How to Recover Overwritten Word Documents on Windows 10, 11?

How do I recover an overwritten Word document Windows 10/11?

Compared with the original copy, the overwritten Word file usually contains more data that you don’t want. After overwriting, are you wondering how to find the previous version of Word documents?

It has proven to be possible. Please read on how to recover overwritten Word documents via feasible solutions.

How to recover a Word document that was overwritten on Windows?

The following methods depict how to recover overwritten Word documents in Windows with AutoSave or Previous Version. Please pay attention to its premise before following one of them. 

Method 1. Recover overwritten Word documents via AutoSave

Released by Microsoft Office, the AutoSave feature can automatically save your edited files at default (10 min) or customized time intervals. If you’ve enabled AutoSave, you can recover overwritten Excel/Word documents.

 If you haven’t modified your Word documents for a long period, you will not see the recently auto-saved Word files.  

These steps describe how to recover a Word document that was overwritten.

Step 1. Start your Microsoft Word program, then click “File” > “Info” on the left menu. 

Step 2. Select your needed Word version among all the listed Word files in the Manage Versions section.

Step 3. Click “Restore” to get your selected Word version back.

Method 2. Recover overwritten Word documents via Previous Version

If you activated File History or System Protection of the local disk that includes your desired Word files, you can recover overwritten Word documents via previous versions because these versions are backup copies or shadow copies made by these two features.

After turning on one of them, you will get several versions of your Word files according to time. Then you can browse and select a Word document version as you like.  

Let’s perform how to recover the latest version of a Word document via it.  

Step 1. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Locate the folder that contains the Word documents you want to restore. Then right-click on it and select the “Properties” option.

Step 3. Select your needed Word document after browsing all the listed Word versions. Then click the “Restore” button to retrieve it.

Bonus tips: How to recover deleted/lost Word documents on Windows?

Compared with recovering overwritten Word files, some users are more interested in how to recover deleted/lost Word documents on Windows.

In general, there’re two ways for you to recover deleted/lost Word documents.

If you haven’t pressed “Shift + Delete” to remove some files or emptied the Recycle Bin, you can recover documents from the Recycle Bin.  

On the contrary, in this case, you have no choice but to restore deleted files from backups or use top-rated data recovery software for Windows.

If you haven’t developed good habits of making backups, there’s no better way for you to recover deleted/lost files using tools like MyRecover.

Please get an overview of its supportive points.

Download and install it on your computer now!

Step 1. After loading the disk, hover the mouse over the partition that includes your needed Word doc. Then click Scan.

Step 2. At the moment, you can search or wait to view all the deleted and other missing files after scanning them automatically.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted files/Other missing files folder, and select the Word documents you want. Then click “Recover x files” and save them in a new location.

Wrapping up

How to recover overwritten Word documents? If you’ve enabled the AutoSave feature or File History, you can refer to the above methods to recover overwritten files.

When it comes to the deleted/lost Word doc, utilizing the best Word document recovery software like MyRecover seems as the best choice for those users without backups.

In the final analysis, regular backups are the best data loss prevention measure. There’re some practical tips for your preference.

• Enable AutoSave and AutoRecover in your Microsoft Office.
• Open your Word program, then click File > Options > Advanced > Save. Then tick Always create a backup copy > Save.
• Make good use of Windows features like Previous Versions for files/folders backup.
• Use free backup software, AOMEI Backupper to make a file backup. If you need it, it makes it possible for you to back up partitions, disks, or the system.