How to Recover an Unsaved Word Document

To recover an unsaved Word document, open Word, select File > Info > Manage Document, and choose Recover Unsaved Documents. Pick the file and select Open, then save it right away. If Word crashed, it may also show a Document Recovery pane the next time it opens.

This guide covers the Document Recovery pane, the Recover Unsaved Documents list, finding AutoRecover files by hand on Windows and Mac, temporary files, version history for OneDrive files, recovering text from a damaged file, and the settings that stop it happening again. It applies to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021 and Word 2019.

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Method 1: Use the Document Recovery pane after a crash

According to Microsoft, when Word closes unexpectedly before you save, Document Recovery opens automatically the next time you start Word.

Reopen Word.
Look for the Document Recovery pane on the left.

Recreated Word Document Recovery pane with fictional Sample report autosaved and original candidates and the later 10:15 AM candidate highlighted — Open the most recent candidate in Document Recovery and review it. This recreated pane follows Microsoft’s native example, with a fictional Sample report and two illustrative times; it appears inside Word after recovery is available, rather than on the normal Start page.

Select a file to open it. If you see several versions of the same file, the one with the latest time usually has the most recent changes.
Select File > Save As and save it to a folder you’ll remember.

The recovered document opens and is saved as a normal file. If you close the pane before reviewing everything, choose Yes, I want to view these files later, which Microsoft calls the safest option.

Method 2: Recover Unsaved Documents

Use this when you closed a brand-new document without saving, or the recovery pane didn’t appear.

Open Word.
Select File, then Info.
Select Manage Document, then Recover Unsaved Documents. (You can also reach it from File > Open, at the bottom of the Recent list.)

Recreated Word Info Manage Document menu with Recover Unsaved Documents and Browse recent unsaved files highlighted — Under File → Info, open Manage Document and choose Recover Unsaved Documents. This recreated shared menu detail follows Microsoft’s native example; the rest of Backstage is outside the detail.

Select the file and select Open.
Select Save As in the yellow bar to save it.

Recreated Word gray Recovered Unsaved File bar above an original sample report with Save As highlighted — Select Save As to keep the recovered draft. This recreated detail follows Microsoft’s gray Recovered Unsaved File bar and uses an original sample document; the bar color can vary by Word version.

The unsaved draft opens with a yellow “Recovered unsaved file” bar. Save it immediately, because these drafts aren’t kept forever.

Card listing where to find an unsaved Word document: the Document Recovery pane, Recover Unsaved Documents, the AutoRecover folder, and Version History — Illustration: the four places to check for an unsaved Word document on Windows.

Method 3: Open the AutoRecover folder yourself

Windows

In Word, go to File > Options > Save.
Copy the path next to AutoRecover file location.

Recreated Word Options Save detail with AutoRecover file location highlighted and the username replaced by a gray bar — Under File → Options → Save, copy AutoRecover file location. This recreated upper Save documents detail masks the username and shows an illustrative five-minute interval; other options are outside the detail.

Paste it into the File Explorer address bar and press Enter.
Look for files ending in .asd, sorted by date.
In Word, select File > Open > Browse, set the file type to All Files, and open the .asd file.

Recreated Word Open file-picker detail in AppData Roaming Microsoft Word with fictional Sample report.asd selected and All Files filter highlighted — Set the file type to All Files (*.*), select the .asd file, and choose Open. This recreated classic Word file-picker detail uses a fictional Sample report.asd; other files and navigation are outside the detail.

The AutoRecover copy opens in Word. Unsaved drafts for new documents may also be in C:\Users\your name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles, the folder the Recover Unsaved Documents button opens.

Mac

In Finder, select Go > Go to Folder (or press Shift+Command+G).
Enter ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery and press Return.

Recreated Finder Go to Folder path-entry detail with the Word AutoRecovery path highlighted — Paste `~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery` into Finder’s Go to Folder and press Return. This recreated modern path-entry detail omits suggested destinations; the path may vary with Word version.

Open the most recent file, then save it with a new name.

You see Word’s hidden AutoRecovery folder. Microsoft notes the folder is hidden, so Go to Folder is the easiest way in, and that clicking Don’t Save on a Mac deletes the AutoRecover file.

Method 4: Check temporary files (Windows)

If Word is still open from the same session, a temporary copy may exist. Type %temp% in the File Explorer address bar, sort by Date modified, and look for recent files that start with ~ or end in .tmp. Open them in Word with the file type set to All Files. This is a long shot after a restart.

