’s built-in backup function saves a duplicate of your work every time you save. Select “Always Make Backup” under File > Options > Save. The backup will have an extension “.wbk” and will be saved in the same folder as the original document.
  • Auto Saving: Available for subscribers Office 365 AutoSave will save your document directly every few seconds while you’re working with it. This feature is useful in preventing data loss during failures or power outages. Be sure to enable auto-saving in the upper left corner of your Word window.
  • Document Recovery: In some cases, Word will detect documents that have not been saved correctly and give you a document recovery option when you restart the program. If there is a recovery window, the document will appear on the left side of the window. Word allows you to view and revive documents that are not saved.

Even if you haven’t set up automatic saving or encountered situations where it doesn’t work when you lose your documents, there are other ways to recover them. Try exploring them further.

How to Recover Word Documents with Software?

If you do not want to use any software, there are still free ways to recover unsaved Word documents. However, if these methods don’t work, you can consider using a professional data recovery tool called WinfrGUI. Here’s how you can recover unsaved word documents using various methods:

Method 1: Restore deleted/missing/unsaved Word documents using WinfrGUI

If no previous method works, WinfrGUI will help. This user-friendly recovery tool can find deleted or unsaved Word documents. To use it:

  • Download and install WinfrGUI from the official website.
  • Open the application and select a disk or location where the unsaved Word document is.
  • The scan process will start immediately and you can check the progress on the screen.
  • WinfrGUI will search for different file types, but you can block the results by selecting specific file types such as unsaved files for unknown Word documents.
  • When you find an unsaved Word document, please look at the first page. If the file is corrupted, the program will repair it automatically.
  • If you want to save a recovered document, click Recover and save it to your PC.
Download WinfrGUI Free

How to Recover Word Documents without Software

Now let’s explore non-software ways to recover unsaved Word documents.

Method 1: Upgrade Word Document from Recycle Box

If you suspect that you may have deleted the Word file you are looking for, please check the recycling bag:

  • Open your recycling box and search for accidentally deleted Word files.
  • When you find it, please mention its name for future reference.
  • Right click on the file and select the recovery option to find it.
  • Search the file by name in the search start box or in the file explorer.

Method 2: Search for Word documents that have not been saved manually in the AutoRecover folder.

Word’s AutoRecover feature will automatically save a new version of your document while you’re working with it. You can find these backups in the AppData folder:

  • Click Windows + R to open the run dialog.
  • Type “%AppData%” and click OK to access the AppData folder.
  • Search for Microsoft folders and find Word files in them.
  • If you can’t find it, please go back to the AppData folder and enter the local folder.
  • Search Office Folder > UnsavedFiles

If the above method does not work, you can try searching for a file with the “.asd” extension, which is the format AutoRecover saves the file in:

  • Open the file search and enter “.asd” in the search box.
  • If a file with the “.asd” extension appears, you’re lucky.
  • Go back to Word and click File > Open > Call
  • Find the “.asd” file in the folder you found.
  • Change file type to all files close to image names
  • Right-click on the “.asd” file and click Open to open in Word.

Method 3: Recover unsaved documents using Word backup files

If the previous method failed, Word Backup will save the backup in WBK format. Try the following:

  • Open the file scanner and type “.wbk” in the search box, then press Enter.
  • Do you see any WBK files that disable backup in the name field?
  • If so, double-click the file to open in Word.

Method 4: Use Recover Unsaved Documents (AutoSave)

If the previous method failed, Word has built-in features for recovering lost Word files:

  • Open Word and go to the information tab in the main menu.
  • Click on the document manager icon and choose to recover unsaved documents.
  • Select the file you want to recover and click on the Open button.

Method 5: Use Word Document Recovery

In case an application or system fails, the Word Document Recovery feature will automatically save unsaved Word documents to be received when you restart the application:

  • Restart your computer and open Word again.
  • Automatically search for saved files under Document Recovery on the left side of the screen.
  • Click on a file and select Open or Save as… To keep it.

Method 6: Remove unsaved Word documents from temporary files

While you are working with documents, your computer creates temporary files to store relevant information. These documents are usually deleted when you save your documents. However, you may find Word documents that are not yet saved in the temporary file folder:

  • Click Windows + R to open the run dialog.
  • Type “%temp%” and click OK to access the temporary file folder.
  • If you find an unsaved Word document, remember its location.
  • In Word, go to File > Open > Find missing documents
  • Do not forget to change the file type to full file to reveal the TMP file.
  • Search.tmp file for unsaved Word documents. Select and click Open to open in Word.

How to Prevent Losing Word Documents in the Future

In order to avoid future losses, it is important to take precautions when working with Word documents.

Tip 1: Save Regularly

Be sure to save your Word document often while working. Save it after each line or section to keep progress. Save fast with Ctrl+S.

Tip 2: Enable AutoRecover and AutoSave

To make your operations safer, please enable the AutoRecover and AutoSave features in Word. Follow these steps:

Open Word and go to File Tab

Click on the option and select Save from the left menu.

Select the box to save the automatic recovery data

Set the frequency of automatic removal, for example every 10 minutes or less.

Make sure the option will keep the last automatically saved version. If closing without saving code is selected.

You can edit the location of the AutoRecover file if you want.

When you make the necessary changes, click OK.

Tip 3: Configure Backup

Creating a backup of your important Word documents is a precautionary measure. You can use a cloud storage service such as OneDrive or Google Drive, or invest in an external storage device.

Conclusion

In conclusion, losing an unsaved Word document may be painful, but there are various ways to recover it. Take advantage of Word’s integrated features such as Document Recovery and AutoRecover, or use a data recovery tool such as WinfrGUI. It also uses protective measures such as regular saving, enables AutoRecovery and Autosave, and sets backups to avoid future losses.

>>Also Read: 6 Solutions to Restore Previous Version Of Excel File