After Word closes unexpectedly, reopen it and check the Document Recovery pane first. For a document never saved on Windows, go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents. On Mac, inspect Word’s AutoRecovery folder. If the file was saved to OneDrive or SharePoint, use Version History for earlier saved work or check OneDrive’s recycle bin if the file was deleted. Open the best candidate and save a separate copy immediately. Recovery depends on Word or cloud storage having retained a copy; no method can guarantee recovery of edits that were never saved.
Choose the recovery route that matches what happened
| What happened | Where to start | What it can recover |
|---|---|---|
| Word or the computer crashed | Reopen Word and check the Document Recovery pane | A recovery copy Word retained before the crash |
| You never saved the document (Windows desktop) | File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents | A candidate in Word’s unsaved-document list |
| You never saved the document (Mac desktop) | Finder > Go > Go to Folder; inspect the AutoRecovery folder | An AutoRecovery copy, if one exists |
| You need an earlier saved version | OneDrive or SharePoint Version History | A version retained by the cloud service |
| The saved file was deleted from OneDrive | OneDrive recycle bin | A deleted stored file still within the applicable retention period |
| An existing document is damaged | Word’s Open menu and Recover Text | Text Word can extract from the damaged file |
These are built-in Word and Microsoft cloud recovery options. A paid utility is not an established substitute for a copy Word or cloud storage never retained.
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Recover a document after Word crashes
- Reopen Word after the crash, restart, or power loss.
- If the Document Recovery pane appears, compare the dates and times of the candidates.
- Open the newest plausible version and check its contents.
- Save it immediately under a new name using Save As, before editing or closing it.
Word can show only a recovery copy it retained. Some of the most recent edits may be missing if they were made after the last recovery file was created. Microsoft’s recovery overview describes the recovery process.
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- Open Word and choose File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
- Review the listed files and open the candidate that matches your document.
- Use Save As to save it to a known location with a new filename.
Microsoft lists these instructions for Word desktop versions including Word 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Microsoft 365. The command can help only when Word has a candidate to display. See Microsoft’s Windows instructions.
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- The Data Recovery Stick requires no technical skills — simply plug it into your Windows computer, click Start, and the software automatically begins scanning and recovering lost files within minutes. Compatible with Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, & 11, it's designed to be a reliable first step when accidental deletion occurs.
- Recover photos (JPG, BMP, PNG, TIFF), Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access), Open Office files, MP3 music files, PDFs, RTF documents, AutoCAD files, and HTML web pages. Whether it's personal memories or critical business files, the Data Recovery Stick covers the file types that matter most.
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- No Installation Required - The Data Recovery Stick runs entirely from the USB drive with no software installation on your computer — helping prevent new data from overwriting the files you're trying to recover. This also makes it ideal for use across multiple computers or in emergency situations where installation isn't practical.
- Use the Data Recovery Stick on as many computers as often as needed — simply clear the recovered data between uses to free up storage space. Software updates keep the tool compatible with newer systems and devices, backed by 25+ years of data software expertise from Paraben Consumer Software.
Look for AutoRecovery files on a Mac
- In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter
/Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery, replacing<username>with your Mac account name. - Open a plausible recovery file and save it immediately to a normal location with a new name.
The Library folder is hidden during ordinary Finder browsing. Microsoft’s current recovery overview gives the path above; a separate Office for Mac page lists /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery. The paths differ by version context, so if the first folder is unavailable, check the alternative path in Microsoft’s Office for Mac recovery guidance.
AutoRecovery is periodic, not continuous. Microsoft Support says, “By default, AutoRecover saves a recovery file every 10 minutes.” That default interval means edits made since the last recovery copy may not be present. Microsoft’s instructions also note that choosing Don’t Save when closing a file deletes its AutoRecover file.
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Restore earlier work from OneDrive or SharePoint
Version History applies to a file stored in OneDrive or a SharePoint library. Open the file’s Version History, inspect the available versions, and restore the one you need. This is useful when the file was saved but later edits replaced or changed earlier work; it does not recover edits that were never retained by Word or the cloud.
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- Microsoft’s OneDrive version-history guidance describes a 30-day retention period. Work or school administrators can disable versioning, and library settings can affect what history is available.
- For Word for the web, version history is available from File > Version history. Microsoft says personal accounts can retrieve the last 25 versions; work or school availability depends on configuration.
