Surely, many Microsoft Word users have encountered the following problem: you type a calm text, edit it, format it, perform a series of necessary manipulations, when suddenly the program gives an error, the computer freezes, restarts, or the light just turns off. What to do if you forgot to save the file in a timely manner, how to restore a Word document if you did not save it?
There are at least two ways by which you can recover an unsaved Word document. Both of them come down to the standard features of the program itself and Windows as a whole. However, it is much better to prevent such unpleasant situations than to deal with their consequences, and for this you need to set the autosave function in the program for a minimum period of time.
So, if you are the victim of a system crash, a program error, or a sudden shutdown of your work machine, don't panic. Microsoft Word is smart enough that it automatically backs up the document you're working on. The time interval with which this happens depends on the autosave options set in the program.
In any case, for whatever reason, Word has not turned off for you, when you reopen it, the text editor will offer to restore the last backup copy of the document from a folder on the system drive.
1. Launch Microsoft Word.
2. A window will appear on the left "Document Recovery", in which one or more backups"accidentally" closed documents.
3. Based on the date and time shown on the bottom line (below the file name), select the most recent version of the document you need to restore.
4. The document you selected will open in a new window, save it again to a convenient location on your hard drive to continue working. Window "Document Recovery" in this file will be closed.
Note: It is likely that the document will not be completely restored. As mentioned above, the frequency of creating a backup depends on the autosave settings. If the time interval is minimal (1 minute) - excellent, then you will lose nothing or almost nothing. If it is 10 minutes or even more, plus you also type quickly, a certain part of the text will have to be typed again. But this is much better than nothing, right?
After you save a backup copy of the document, the file that you opened first can be closed.
Manually restoring a file backup via the autosave folder
As mentioned above, smart Microsoft Word automatically backs up documents after a certain period of time. The default is 10 minutes, but you can change this setting by reducing the interval to one minute.
In some cases, Word does not offer to restore a backup copy of an unsaved document when you reopen the program. The only solution in this situation is to find the folder where the document is backed up. See below for how to find this folder.
1. Open MS Word and go to menu "File".
2. Select a section "Options" and then item "Preservation".
3. Here you can view all autosave options, including not only the time interval for creating and updating a backup, but also the path to the folder where this copy is saved ( "Data directory for auto recovery")
4. Remember, or rather copy this path, open the system "Conductor" and paste it into the address bar. Click "ENTER".
5. A folder will open, which can contain quite a lot of files, so it's best to sort them by date, from newest to oldest.
Note: A backup copy of the file can be stored at the specified path in a separate folder named the same as the file itself, but with characters instead of spaces.
6. Open a file that matches the name, date and time, select in the window "Document Recovery" the latest saved version of the desired document and save it again.
The methods described above are applicable for unsaved documents that were closed along with the program for a number of not very pleasant reasons. If the program just freezes, does not respond to any of your actions, and you need to save this document, use our instructions.
That, in fact, is all, now you know how to recover an unsaved Word document. We wish you productive and trouble-free work in this text editor.
Computer power outages, critical errors that occur in the system, unintentional closure - all this leads to the fact that an unsaved Word document (doc or docx) may be lost. But almost any data can be recovered, the main requirement is to know the methods and be able to use a PC. The methods below are sorted by complexity, from easiest to hardest. It is recommended to apply the options in order of priority.
Option 1: Auto Repair Word Document
The Word text editor has a built-in ability to automatically restore a document. If the system crashed, which led to a forced restart of Windows, the program itself will offer to return the lost information. It looks like this:
Comment. Word text editor provides the option to automatically repair only when you first start the program. When you open the utility again, nothing will be offered. You should not miss such a chance.
If the user did not save the Word document before closing, then you can try to reopen it forcibly. There is an important detail here: the method will not work if the user created a new Word document, typed the text and saved it. Algorithm:
- Create and open a blank sheet;
- In the upper left corner, go to the "File" section and click open;
- A window pops up in which you need to select "Open and Repair":
The most controversial method, as the performance leaves much to be desired. In most cases, nothing happens to a clean file.
