6 Effective Ways to Recover Word Documents

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A step-by-step guide to recover unsaved or damaged documents and restore previous versions
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Did you close Microsoft Word without saving your document? You're definitely not alone! Don't panic—Microsoft Word has plenty of built-in options to help you recover documents on your PC or Mac. This wikiHow teaches you how to restore unsaved or damaged Word documents, as well as how to go back to previous revisions. If you can't recover your Word document using these tools, you'll need to use data recovery software or restore from a backup to recover the document.

Things You Should Know

  • To recover a damaged or corrupted document, you can use the Open and Repair feature in Word.
  • If you save your documents to OneDrive or SharePoint, you can restore them to previous versions.
  • If you forgot to save, find the file in /Preferences/AutoRecovery on a Mac or Recover Unsaved Documents on a PC.
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Recover Unsaved Documents (PC)

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  1. You'll find it in the Windows Start menu. This will be a great fix if you accidentally deleted everything on the page! Just open the document in Word if it isn't already.
    • If Word crashed before you could save your document, you may see a "Document Recover" panel in the left side menu upon opening the app. If this panel opens, click your unsaved file to open it, and then go to File > Save As to save it now. If this worked for you, there's no need to continue with this method.
  2. It's at the top-left corner of Word.
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  3. It's on the menu on the left side of the window under the section dividing line.
  4. It's in the center panel and looks like a sheet of paper with smaller versions in orange.
    • Clicking the text will do nothing. Click the icon to prompt a menu to open.
  5. This opens the Unsaved Files folder, in which you'll see a list of recently backed-up files that were automatically saved by Word but have not yet been officially saved by you.
  6. This opens the document in Word.
    • If you didn't see your document in the folder, it's possible that you saved it to your Documents or Desktop folder.
  7. Save your recovered document. So you don't lose the document again, click the Save As button in the gray bar running across the top of the document and save it to a folder you'll remember (such as Documents). If you don't see this option, click File and select Save As .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Recover Damaged Documents (PC)

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  1. If you can't open your Word document because it's damaged or corrupted, you can usually use the built-in repair tool to recover the document. [1] You'll find Word in your Windows Start menu.
  2. It's in the left panel with an icon of an open folder.
  3. You'll see this option next to an icon of an open folder under "Recent" and "Other locations" in the panel on the left side of your screen.
    • Your file manager will open.
  4. For example, if it's in your Documents folder, navigate to that location.
  5. Don't double-click it.
  6. A menu will expand.
  7. It's toward the bottom of the menu. If the file is repairable, Word will repair it now.
    • If the document isn't repairable, you can usually extract the text without the formatting and images. To do this, select Recover Text from Any File from the "File Type" drop-down menu at the bottom-right corner and then click Open . At this point, you can either save the file by clicking File > Save As or paste it into a new file.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Restore Previous Revisions (PC)

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  1. As long as you saved your document to your OneDrive or SharePoint in Microsoft 365, you can return to a previous version of the document. You'll find Microsoft Word in your Windows Start menu.
  2. It's at the top-left corner of Word.
  3. It's on the menu on the left side of the window under the section dividing line.
  4. This lets you see different saved revisions of the document organized by date. The steps to do this are different by version:
    • Word 2019 or 2016: Click History on the menu. If you don't see it, it's usually because you have a subscription to Microsoft 365. In this case, click Info in the left panel and then select Version history in the center panel.
  5. All versions now appear in the right panel under "Version history." Clicking a version opens it in a separate Word window.
  6. This will undo any changes you've made since the revision you selected.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Recover Unsaved Documents (Mac)

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  1. It's the two-toned smiley face icon on the left side of the Dock.
  2. It's in the menu bar that runs along the top of the screen. A menu will expand.
  3. It's near the bottom of the menu.
  4. To do this, type or paste the following path into the box (replacing username with the username you use to log into your Mac): /Users/ username /Library/Containers/com.Microsoft/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery
  5. This opens a folder that contains files that were automatically saved by Word. [2] Files in this folder begin with the word "AutoRecover."
    • You won't see the file here if you selected Don't Save when closing Word. Unfortunately, there's no way to recover a document if you selected that option.
  6. This should open it in Word.
    • If it doesn't open in Word, click the file once, press Return , and then type .doc at the end of the file name. Press Return again to save the new file name and follow any confirmation requests.
    • If you are prompted to select an application, click Open With and choose Microsoft Word .
  7. This opens the Save As dialog window, which allows you to save the document with any file name (and to any location) you wish.
  8. If you don't see a list of folders to save to, click the On My Mac button to browse for a folder on your Mac first. [3]
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Recover Damaged Documents (Mac)

