Updated 2026-05-22 · Document Recovery

How to Recover an Unsaved Word Document

If Word closed before you saved, start with the safest recovery options first: reopen Word, check the Document Recovery pane, then look for unsaved files from Word's File menu. If the document was saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, version history may also have a copy.

Quick Recovery Checklist

Reopen Word and look for the Document Recovery pane.
Go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
Open any matching recovery file and immediately use Save As.
Check OneDrive or SharePoint version history if the file was cloud-saved.
Search your computer for temporary or AutoRecover files if the menu option does not show it.

Try Document Recovery First

When Word or Microsoft 365 closes unexpectedly, Word may show a Document Recovery pane the next time you open the app. Review every recovered version before deleting anything. Open the newest likely version, confirm the content, then save it with a clear file name.

Do not keep editing the recovered copy before saving it. Save it first, then continue working.

Use Recover Unsaved Documents

If the recovery pane does not appear:

Open Word.
Select File.
Select Info.
Select Manage Document.
Select Recover Unsaved Documents.
Open the file that looks like the missing document.
Select Save As and save it somewhere easy to find.

Microsoft's recovery path can vary by app and version, but the current Office recovery guidance points users through File > Info and the relevant Manage Document recovery option.

If the File Was on OneDrive or SharePoint

If AutoSave was on and the document lived in OneDrive or SharePoint, the document may not be "unsaved" in the normal sense. It may have a version history instead.

Open the document, then check version history from Word or from the OneDrive/SharePoint file location. Restore only after previewing the version, because restoring can replace the current file state.

Search for AutoRecover Files

If Word's built-in recovery menu does not find the document, search for files with extensions commonly associated with recovery or temporary Office files, such as `.asd`, `.wbk`, or temporary files beginning with `~`.

Useful searches:

The document name, if you had already named it.
Words that appeared in the document.
`*.asd`
`*.wbk`
`~*`

What If You Never Saved It Once?

Recovery is still possible, but less certain. Word can only recover what it had a chance to AutoRecover or temporarily store. If the document was open for only a short time, or AutoRecover was off, there may be no recoverable copy.

Prevent This Next Time

Turn on AutoRecover and keep the option to preserve the last autosaved version when closing without saving. For cloud-backed files, use OneDrive or SharePoint with AutoSave, but remember that AutoSave can also save changes you did not intend to keep. For important templates, use Save a Copy before editing.