Option 2: Source file
Despite the lack of saving, the original Word file (doc or docx) could remain in the system. To find it, we use the following algorithm, which consists of two steps:
A list of files whose name matches the entered keyword will appear. If the document is found, open it and view the contents.
Comment. This method is the simplest, but not ideal. The chance that the original document will remain on the computer after a critical error is extremely small.
Option 3: Folder with automatic saves
Word (especially the latest versions) is smart enough. So, if the user did not change the default parameters, then every 10 minutes, the document is automatically saved to a specially designated folder which is called reserve. The folder is hidden, so it's not a fact that the search from the above method will help, so you have to check the contents manually. For this:
In the directory you can find the last saved file. The view may differ depending on the version. In Word 2010, the folder looks like this:
There is also an alternative to this method. It consists in the following:
A few notes:
- The method is relevant only when automatic saving of Word data is disabled;
- It is possible to restore a document in this way only after a forced shutdown of the system (voltage drop, critical error, etc.);
- In order for the file to be added to the folder, the user must work with it for some time;
- Unsaved files are presented in .asd, older versions (before 2010) of Word do not see this format.
This is where the main system methods end. Now let's talk about recovering Word information using third-party software.
Document recovery using third-party programs
The method presented below will allow you to return the lost file from the device even in the most difficult situations: accidental deletion without putting it in the trash, virus damage, formatting, etc.
In this case, third-party programs downloaded from the Internet are used for recovery ( it is advisable to check for malware with an antivirus). Here are some specialized applications:
- 7- Data Recovery. Of the advantages, multifunctionality should be noted: there are five options for recovering lost data. Despite the presence of the Russian language, the program is quite complicated for inexperienced users;
- Active Undelete. The most versatile utility that works with all file systems, operating systems and supports most external devices. The interface is quite simple and great for beginners;
- Wondershare Data Recovery. A powerful program that can recover any files both from a computer and from external media;
- . On this moment is a leader in the Word file recovery segment.
Comment. The resources of all utilities are limited, if a large amount of data was written to a disk or flash drive after deleting an unsaved file, then you should not expect a positive result.
In order to recover a Word document in .doc or .docx format, the latest Wondershare Data Recovery program is ideal.
The whole stage of working with the application consists of 3 steps:
Exist different ways recovering lost Word files. In this article, we will consider several options for returning disappeared documents without the use of third-party programs.
The reasons for the loss of Word documents can be different: the system hung up, the power supply suddenly turned off, they forgot to save the document when exiting the program, and others. All of them are unpleasant and even painful. However, do not be upset, because you can return the disappeared files.
Method 1: AutoRecover Document in Word
In the event of a system failure, after which Windows was forced to reboot, the program itself will offer to restore unsaved documents. However, after a crash, the automatic file recovery function will only work the first time you start Word.
Recovery:
- Double click on the Word icon and open a new empty document;
- On the left side of the window, you will see a list of documents that were open when the computer crashed. Under each of them is the date and time of their last adjustment. Select the document you need, click on it, and the text will appear on the screen.
When you close the list tab, the copies of the documents will be moved to the trash. But first, the system will ask you to confirm their removal. Be careful, because this list only opens the first time you enter the Word text editor after a crash.
Method 2: Restore from autosave folder.
If you accidentally closed the list discussed in the previous method, but did not select the document and, therefore, did not reanimate it, then this method will do.
Method 3: Recovery from hidden reserve.
Before you start working in Microsoft Word, check if the "Auto Save" function is enabled. Choose the time convenient for you after which the documents will be saved and the folder in which the program will save them. No one is immune from failures - take care of your work in advance.
