In this article, I will teach you. How to recover unsaved word documents for Windows 10 and macOS. When Word closes unexpectedly, or the system is interrupted, your unsaved Word document might disappear. If this occurs, you may need to work on the document from the beginning, which is very disturbing.
Recover Unsaved Word Documents [Step by Step Guide 2021]
Nevertheless, before you start a new document, you can make an effort to retrieve the Word document. Here’s how you can recover those unsaved Word documents from your PC/Laptop. You can also like How to Insert a Watermark in Word [Step By Step Guide] 2021.
Method 1. Locate For The Original Document In The Start Menu
This is the first step you should take when you lose your Word document. Just follow a few steps.
Step 1: In the Windows search bar, you can type the name of the document and press Enter.
Step 2: When the results show the file in the documents list, double-click it, and it will open in Word.
Method 2. Search For The .WBK OR .ASD Extenshion
A file with a .WBK extension is a Word backup, while the .ASD extension represents an autosaved file. First, you can locate if your Word file has a backup copy or autosaved. Just follow the steps below:
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Step 1: Inside the Windows search bar, type .wbk or .asd and tap the Enter key.
Step 2: Check the search results to see if you have any files represented as follows:
- Backup copy: Backup of + name of a missing file.
- Auto-saved file: .asd extension.
Step 3: You can Double-Click the file name to open it.
It’s important to note that for a Word file to have a .wbk extension, you must have a backup copy function enabled in Word. Now, I will teach you. How to verify if the function is enabled:
Step 1: Launch the Word.
Step 2: Click on the File.
Step 3: Select Options.
Step 4: Click Advanced.
Step 5: Scroll down to the menu titled Save and make sure you mark the box with a statement. Always create a backup copy.
Step 6: You can select OK to save the changes.
Method 3. Using The Task Manager
You can use Task Manager on Windows to recover an unsaved file. However, this needs ending the entire word-related process and restarting the Word. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Launch Task Manager
Step 2: Click on the Processes tab.
Step 3: Under the Applications section, check Microsoft Word. When the application is displayed, you can right-click and select End Task.
Step 4: Once, under the background processes section, you can check out Word-related processes. When the process is displayed, you can right-click and select End Task.
Step 5: Close the Task Manager.
Step 6: Also, launch Word again to check if the lost file is displayed under the Document Recovery pane. This window is lodged to the left of the Word window.
Step 7: If there are files in the recovery pane, double-click on them to open them.
Method 4. Search For Temporary Files
Another way to find unsaved or corrupt Word documents is to search for temporary files. Such files contain the .tmp extension. Here’s how to find temporary files on our desktop:
Step 1: Inside the Windows search bar, type .tmp or ~ and tap the Enter button.
Step 2: Click the Documents tab.
Step 3: Scroll through the list of search results. Do this to find the file names that correspond to the latest dates and times you have worked on the document.
Step 4: When you identify the file, launch Word and click on the File tab.
Step 5: You can click on Open and select the Folders tab.
Step 6: Navigate to the .tmp file location that you found earlier and select it to open the file.
Method 5. Manage Documents Feature On Microsoft Word
Word has a feature called Manage Document that can be used to recover unsaved files. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Launch the Word.
Step 2: You can select the file tab on the Ribbon.
Step 3: Select details.
Step 4: Select Manage Documents.
Step 5: Select Recover Unsaved Documents.
Method 6. Search The Recycle Bin
If a file were unexpectedly deleted, it can be recovered if the Recycle Bin has not been cleared. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Launch the Recycle Bin.
Step 2: You can search the list of documents for the file name.
Step 3: When you find the file, you can right-click and select Restore.
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