See Microsoft’s guidance for Word versioning, OneDrive version history, and Word for the web.
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- Stellar Data Recovery Professional is a powerful data recovery software for restoring almost every file type from Windows PC and any external storage media like HDD, SSD, USB, CD/DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray discs. It recovers the data lost in numerous data loss scenario like corruption, missing partition, formatting, etc.
- Recovers Unlimited File Formats Retrieves lost data including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and more from Windows computers and external drives. The software supports numerous file formats and allows user to add any new format to support recovery.
- Recovers from All Storage Devices The software can retrieve data from all types of Windows supported storage media, including hard disk drives, solid-state drives, memory cards, USB flash storage, and more. It supports recovery from any storage drive formatted with NTFS, FAT (FAT16/FAT32), or exFAT file systems.
- Recovers Data from Encrypted Drives This software enables users to recover lost or deleted data from any BitLocker-encrypted hard drive, disk image file, SSD, or external storage media such as USB flash drive and hard disks. Users will simply have to put the password when prompted by the software for recovering data from a BitLocker encrypted drive.
- Recovers Data from Lost Partitions In case one or more drive partitions are not visible under ‘Connected Drives,’ the ‘Can’t Find Drive’ option can help users locate inaccessible, missing, and deleted drive partition(s). Once located, users can select and run a deep scan on the found partition(s) to recover the lost data.
Restore a deleted OneDrive file
If the document was saved to OneDrive and then deleted, check OneDrive’s recycle bin. Microsoft says personal-account deletions can be restored within 30 days and work or school deletions within 93 days, unless an administrator changed the retention settings. A file permanently deleted from the recycle bin cannot be restored there. These limits concern deleted stored files, not unsaved changes. Follow Microsoft’s OneDrive deleted-file recovery steps.
Use Recover Text only for a damaged existing file
If you have a document file that Word cannot read properly, Microsoft’s recovery guidance describes using Word’s Open menu and Recover Text to attempt to extract text. This is a repair route for a damaged existing file—not a way to find a missing unsaved document.
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- Stellar Data Recovery is an easy-to-use, DIY Windows data recovery software for recovering lost and deleted documents, emails, archived folders, photos, videos, audio, etc., from all kinds of storage media, including the modern 4K hard drives.
- Supports Physical Disk Recovery The software brings an all-new option to scan physical disks to retrieve maximum recoverable data. This feature combined with its advanced scanning engine efficiently scans physical disk in RAW mode and retrieve the lost data in numerous data loss scenarios like accidental deletion, formatting, data/drive corruption, etc.
- Supports 4K Hard Drives The software recovers data from 4K hard drives that store data on large-sized sectors. With an advanced scanning engine at its disposal, the software scans the large storage sectors of 4096 bytes on 4K drives and retrieves the data in vast data loss scenarios like accidental deletion, formatting, data corruption, etc.
- Recovers from Encrypted Volumes Easily retrieves data from BitLocker-encrypted drives or drive volumes. The software allows users to select the encrypted storage drive/volume and run either a ‘Quick’ or ‘Deep’ scan to recover the lost data. Once scanning commences, the software prompts users to enter the BitLocker password to proceed further.
- Recovers from Corrupt Drives The ‘Deep Scan’ capability enables this software to thoroughly scan each sector of the problematic drive and recover files from it. Though this process takes time, it extracts every bit of recoverable data and displays it on the preview screen.
AutoSave and AutoRecover do different jobs
- AutoRecover keeps recovery information to help after Word closes unexpectedly. Its interval is adjustable in Word’s Save settings.
- AutoSave saves as you work when an eligible Microsoft 365 subscriber uses the Office app with a file stored on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. It does not apply to an unsaved document or a local-only file.
On Windows, AutoRecover settings are under File > Options > Save. On Mac, Microsoft documents the interval under Word > Preferences > Save and the folder under Word > Preferences > File Locations. See Microsoft’s AutoSave overview, AutoSave requirements, and AutoRecover settings.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsReduce the risk of losing the next document
- Save a new document early, then save periodically as you work.
- For eligible files, store the document in OneDrive or SharePoint to use AutoSave and Version History.
- Review Word’s AutoRecover frequency in the Save settings for your platform.
- After any recovery, save a separate named copy before trying further edits.
Microsoft’s save, back up, and recover guidance covers these safeguards.
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