[4 Free Methods] How to Recover Word Files After Crash

This post covers 4 effective ways to solve how to recover Word files after crash. If you encounter the same issue, please keep reading to recover unsaved Word document.

By @Lori Last Updated December 26, 2024

Help! Can You Recover a Word Document That Crashed?

 

Can you recover the Word file that you failed to save?

Is it possible to recover unsaved files after a computer system crash? I wrote a bunch of stuff in a new file, but didn't save it. Then the system crashes, and when I restart it, the file is apparently gone. Is there any auto-save feature for new, unnamed files, and a way to restore them? Or is there a way to force me to name a file when I create it, so that it is automatically saved from the time I start writing?

Microsoft Word is a popular tool, and you must have plenty of Word files on your computer. It can help users to work and study better. However, you may also be like this user case and have experienced a computer system crash or Word application crash.

How to recover Word files after? In this guide, you will learn 4 effective ways to recover unsaved Word document here. Keep reading now!

How to recover Word files after crash: 4 ways here

After your computer system or the Word app has experienced a crash, your Word files will be lost. But don't worry, we are here to provide you with 4 different effective ways to recover lost data in Word document on Windows.

Way 1. Recover Word files after crash via the best free file recovery tool

How to recover a word document after a crash? The most effective way is to use a professional file recovery tool. Here comes the best free data recovery software - MyRecover, which is famous for its simple operation with a few clicks on a clear graphical user interface. 

● Support to recover data from SSD/HDD/USB/SD card. ● Include multiple scanning methods like Quick Scan and Deep Scan to recover files with a high success rate. ● Capability to recover 1000+ types of data including Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, photos, videos, audios, etc. ● Provide a clear graphical user interface and easy operating steps. ● Support Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server.

πŸ”₯ You can use it to recover 500MB of Word files for free. Just click the Download Software button to get the tool on your PC. And here is the easy guideline to use it to recover Word files:

Download SoftwareWin 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

1. In MyRecover, choose the partition or disk where your Word files are lost. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

2. When the scanning is over, you can see your lost Word files and other missing files on this page.

🌟Tip: You can also use the Filter feature to search the Word files to locate deleted files faster. It has 3 options in the following:
  • Type: It will contain all the file types in the local drive, such as, images, videos, documents, mails, webpage, compressed files, etc.
  • Data Modified: It supports today, yesterday, last 7 days, last 30 days, and custom. To recover deleted files at a specific time period, try the last option.
  • Size: It allows you to filter file size from less than 128KB to 128KB ~1MB to 1MB ~ 512MB and above, or custom.

To recover deleted Word document, Click Filter > Type and select Documents. Then, input DOCX in the Search for files or folders box. It will list all of the deleted Word documents in the following window.

3. Tick the Word files that you want to recover in the list. Select a new location to store your Word files. After that, click on the Recover X files button to solve how to recover Word documents after crash.

Way 2. Recover Word files after crash from Recycle Bin

How to restore Word document after crash? The first thing you should do is to check the Recycle Bin on your PC. If you are lucky enough, you can recover your deleted Word files in it with a few clicks:

1. Go to the Recycle Bin on the desktop.

2. Find the deleted Word file and right-click it to choose Restore.

3. Then you can go to the original location to check your Word files.

To recover deleted Word document not in Recycle Bin, you can refer to the first solution to use a professional file recovery tool.

Way 3. Recover Word files after crash with AutoRecover

Maybe you can use a Microsoft built-in feature to recover Word files - AutoRecover. It will help you save your file automatically every few minutes. You may ask where can I find temporary Word files? If you have enabled this feature before, you can refer to the following steps. If not, the data recovery software is more suitable for you.

1. Open Microsoft Word and click the File tab on the top menu.

2. Go to click on Info > Manage Documents to choose Recover Unsaved Documents.

3. Find the Word file that needs to be recovered and select Open.

4. Choose Save As on the pop-up banner to recover your Word file.

Way 4. Recover Word files after crash from backups

How to recover unsaved Word document after crash? If you have enabled the backup feature in Word, it is possible for you to recover Word files from backup files. And your lost Word files will be saved as a .wbk extension. Here are the steps to recover Word files from backups:

1. Check if you have turned on the backup feature: go to File > Options > Advanced > Save > Always create a backup copy. If you have ticked it, continue to the next step. If not, please switch to another solution like data recovery software.

2. Open File Explorer to search for .wbk. Then you can see your lost Word files here. Double click on it to save it on your PC.

Written in the end

To solve how to recover Word files after crash, we prepared 4 useful methods here. You can go to check the Recycle Bin first, or you can try recovering Word files from backups or via the built-in AutoRecover feature.

The best Word document recovery software- MyRecover is also introduced here. If you want to know how do you recover files that didn’t save and need a fast and easy way, try it directly and you can recover lost Word document at a high speed.

Download SoftwareWin 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

FAQs

1. Where does Word save files when it crashes?

If you're using Microsoft 365, Word saves backup files here: C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word.

2. How do I recover files after crashing?

To recover files after a crash:

  • Press the Windows key, type "Windows File Recovery" in the search bar, and open the app.
  • Click "Yes" when asked to allow the app to make changes.
  • You can choose between two recovery modes: Regular or Extensive.

3. How to recover Word document when computer shuts down?

You can recover an unsaved Word from Manage Document

  • Run Word > open a new file or an existing file.
  • Click the "File" tab > "Info" > click "Manage Document".
  • Click "Recover Unsaved Documents".
  • You will see the list of your unsaved files. Select the file and click "Open" > "Save As" to store the Word file.