How to recover an unsaved Word document

Applies to: Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 on Windows 11 and 10. Word for Mac keeps its recovery files elsewhere, so the folder paths below won’t match there. If Word is frozen right now rather than closed, read our guide to rescuing your work when Word stops responding before you end the task.

Before you start: don’t install recovery software, run disk cleanup tools or keep working in Word for hours while you search. Word may clear some of its recovery copies once it decides they’re no longer needed, and any new files written to the drive can replace the space a lost file used. Go through the methods in order, and save each candidate you find under a new name so you never overwrite something useful.

Which method fits your situation?

What happened	Where to look first
Word or Windows crashed, or you ended Word in Task Manager	Method 1, then Method 3
You closed a new document and clicked Don’t Save	Method 2
You closed a saved document without saving the latest changes	Method 2 (closed without saving version)
The file lives in OneDrive or SharePoint	Method 4
Methods 1 to 4 found nothing	Method 3, then Method 5
The file was saved but has since been deleted	Method 6

1. Reopen Word and use the Document Recovery pane

Word looks for AutoRecover files each time it starts, so simply opening it again is the first step after a crash, a power cut or an End task. Microsoft’s page on how to recover your Microsoft 365 files explains that the pane can list copies from three sources: your last manual save, AutoSave for files in OneDrive or SharePoint, and AutoRecover.

1. Start Word. If it found something, the Document Recovery pane opens, with entries such as Report [Original] and Report [Recovered].
2. Compare the date and time under each name. The newest one usually holds your latest changes. If the names are cut off, drag the right edge of the pane to widen it.
3. Select the arrow next to an entry and choose Open or View. Check that the text you need is there.
4. Save it at once with File > Save As, using a new name, and choose the .docx format.
5. When you close the pane, pick Yes, I want to view these files later (safest option) unless you’re certain you’ve saved everything you need.

In Word for Microsoft 365, a recovered file may open straight away with a Recovered Unsaved File bar across the top. Select Save on that bar. If there are many recovered files, Word opens the most recently changed ones and leaves the rest in the pane.

2. Use Recover Unsaved Documents

This is the right place when Word closed normally but you answered Don’t Save, or when the pane from Method 1 never appeared. Microsoft’s article on how to recover an earlier version of a Word file splits it into two cases.

A document you never saved

1. Open Word and create or open any document.
2. Go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents. A folder of draft files opens.
3. Select the file that matches the time you were working, then select Open.
4. Select Save As in the bar at the top and save it somewhere you’ll remember.

Draft names may look like a jumble of characters rather than the title you had in mind, so sort by date modified and open the likely ones one at a time.

A saved document you closed without saving the latest changes

Open the document, go to File > Info and look under Manage Document for a version labeled (when I closed without saving). Open it, then select Compare to see what changed, or Restore to replace the saved file. Restoring overwrites the version you saved, so if you’re unsure, use File > Save As on the recovered copy instead.

Both routes only work if AutoRecover was turned on and had time to save a copy. If the list is empty, the copy may still be on disk under a different name, which is where Method 3 comes in.

3. Open the AutoRecover folder and .asd files

AutoRecover writes its copies as .asd files. To see the folder your copy of Word uses, go to File > Options > Save and look at the AutoRecover file location box. Copy the path from there and paste it into the File Explorer address bar. Microsoft’s troubleshooting article on unsaved Word documents lists two folders to check on Microsoft 365 installs:

C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word
C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles

Replace <UserName> with your Windows user name. AppData is a hidden folder, so typing the path is quicker than clicking through. If neither folder holds anything recent, search the whole PC: select Start, type *.asd and press Enter.

Windows usually doesn’t know what to do with an .asd file, so open it from inside Word:

1. Copy the .asd file to your Desktop first, so Word can’t clear the original while you work.
2. In Word, go to File > Open > Browse.
3. Next to File name, change the file type list to All Files.
4. Select the copied file and open it, then save it as a .docx file under a new name.

While you’re in these folders, also look for files that start with Backup of and end in .wbk. Word only makes these if Always create backup copy is turned on under File > Options > Advanced, in the Save section, and they hold the previous saved version rather than unsaved typing. A search for *.wbk from Start finds them anywhere on the PC.

4. Restore a version from OneDrive or SharePoint

If the document was stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, you may not have lost anything at all. According to Microsoft’s AutoSave page, AutoSave saves the file every few seconds while you work in Word for Microsoft 365, and it’s on by default for files stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for work or school, or SharePoint Online. The switch sits at the top left of the Word window, on the title bar. Files on your C: drive, a file server or another cloud service don’t get AutoSave.

