How to Recover an Unsaved Microsoft Word Document

Recover your lost work in Microsoft Word using the built-in AutoRecover feature. Follow these steps to locate temporary files and restore unsaved progress.

1. Open the Manage Document menu. Launch Microsoft Word. Select the File tab in the top-left corner, click Info, and then select the Manage Document button to reveal a dropdown menu.
2. Recover unsaved documents. Select Recover Unsaved Documents from the list. This command opens a dialog box showing a list of temporary files saved in the AutoRecover directory.
3. Open and save the retrieved file. Locate the file corresponding to the time you lost your data. Select the file and click Open, then immediately save the document to a permanent location using Save As.
4. Check the local AutoRecovery folder. If the previous method fails, open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\. Search for any files with the .asd extension in this directory.
5. Check OneDrive version history. If your file was saved to OneDrive, right-click the file in the folder and select Version History. Review the available timestamps and click Restore on the version you wish to recover.