How to Recover Unsaved Word Document

How to recover unsaved word document: When you accidentally close your unsaved word document, you panic and if you do not know how to recover it, it is even more difficult to retrieve that document containing your important data.

Well, you cannot actually find better methods to recover the unsaved word document, but yes can take steps that can recover some part of word file you need badly.

The steps given below will certainly help you recover unsaved Word document based on which version of Word you possess and also the Windows version you are using.

For 2016 and Word 2013, you can find a couple of methods that can recover unsaved word document. You can try each method easily to look for multiple files at once.

4 Ways to Recover Unsaved Word Document

1. Use recover unsaved word document Feature in Word

1. Start – Word
2. Head to – File tab and then choose – Manage Document
3. Select the button – Manage Document
4. Choose – Recover Unsaved Documents shown in drop-down list.
5. Here you will get to see – Open dialog box, giving you the list of unsaved Word documents you can actually recover.
6. Select Word document you wish to recover and then choose – Open. Save the specific recovered document immediately.
7. In Word 2010 & Word 2007, it is possible to carry out a search on the PC for the document missing

Go to – Start menu, type complete or some part of file name in search box and then search for the particular file. Just double click on any search results listed in File list.

2. To search for Backup Files within Word

Start- Word and choose the tab- File tab (in case you use Word 2010), choose – Microsoft Office Button (for 2007).

1. Select – All Files given in Files of – Type list.
2. Search for any backup files and then choose – Open to view if either of them is unsaved Word document you are looking to recover.

You can carry out the search on your PC for – .wbk files (What is it) as they are the backup versions for Microsoft Word documents:

1. Head to – Start menu,
2. Now use search box to look for – “.wbk” files.
3. Open .wbk files if any and appear to identify the missing word doc you were looking for.

Related Post: Shortcut keys for Microsoft Word

3. “Force” Word to search for Autorecover unsaved word document

Open – Task Manager (for this right click on an empty space anywhere on taskbar and select – Task Manager)

1. Go to tab – Processes
2. Choose any of the instances of Microsoft Word/Winword.exe.
3. Repeat till all until all the instances of Word are actually closed.
4. Close – Task Manager and then start – Word. The Document Recover pane will now open files in case Word finds any of the AutoRecover files. Double-click on a file in pane to expand it and make sure you save it to a proper location on your PC immediately.

4. Recover unsaved word document from Temporary files

Look for temporary files, as it can help to recover unsaved word document in case you have downloaded a Word document via web or email

1. Open MS Word
2. Click on File tab
3. Now click on Manage document
4. Click on Recover unsaved documents from drop-down menu
5. In dialog box search for your missing document
6. Open the document and click on Save as button

Ajit Yadav

Author Bio: Ajit yadav is a professional blogger and co-founder of WindowsClassroom. He is a software engineer by education and blogger & writer by profession.