Every AutoSave adds to the file’s version history, which helps when the problem is unwanted changes rather than a missing file:

1. Open the document and select the file name at the top of the Word window.
2. Select Version history. A list of earlier versions opens beside the document.
3. Select a version and choose Open version. It opens in a separate window so you can read it first.
4. Select Restore to make it the current version, or copy the parts you need into the current file.

Microsoft’s page on how to view previous versions of Office files says personal Microsoft accounts can go back through the last 25 versions; for work or school accounts it depends on how the library is set up. The OneDrive website usually offers version history too, from the file’s right-click menu.

One catch: because AutoSave saves constantly, the File menu shows Save a Copy instead of Save As for these files. If you want to try big edits without touching the original, Microsoft suggests using File > Save a Copy before you start. If your Documents and Desktop folders are already backed up to OneDrive, files saved there qualify for AutoSave; our guide to OneDrive folder backup explains how that setting works and how to change it.

5. Search for temporary files

This is a long shot, but it costs nothing. Word creates temporary working files while you edit and save, and occasionally one of them survives a crash with useful text inside. Microsoft’s troubleshooting article suggests searching for *.tmp files and for names starting with a tilde (~), then checking those whose dates match the times you were editing.

1. Select Start, type *.tmp and press Enter. Use the Documents filter, or search in File Explorer if Start doesn’t show enough results.
2. Look for files dated around the time you last worked on the document. Repeat the search with ~ if nothing fits.
3. Copy any likely file to the Desktop. In Word, use File > Open > Browse, set the type list to All Files and open the copy.

You may also come across files named like ~WRL0001.tmp in the same folder as the document. These appear to be working copies Word uses during a save, and Microsoft’s article doesn’t mention them by name, so treat them as a final thing to try rather than a likely fix. Many temporary files open as blank pages or garbled characters, and the ones that do open may hold only part of the document. Don’t delete temporary files while Word is open, because it may still be using them.

6. If the file was deleted, not unsaved

If you’d saved the document and later deleted it, AutoRecover won’t help, because it only keeps copies of unsaved work. Check the Recycle Bin on the Desktop first: right-click the file and choose Restore. If you don’t know the name, sort by original location or look for .docx files. For a file in OneDrive, check the recycle bin on the OneDrive website instead. When the Recycle Bin has been emptied, our guide to free file recovery on Windows covers Restore previous versions and Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery tool.

Set up AutoRecover so it doesn’t happen again

AutoRecover is a safety net, not a save button. Microsoft’s page on how to help protect your files in case of a crash notes that a recovered file only holds changes captured before the failure: with a 15-minute interval you could lose up to 14 minutes of work. Check these settings now:

1. Go to File > Options > Save.
2. Tick Save AutoRecover information every and set a short interval. Microsoft suggests 5 or 10 minutes; a longer gap may make Office slightly faster but puts more work at risk.
3. Tick Keep the last autorecovered version if I close without saving. This is what fills the Recover Unsaved Documents list in Method 2.
4. Note the AutoRecover file location so you know where to look next time. If it points to a removable or network drive, consider changing it to a folder on your PC.
5. Select OK.

A few habits close the remaining gaps:

• Save early: give a new document a name and location in its first few minutes, then press Ctrl + S often. A named file is much easier to find later than an unsaved draft.
• Store important work in OneDrive or SharePoint: with Microsoft 365 that turns on AutoSave and version history, which protect you far better than a timed AutoRecover copy.
• Turn on backup copies: tick Always create backup copy under File > Options > Advanced, in the Save section, so each save keeps the previous version as a .wbk file.
• Fix repeated crashes: if Word keeps closing on its own, you’ll keep needing these steps. Work through our Word not responding guide to find the add-in, template or damaged file behind it.

For more ways to work faster once your document is back, see our Word tips and tricks.

Related guides

• Word not responding: how to fix it on Windows
• Free file recovery on Windows 11 and 10: 4 ways to get deleted files back
• How to stop OneDrive from syncing (without losing files)
• MS Word tips and tricks: 17 ways to work faster in Word
• Excel AutoSave not working: how to fix it

Official sources

• Microsoft: Recover your Microsoft 365 files
• Microsoft: Recover an earlier version of a Word file
• Microsoft: Help protect your files in case of a crash