Method 5: Restore an earlier version of a saved file

Files on OneDrive or SharePoint: open the file and select File > Info > Version History, then open and restore the version you want.
Files on your PC: look in File > Info > Manage Document for autosaved versions from the current session. If File History is on, right-click the file in File Explorer and choose Restore previous versions.
Word backup copies (.wbk): if Always create backup copy was on before the loss (File > Options > Advanced > Save), search for .wbk files named Backup of plus the document name. Open one with the file type set to All Files and save it as a new .docx. Microsoft’s Word recovery guide covers this search.

If you saved the file but can’t find it, search File Explorer for its name, or for *.docx if you don’t remember the name. Start in Documents and your OneDrive folder.

Recreated Word Version History pane with fictional October 24 and October 23 versions and an older 9:45 AM entry highlighted — Choose an older dated entry in Version History to open it. This recreated Word pane uses illustrative dates and gray author bars; this native layout opens entries directly rather than displaying a separate Open version button.

If the file is saved but you want it back the way it was earlier, restore a previous version of the Word file.

Recover a Deleted Word Document on Windows or Mac

First decide whether the file was saved and then deleted, or never saved. For a deleted Windows file, open Recycle Bin, find the document, right-click it and choose Restore. Reopen it from its original folder and save another copy if needed. For OneDrive or SharePoint files, check that service’s online recycle bin as well; a local Word AutoRecover folder is not a substitute for cloud-file recovery.

If the file isn’t in the Recycle Bin, check your File History backup if you have one: open File History in Control Panel and choose Restore personal files, go to the folder and a backup from before the file was deleted, select the document and restore it. Check where it’s being restored to so you don’t overwrite a newer copy. Microsoft’s backup overview explains File History. A backup made after the file was lost won’t have it.

On a Mac, check the Trash first and use Put Back if the document is there. If you have a Time Machine backup, open the original folder in Finder, open Time Machine, go back to a backup from before the file was deleted, select the document and choose Restore. Apple’s Time Machine restore guide explains returning items to their original location. Open the restored file and check its contents. If there’s no copy anywhere, recovery may not be possible; avoid saving new data to that disk while you look for recovery help.

To avoid removing the wrong file next time, the steps for deleting documents from Microsoft Word explain Delete file versus Remove from list.

Recover text from a damaged document

If a saved file won’t open properly, Word can try to pull out the text. On Windows, select File > Open > Browse, choose Recover Text from Any File in the file type list, and open the document. On a Mac, turn on Confirm file format conversion at Open under Word > Preferences > General, then choose Recover Text from the Open menu. Formatting and images are lost, but the words usually survive.

Recreated Word Open split-button menu with Open and Repair highlighted among its eight native options — An alternative for a file that will not open is Open and Repair, reached from the arrow beside Open. This recreated shared Word file-picker menu follows Microsoft’s native example; it is separate from the Recover Text from Any File format selector described above.

If Word itself won’t start, work through these startup fixes for Microsoft Word first.

Prevent it next time

Turn on AutoSave (top-left of Word) by saving files to OneDrive or SharePoint. Microsoft calls this the safest way to work.
In File > Options > Save, make sure Save AutoRecover information every is on, with a short interval like 5 minutes.
In the same place, keep Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving checked.
Press Ctrl+S (Command+S on a Mac) often.

If Word erases words while you type instead, you can stop Word from deleting text as you type.

Card listing Word settings that prevent lost work: AutoSave, a shorter AutoRecover interval, keeping the last AutoRecovered version, and saving often — Illustration: four Word settings that help prevent lost documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are AutoRecover files stored?

On Windows the folder is listed in File > Options > Save next to AutoRecover file location. On a Mac it’s the hidden AutoRecovery folder above.

Why is my document not in the list?

If Word closed normally and you chose not to save, AutoRecover was off, or the document was never autosaved before you closed it, there may be no copy to recover.

I clicked Don’t Save. Is it gone?

Not always on Windows: check Recover Unsaved Documents first. On a Mac, Don’t Save deletes the AutoRecover file, so a backup or Version History is the remaining option.

Can I recover a deleted Word file?

Check the Recycle Bin. If it’s not there, try other ways to find deleted files on Windows 11.

Do recovery apps help?

They can sometimes find deleted files, but they can’t recreate text that Word never wrote to disk. Try Word’s built-in options first.

Matthew Burleigh

Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.

Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.

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