How to Recover Unsaved Word Document in 2024

Have you accidentally deleted your Word file and want to learn how to recover unsaved Word document? Well, look no further.

So, let’s look at the ways you can learn how to recover unsaved Word documents. Usually, the recovery option is available for a new Word document if you accidentally close the previous ones.

However, you can follow the below steps to get your file back using other alternatives.

From Recycle Bin

Small-sized files such as Word documents you delete are not lost permanently but stay in the recycle bin. The most basic way of retrieving such Word documents is by restoring them from the recycle bin. You can follow the steps mentioned below to do so.

On Windows

1. Locate the Bin icon on your Desktop. Or, click on the search icon at the taskbar and search for Recycle Bin.
   
2. Double-click the icon to open.
3. Locate and right-click on the Word document you deleted.
4. Click on Restore.
   

On Mac

1. Click on the Trash icon from the Taskbar at the bottom of your screen.
2. Locate and right-click the Word document that you deleted.
3. Click on Put Back to restore your document.
   

After restoring the deleted document, it will return to the previous file location where it was before you deleted it. Also, you can permanently delete the file from the Recycle bin and Trash.

From Document Recovery

Word can close without saving if there are issues such as system malfunctions, power outages, or if you close it mistakenly.

In such a case, you may be able to recover unsaved Word documents using the recovery options available immediately after you open Word. So, follow the steps mentioned below.

1. Open a new Microsoft Word document.
2. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see Available Files.
   
3. Double-click on the file you need to recover.

From Temporary Files

Microsoft keeps temporary files and previous versions of Word documents on your internal disk. You need to know where to find these files.

To do so, you can go to the “Versions” section of Word to recover previous or unsaved versions of your Word document.

So, follow the methods mentioned below to recover your file with the help of temporary files.

1. Open a new Word Document.
2. Click on File from the Taskbar at the top.
   
3. Click on Info.
4. Click on Manage Documents.
   
5. Select Recover Unsaved Documents.
   
6. Double-click on the file you lost from the Recover list that appears on a new window.
   
7. Then, edit or save the file as you see fit.

There is a Save As button available below the taskbar to immediately save the folder once you recover it using the steps mentioned above. 

From One Drive

With OneDrive, you can sync and back up your Word documents to the Microsoft cloud. With the sync enabled, you can recover the Word file you deleted within 30 days of deleting it.  So, follow the method mentioned below to retrieve your file from OneDrive.

1. Open and log in to OneDrive on your device.
2. On the left side of the page, click on Recycle Bin.
   
3. Right-click on the file you deleted. 
4. Select Restore.
   

From AutoRecover Files

The Options menu on Word takes you to the settings options of your Word document. You can use the save tab from the settings to enable or disable the Auto Recover feature.

You can manage other saving options, such as Auto Recover file location and saving time as well.

You can use the steps mentioned below to recover unsaved Word documents from the AutoRecover Files option. 

1. Open a new Word document on your device.
2. Click on File from the Taskbar and select Options.
   
3. Click on Save.
4. On the AutoRecover file location section, copy the file path.
   
5. Open File Explorer on your device.
6. Paste the file path from step 4 on the directory at the top and press Enter. (Or type in .asd on the search bar on your file explorer and search for your file.)
   
7. Right-click and copy the .asd file. (Locate and open the folder with the .asd file if not available after step 6)
   
8. Close all the pop-up windows.
9. Again, click on File and then Open. 
10. Click on Recover Unsaved Documents at the bottom of the page.
    
11. Right-click and paste on the popup window.
    
12. Then, double-click the same file to open and recover your lost document. 

The Autorecover unsaved files feature on Word is set to save your document every 10 minutes by default. You can change this time to a smaller number to provide better protection for your documents.

For this, click on the time box on Save Autorecover information in every section after step four mentioned above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Retrieve a Word Document That Wasn’t Saved?

Yes, you can recover an unsaved Word document. Microsoft has a document recovery option that keeps a backup of your unsaved files. You can follow these steps to retrieve the unsaved document.

How Do I Recover an Unsaved Word Document After Shutting Down?

You can recover unsaved Word document after you shut down your computer by opening the computer, opening MS Word and then checking for document recovery option. The recovery methods are mentioned above in this article.