Sources:
- Microsoft support
- how to recover unsaved word document
- Recovery after saving and closing an Excel document
Often, when working in Microsoft Office, users for some reason forget or do not have time to save file, which they were just working on, and the information is lost when the unsaved document is closed. If you haven't saved file and closed the program, this does not mean that all your work was lost - unsaved in Microsoft Office file can be restored.
Instruction
In Power Point, the program will prompt you to recover unsaved presentations. A new window will open in which you will see automatically saved drafts. Choose the right one file and open it, and then select the "Save As" option from the menu.
In addition, restore file You can do this by choosing the File menu, Info, and then Version Control. In the window that opens, click on the button to restore unsaved documents.
Sources:
- how to restore a presentation
Instruction
If you opened any file downloaded from the Internet for viewing and now, without saving it, you cannot find it again, check the Temp folder, which is located in the following directory: C:/Documents and Settings/Username/Local Settings/Temp. It contains all temporary files, which you used in the process of working with the browser for a certain period of time, set by you in the browser settings. It is best to set the manual mode for clearing folder data in the settings so that you do not lose information in the future.
If you haven't saved your document in Microsoft Office, use the Restore previously edited files feature. This is done due to the fact that the system provides periodic autosave of documents. Open the MS Office program that was editing, and then select the option to recover unsaved documents (or workbooks in Excel).
To view various unsaved files edited in other programs, check the menu of the software you are using for a function to recover unsaved data. Also check the folders for temporary data storage, which may be located in the Application Data menu on your local drive, after enabling the visibility of hidden system items in the Folder Options menu in the computer control panel.
If you cannot find backup copies of edited unsaved data, search the local disk of your computer by file name, while enabling advanced options for scanning system folders and hidden system items. Don't forget to include the approximate date your file was created. Also specify the name given to new files by the default program you use.
Related videos
Save edited files periodically and use an uninterruptible power supply.
Restoring closed without saving document s Word can be done in several ways. All of them use the built-in mechanisms of the system and do not require the involvement of additional software.
You will need
- - Microsoft Word 2003 or 2007
Instruction
Try to find the original document. To do this, call the main system menu by clicking the "Start" button, and activate the search assistant utility by clicking the "Use Assistant" button. Select the "All files and folders" item in the dialog box that opens and type the name of the document to be restored in the appropriate field. Select the "My Computer" option in the "Where to search" directory and confirm the selected action by clicking the "Find" button.
Enter in the line "Part of the file name or the entire file name" the .doc extension, which is typical for documents Word, and click the Find button again if you don't remember the file name.
Two deplorable stories are forever imprinted in my memory when I missed the “Save” button at the most crucial moment. Once they just started talking to me, and the second time I was in such a hurry that I finished the work standing at the computer already dressed. Distractions and exceeding a reasonable speed then cost a lot of nerves.
Surely, similar office disasters happened in your life, after which you wanted to give vent to feelings and show the stupid car who is the boss in the house. Exactly like in the old popular video.
But you restrained yourself, realizing that next time, instead of your native Mac, you will get an import-substituting Elbrus. How to protect yourself from the state of passion and not become a laughing stock victim of sanctions? It is enough to know that Word, contrary to your desire, still keeps in reserve what you decided to refuse (whether it was consciously or erroneously).
Open the main text editor window and navigate to the first "Details" section. Click on the "Document Management" icon, where you will find the treasured function.
Click on the "Recover Unsaved Documents" option, after which the Word service folder will open in front of you with several files that you have already forgotten about.
I hope that you are lucky and you will return the entire document from oblivion, and at worst - most of it. But it is important to understand that luck will smile at you only if the “Keep the last autosaved version when closing without saving” checkbox is checked in the settings of the program itself. The smile width directly depends on the autosave interval.
If I'm not mistaken, the saving feature is enabled by default. But the interval is not the most optimal. I recommend reducing it to 2-3 minutes.
