Last Updated on April 25, 2025 by SPOTKEYS
How to Recover Unsaved and Deleted Word Documents: A Complete Guide
Losing a Word document that you have been working on can be a frustrating experience. Whether it’s due to a sudden power outage, a program crash, or simply accidentally deleting the file, losing important work can cause a lot of unnecessary stress. But fear not, there are ways to recover unsaved or deleted Word documents.
In this article, we will discuss effective methods to recover unsaved or deleted Word documents. These methods can be used for Microsoft Word 2016 as well as for other versions of the software. Let’s get started!
Method 1: Recovering Unsaved Word Documents
The first method involves recovering unsaved documents from temporary files. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Launch the Microsoft Word program and click on the “File” tab.
2. Go to “Info” and click on “Manage Documents.”
3. From the drop-down list, select “Recover Unsaved Documents.”
4. A list of unsaved documents will appear, choose the one you need and open it.
5. Click on the “Save As” button to save the document properly.
Another way to retrieve an unsaved Word document is by using the AutoRecover feature. Here’s how:
1. Open your Word application and click on “File” and then select “Options.”
2. In the left navigation pane, click on “Save.”
3. Copy the AutoRecover file location path and paste it into File Explorer.
4. Find the unsaved document, copy the .asd file.
5. Go back to Microsoft Word, click on “File,” then “Open,” and select “Recover Unsaved Documents.”
6. A File Name box will appear, paste the copied .asd file into it.
7. Click “Open” and your file will be recovered.
Tip: You can change the time interval for auto-saving your documents to avoid losing data in the future.
Method 2: Recovering Deleted Word Documents
If you have accidentally deleted a Word document or can’t find it in the recycle bin, don’t panic. There is still a way to recover it with the help of a professional data recovery tool. One of the best tools for this is AnyRecover, which works seamlessly on Windows PC and can retrieve a wide range of file types, including Word documents.
To recover a deleted Word document using AnyRecover, follow these steps:
1. Download and launch the AnyRecover program on your PC.
2. Select the location from where the Word file was deleted and click on “Start.”
3. AnyRecover will start an all-round and deep scan.
4. Once the scanning process is finished, go to the file type and select “Word” from the list.
5. Select the file you want to recover and click on the “Recover” button.
6. Your Word document will now be recovered and accessible again.
In just four simple steps, you can retrieve your deleted Word document using AnyRecover. The best part is that it is extremely user-friendly and you can do it all by yourself without any technical expertise.
Final Thoughts
Losing important work can be frustrating, but with these methods, you can easily recover your unsaved or deleted Word documents. However, prevention is always better than cure. Make sure to save your work frequently and use the auto-save feature to minimize the risk of losing data in the future.
In case of an unforeseen event, having a reliable data recovery tool like AnyRecover can be a lifesaver. With its simple interface and powerful features, you can easily retrieve lost data in no time.
We hope this article has been helpful in guiding you through the process of recovering unsaved or deleted Word documents. Keep these methods in mind and never worry about losing important work again.