How to Recover Unsaved/Deleted Word Document (2020) ?

Most of us have experienced a situation where our computer decides to crash after hours of writing and editing, or we have accidentally deleted files we’ve been working on so hard. It is lost forever? Do I need to recreate the entire document? Is it possible to bring the document back? Don’t worry! It’s still possible to get deleted or unsaved document back. Next, we’ll list some tried and tested ways to recover deleted/unsaved Word document.

Recover Unsaved Word Document Using Microsoft Word

It’s a disaster that you accidentally closed your Word application without saving the document you had been working for a few hours. Never mind, now you can recover unsaved document using Word 2010/2013/2016.

 

Step 1. Click the File tab in the upper left

Step 2. Click the Manage Document button

Step 3. Select Recover Unsaved Documents from the drop down list

Step 4. A list of unsaved recoverable Word documents will be displayed in the dialog box. Select the Word document you want to restore and click the open button.

Step 5. Open the Recovered Word Document and click Save As button in the top banner.

 

Recover Unsaved Word Document from AutoRecover

Another possible situation is that you accidentally close a previously saved document but fail to save the latest version. Thankfully, it’s still possible to recover unsaved Word documents by using AutoRecover. Word saves AutoRecover files every 10 minutes, making it possible for users to recover a closed Word document that hasn’t been saved properly. You can also change the frequency in options.

 

Step1. Launch the Word, open the File menu and select Options. In the left navigation pane, click “Save”. Copy the address next to AutoRecover file location and paste it into File Explorer.

Step 2: Go to the File Explorer, find the unsaved document and copy the .asd file.

Step3. Open the Word, click “File” > “Open” > “Recover Unsaved Documents” at the bottom.

Step 4. Paste the copied .asd file into the File Name box. Open the Word file recover it.

 

If Word warns that “Word experienced an error”, please repeat the steps and click on “Open and Repair” at the open unsaved document window. After completing the process, you can check the file content and save it as a new file at another location.

 

Recover with Document Recovery

When your system is back online, you can reopen Word. It automatically searches for AutoRecover files and displays all that it finds in the Document Recovery pane, thus you can recover document easily.

 

The first step is to look for your file in the Document Recovery pane on the left. The second step is to click the arrow next to the file and select open.

 

Recover Deleted Word Document from Recycle Bin or Backup

If the first three methods don’t work for you or you accidentally deleted Word document without emptying the recycle bin, you also can get it back easily. Firstly, you can open the Recycle bin by clicking its icon. Secondly, select the document you want to recover. Finally, right click on the files and select the Restore option.

It’s much easier to get your Word document back if you are in the habit of taking regular backup. You can use your backup to recover deleted Word documents. Recovering from a backup or the Recycle bin is very effective for you to bring documents back.

 

Recover Deleted Word Documents

If you finally empty the recycle bin or don’t have any backup, you still have chance to recover deleted Word document. At this time, you can use a professional and reliable third-party software like RecoveryMaster. It also applicable to the situation that you have lost saved Word document due to accidental deletion, hard drive formatting or system errors.

 

RecoveryMaster is an easy-to-use data recovery software that can help you recover deleted, formatted or lost data from various services. With advanced algorithm, you can recover 100+ types of files, including graphics, videos, audios, emails, documents, etc. Besides, you can use the free trial version for the first attempt, which allows you to recover 2M data for free.

 

You can follow these steps to recover deleted Word document. The first step is to download and install RecoveryMaster. You should choose the right version for your computer. The second step is to launch the application and select the disk on which you have lost your document. The third step is to click on Loss Scan button. The scanning process may requires several minutes, depending on the size of your storage device. The fourth step is to select and preview the desired file. Finally, click Recover button to get your Word document back. You need to save the Word document at another location.

 

To Sum Up

Regarding on how to recover unsaved or deleted Word document, there are five possible ways for you to try. You can try the first three solutions if you want to recover unsaved Word document. Even if they don’t work for you, you can recover the document from the backup or recycle bin. However, if you have emptied recycle bin or don’t have any backup, you can use a third-party software. As you can see, RecoveryMaster allows you to recover document whether they are deleted,  corrupted or encrypted by malware. Give it a try!