You were printing an important (or not so important) document and suddenly the power went out. Well, if there is an uninterruptible power supply, and you can safely turn off the computer. But if there is no “interruption free”, then the system will immediately complete the work, without giving the opportunity to save the document. In order not to retype the text, use the instructions on how to recover an unsaved word document.
Perfect option
After Word crashes, the next time you start Word on its own, it should prompt you latest version document.
You only need to select the desired edition from the list to see the previously written text again.
However, it happens that recovery does not occur when Word starts. Do not despair: there is still a chance to find the document. Consider what needs to be done, using the example of Word 2007.
Recovery methods
If the checkbox was set before data loss, click on the "Browse" button next to the "Data directory" field, select the desired file and click "Open".
If this method does not help, try to find the file manually. Open "Search" through the "Start" menu and enter the name or part of the file name with the extension .asd. You can also search through temporary files by changing the extension to .tmp. 
If this method did not help solve the problem, then it remains only to accept the loss of data. As practice shows, another change in the extension does not increase the chances of finding a text file in any way.
If you accidentally deleted a page in Word, but have not yet managed to save the changes, simply cancel the action by pressing Ctrl + Z or using the special button in the top menu.
If you deleted an already saved document, then you can fix the error by restoring deleted files.
For example, using the capabilities of the Recuva program, you can specify when scanning the system to search only for documents, which will significantly increase the chances of a favorable outcome. 
To make working with text more convenient, restore the language bar on the taskbar if it is gone. You can also use the functions of a small program Punto Switcher, which automatically changes the layout if you are typing in the wrong language.
I do not often publish posts about such banal user things, but today I encountered unpleasant situation, when the winword.exe process was frozen, crashed and did not save the changes in the document being edited. I had to urgently deal with the functionality autosave in Microsoft Word 2010 and try to recover the document. I will add my research to the treasury of knowledge in the form of a ready-made manual for restoring unsaved versions of documents in MS Word 2010. In other programs of the MS Office package, autosave works similarly.
MS Office 2010 has an autosave feature that should periodically save copies of the document while editing a file. If you start Word after a crash, the system should in the panel Document Recovery display a list of documents that have not been previously saved. By clicking on the document name (contains the label in the name [ autosaved]), you can open the last automatically created copy.
If this window does not appear, you need to start Word and in the section File –> Info –> Manage Versions click on the button Recover Unsaved Documents.
A dialog box will open with a directory containing copies of unsaved documents from all MS Office applications.
Advice. IN Windows XP this directory is C:\Documents and Settings\ %username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Unsaved Files
IN Windows Vista/7/8/10-C:\Users\ %username%
Where %username%- your account name.
As you can see, the files have the extension .asd are Word auto-recovery files. If the document is new and has not been previously saved by the user, its name will look something like this " Autorecoverysaveofdocument1.asd«.
Try to open such a document. If it does not open due to damage, you can try using the built-in file recovery function ( Open and Repair). Copies of unsaved documents are stored for 4 days, after which they are automatically deleted. Therefore, do not forget to save the recovered document through the menu File -> Save as.
When editing a document, Word at regular intervals (once every 10 minutes by default) saves the current version of the file to its service directory. Document autosave settings are defined in the section file-> options -> Save.
The autosave directory is also listed here.
- For XP this is C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Microsoft\Word
- For Windows 7Andhigher- C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word
Advice. To centrally manage the autosave settings for Word 2010 documents on user computers, you can use
The autosave directory is set in the parameter AUTOSAVE-PATH(REG_EXPAND_SZ) branches HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\ (Product)\Options\AutoRecoverPath
(Product) need to be replaced with Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.
File saving frequency: set by a parameter (REG_DWORD type) in the branch HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Word\Options\vpref
Possible parameter values (in minutes) from 0 to 120
This directory contains autosave files (*.asd), temporary files (*.tmp), and backup files (*.wbk). File names are of a service kind and are not suitable for navigating through document versions, therefore, in order to find a saved version of a document, it makes sense to open files with a date when last time changes have been made to the document.
