3 Solutions | Accidentally Closed Word Without Saving

"How Do I Recover a Word Document I Accidentally Closed Without Saving?"

Accidentally closed Word without saving? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Losing your unsaved work can be extremely frustrating, but Microsoft Office has implemented features that make recovery much simpler than you might think. Whether you’re using MS Word 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, or 2016, there are ways to recover unsaved Word document.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through several methods to get your lost documents back if your Word accidentally closed without saving, ensuring that your hard work isn’t wasted. Plus, if you’ve permanently deleted or lost your files, we’ll introduce you to a reliable recovery software to help.

How to Recover Unsaved Word Documents (3 Ways)

If you have turned on the AutoSave feature in MS Office. When you accidentally closed a Word doc without saving, you can effectively recover unsaved Word document (which was closed without saving or lost due to other reasons) via AutoRecover, Manage Versions, or Temp Folder. Usually, AutoSave is enabled by default.

Way 1. Recover Unsaved Word Dococument via AutoRecover

By default, Word searches for AutoRecover files every time you close and reopen it, displaying any found data in the Document Recovery pane. If you don't see it, you can manually access the AutoRecover file location.

AutoRecover Information: Word saves AutoRecover info every 10 minutes.

Possible AutoRecover Locations (replace "username" with your own):

• C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles.
• C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word

If you can’t find the unsaved document, check the AutoRecover file location in Word options:

• For Word 2010-2021: Click File > Options. Then, go to Save, locate the AutoRecover file location, and click Browse.
• For Word 2007: Click the Microsoft Office button, select Word Options, and then go to Save to find the location.

AutoRecover files typically have the .asd extension. Here’s how to recover unsaved documents in 2013, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 etc. The steps for previous version is similar.

Step 1. To recover unsaved Word document. Click File > Open > Recent > Documents and select Recover Unsaved Documents.

Step 2. This will redirect you to the UnsavedFiles folder. Choose the unsaved document and click Open. 

Step 3. Click File > Save As > Browse to select a new location to save your Word document.

Way 2. Retrieve Unsaved Word Documents from Manager Versions

If you accidentally closed Word document without saving, you can recover unsaved Word files using the Manage Documents feature in Word to find previous version of Word document. It will help you to save the document every 10 minutes automatically. Just go to recover your unsaved Word documents with it:

Step 1. On the Word page, click File > Info > Versions. Here, you can select a previous version of your document.

Step 2. Once you choose a version, it will open automatically. Click the Restore button to revert to that version, but be cautious—this will overwrite any changes made after that version.

Way 3. Recover Unsaved Word Document from Temp Folder

If you are sure the AutoSave feature is enabled, you may still recover files from temp folder, , as temporary files are not immediately deleted.

Step 1. Go to the Temp folder location by entering (C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp) in the address bar.

Step 2. Look for files with a recent modified date or size that corresponds to your unsaved document. Open the files to check their content.

How to Recover Deleted/Lost Word Documents

If you accidentally closed Word without saving, you can recover unsaved Word files using the built-in feature. If you have permanently deleted a Word document, MyRecover is a reliable data recovery software that can help you recover deleted or lost files.

It can help whether the files were lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, corruption, system crash, virus attack, etc. Moreover, it is easy to use and supports NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS in Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server.

Don’t hesitate to download and recover deleted Word documents for free, up to 500MB. 

Step 1. Install and run MyRecover. Hover hover over the drive where the lost/deleted files were located and click Scan.

Step 2. MyRecover will automatically perform a Quick and Deep scan to find all deleted files, including your Word documents. You can preview files during the scan to identify what you need.

To recover deleted Word document, Click Filter > Type and select Documents. Then, enter DOCX in the Search for files or folders box. You can see all of the deleted Word documents in the following window.

Step 3. Select the deleted orl ost Word files and click Recover X files to restore deleted Word document. Choose a new location to save them.

Bous TIp: How to Enable AutoSave in MS Word

To ensure you never lose your work again, enable the AutoSave feature:

Open Word: Go to File > Options.

Select Save: Check the boxes for "Save AutoRecover information every X minutes" and enable "Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving."

Apply Changes: Click OK to save your settings.

Conclusion

In this guide, we’ve outlined three effective methods to recover unsaved Word files if you accidentally closed Word without saving and introduced a powerful tool for retrieving lost documents. If you frequently use Word, enabling the AutoSave feature is highly recommended to protect your work.

For the lost or deleted Word files, let MyRecover help with a few simple clicks. Give the free version a try to recover up to 500MB of data at no cost!

FAQs About Office File Recovery

1. Can I recover a Word document that I closed without saving?

Yes! If you have AutoSave enabled, you can retrieve unsaved documents from Recent Documents, Manage Versions, or Temporary Files.

2. Can I retrieve an unsaved PowerPoint?

Absolutely! PowerPoint has a similar AutoSave feature. You can recover unsaved presentations just like Word documents.

3. How do I recover Word after it crashes?

First, repair the application by ending the task in Task Manager. Restart Word and use AutoSave or recovery software to retrieve lost files.

4. What if I can't find my AutoRecover files?

Ensure you’re checking the correct AutoRecover folder path and that your files are set to save automatically.

5. How often does Word save AutoRecover files?

By default, Word saves AutoRecover files every 10 minutes, but you can change this setting in the options.

6. How to recover unsaved Word document on Mac

If you enable the AutoRecovery feature on Mac, you can recover your Word document in Finder. Besides, you still can recover from Trash folder, Temp folder, Time Machine, etc.