How To Recover Unsaved Word Document 2024 : Best Guide

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Introduction-

Saving your work is one of the most important steps in the writing process. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and sometimes files are accidentally deleted or unsaved. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t panic – there are ways to recover your document. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the process of retrieving an unsaved word document.

Have you ever been in the middle of typing a paper or document and your computer crashes, losing all of your progress? If you have a Microsoft Word document, there is a good chance it can be recovered.

When you save a word document, you expect it to be there the next time you open it. However, sometimes that doesn’t happen- your document is lost and gone forever. But don’t worry, there are ways to recover unsaved word documents. In this blog post, we’ll go over a few methods on how to do so. So if you’ve ever lost work due to an unexpected computer crash or power outage, read on for some helpful tips.

How to recover unsaved Word document in Office

There are few things more frustrating than losing unsaved work. If you’re working on a Microsoft Word document and haven’t saved recently, all your recent changes may be lost if the program crashes or your computer shuts down unexpectedly.

Luckily, there are a few ways to recover unsaved Word documents.

In this article, we’ll show you how to recover an unsaved Word document in Office 365, 2019, 2016, or 2013. We’ll also give you some tips on how to avoid losing unsaved work in the future.

Method 1: Recover Unsaved Word Document from AutoRecover

If you have AutoRecover enabled in Word, chances are your unsaved work will be automatically saved to a temporary location. To check if AutoRecover is enabled and recover your unsaved document:

1. Open Word and go to File > Options.

files : How To Recover Unsaved Word Document

2. In the Word Options window, select Save from the left pane.

left panel

3. Under Save documents, make sure the Automatically save unsaved documents checkbox is selected.

4. Click the Browse button to choose where you want AutoRecover files to be saved.

5. Click OK to save your changes and close the Word Options window.

Now that AutoRecover is enabled, any unsaved work will be automatically saved to the location you specified in step 4. To recover your unsaved document:

1. Open Word and go to File > Open.

open

2. In the Open window, select This PC from the left pane.

this pc : How To Recover Unsaved Word Document

3. Click the Browse button next to the File name field.

4. Navigate to the location you specified in step 4 above. By default, this will be your Documents folder.

5. Double-click the AutoRecover file you want to open.

Method 2: Recover Unsaved Word Document from the Temporary Files Folder

If you didn’t have AutoRecover enabled or your unsaved document wasn’t saved by AutoRecover for some reason, you can try looking for it in the Temporary Files folder. To do this:

1. Close Word if it’s open.

2. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.

3. Type %temp% and press Enter to open the Temporary Files folder.

Windows key + R

4. Sort the files by date and look for a file that starts with “Word” and has the .tmp extension.

5. Right-click the file and select Rename.

6. Change the file extension from .tmp to .docx or .doc, depending on which version of Word you’re using.

7. Double-click the file to open it in Word.

If you can’t find the file you’re looking for in the Temporary Files folder, try searching your computer for files with the .tmp extension. To do this:

1. Press the Windows key + S to open the Search box.

2. Type *.tmp and press Enter.

3. Look through the results for a file that starts with “Word” and has the .tmp extension.

4. Right-click the file and select Rename.

5. Change the file extension from .tmp to .docx or .doc, depending on which version of Word you’re using.

6. Double-click the file to open it in Word.

Method 3: Recover Unsaved Word Document from a Previous Version

If you’re using Windows 10, you may be able to recover an unsaved Word document from a previous version. This feature is only available if you have System Restore enabled on your computer. To check if System Restore is enabled and recover your unsaved document:

1. Type restore point in the Search box and select Create a restore point from the results.

2. In the System Properties window, click the Configure button.

3. Under Restore Settings, make sure Turn on system protection is selected.

4. Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.

Now that System Restore is enabled, you can try to recover your unsaved document from a previous version. To do this:

1. Close Word if it’s open.

2. Press the Windows key + S to open the Search box.

3. Type previous versions and select Restore your file from the results.

4. In the Previous Versions window, select the version of the file you want to restore and click the Restore button.

If you can’t find a previous version of the file you’re looking for, it’s possible that System Restore wasn’t turned on or there weren’t any restore points available. In this case, you won’t be able to recover your unsaved document using this method.

How can you avoid using Word document recovery process

If you have ever lost work on a document because of a power outage or a crash, you know how frustrating it can be. The first thing you might think to do is check the Word document recovery feature, but did you know that there are ways to avoid using it altogether?

Here are some tips:

1. Save your work often. This is the most important thing you can do to prevent data loss. Make sure to save your work frequently, especially if you are working on a long or complex document.

2. Use a backup program. There are many programs available that can automatically save copies of your work as you go. This way, if something happens to your original document, you will have a backup to fall back on.

3. Use cloud storage. Cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive offer an easy way to store and share files online. If your computer crashes, you can simply download your work from the cloud.

4. Keep multiple copies. If you are working on a important document, it is a good idea to keep multiple copies in different locations. For example, you could save one copy on your computer and another copy on a USB drive or in the cloud.

5. Use version control. If you are collaborating on a document with someone else, make sure to use a version control system like Google Docs or Microsoft Word. This way, you can easily track changes and avoid overwriting each other’s work.

By following these tips, you can help avoid the need to use the Word document recovery feature. However, if you do find yourself in a situation where you need to use it, remember that it is there to help you get your work back.

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Conclusion- How To Recover Unsaved Word Document 2024 

In conclusion, there are several methods you can use to try and recover a lost or unsaved Word document. If you have a recent backup of the file, your best bet is to restore it from the backup.

If you do not have a recent backup, or if the file was deleted, you may be able to use one of the other methods we’ve outlined to recover the document. Remember that these methods will only work if Windows has not already written over the old version of the file with new data.

Aishwar Babber

Aishwar Babber is a passionate blogger and digital marketer who has worked in the industry for over six years. He loves to talk and blog about gadget, and latest tech, which motivates him to run GizmoBase. He has a deep understanding of how to create and execute successful marketing campaigns and is an expert in SEO, affiliate marketing, and blogging. Aishwar is also an investor and creator of multiple blogs on various niches. You can find him on Linkedin, Instagram, & Facebook.

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