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  1. If you can't open your Word document in Word on your Mac because it's damaged or corrupted, you can usually use the built-in recovery tool to recover the text within. Word is on your Launchpad and/or in the Applications folder.
  2. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
  3. A dialog window will appear.
  4. It's near the top-left corner.
  5. It's the first option.
  6. It's near the top-left corner of the screen.
  7. The option to open a file will appear.
  8. It's the menu near the bottom right.
  9. This opens the text from the document, and hopefully some or all of the original formatting. You may lose some non-text details, but the text should be intact.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Restore Previous Revisions (Mac)

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  1. If you accidentally saved changes to your Word document and want to revert to a previous version, you can do so easily in Word 365, 2019, or 2016 for Mac. [4] You'll find the program on the Launchpad and/or in the Applications folder.
    • This method only works for files saved to your OneDrive or SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
  2. To do this, click the File menu, select Open , navigate to and select the file, and then click Open .
  3. This will let you view different saved revisions of the document organized by date. The steps to do this are different by version:
    • Word 365: Click the name of the document in the title bar of Word (at the top), and then select Browse version history .
    • Word 2019 & 2016: Click the File menu and select Browse Version History .
  4. The version list appears in a panel on the right side of Word. Clicking a document version opens it in a separate window.
  5. It's at the top of the document. This will undo any changes you've made since the revision you selected.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I retrieve a Word document that wasn't saved?
    Spike Baron
    Network Engineer & Desktop Support
    Spike Baron is a Network Engineer & Desktop Support Expert based in Los Angeles, California. He is the owner of Spike’s Computer Repair. With over 25 years of working experience in the tech industry, Spike specializes in PC and Mac computer repair, used computer sales, virus removal, data recovery, and hardware and software upgrades. He has worked as an IT Systems expert for numerous companies, including Huntington Health, Blackbox, Honda, and Manufacturers Bank. In his spare time, Spike also builds and restores computers. He has his CompTIA A+ certification for computer service technicians and is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert.
    Spike Baron
    Network Engineer & Desktop Support
    Expert Answer
    If it isn't in your recovered files folder and you aren't in a corporate environment, it may be gone for good. If you are in a corporate setting, there's going to be an exchange server somewhere and there will be a copy of your file on that.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 4
  • Question
    By mistake, I deleted the file data, after the delete I saved the file. How can I get the data back?
    Community Answer
    Go to the recycle bin icon on your desktop and right click it. A menu will show up, click on restore.
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  • Question
    How do I recover documents deleted from my PC that are permanently deleted and are not in my recycle bin?
    Community Answer
    This will be difficult, but you will need to look for a recovery program.
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      Tips

      • You can increase the rate at which AutoRecover saves backups of your Word file by clicking File (or Word on Mac), clicking Options (or Preferences on Mac), clicking Save , and lowering the number next to the "Save AutoRecover information every" text line. [5]
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      • If you deleted your Microsoft Word document, look for it in your PC's Recycle Bin (sometimes called Trash) or Mac's Trash folder. If it's not there, you may be able to restore it from a backup or use a data recovery tool.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-a-document-after-a-file-corruption-error-47df9d48-2165-4411-a699-1786ac734bc3
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/recover-files-in-office-for-mac-6c6425b1-6559-4bbf-8f80-4f038402ff02
      3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-a-file-in-office-for-mac-421a5172-9bc6-4ef0-b452-c0939bdce786
      4. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/view-previous-versions-of-office-files-5c1e076f-a9c9-41b8-8ace-f77b9642e2c2#ID0EBBBAAA=Mac
      5. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-save-frequency-and-where-word-autorecovery-files-are-stored-ddd81816-39ff-48f4-989e-8bf1db78b2d9

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