How to Fix: I Can't Find My Document in Word

Scenario: I can’t find my document in Word I saved

How to find or recover my Word document

What can I do when I can’t find my document in Word I just saved? Many individuals may have encountered the situation like the user in this case, which may drive every one of us crazy if we work on writing a document in Word for a long time and we keep on saving it but finally it cannot be found.

Mostly, if you are completely sure that you saved the document, then it may be related to the data loss or the document has been located in another location but you didn’t realize that. Here are 5 ways in this part that could help you find or recover the Word document.

Way 1. Locate file location

If you can't find the Word document you just saved and you are pretty much sure about it, then the Word document may have been saved to a path that you do not frequently use, or you may have saved documents to a path that is too long to remember. So, we could find the document location to recover it, which is the simplest way to find files. Follow me now to learn how to operate.

If you know the filename you just saved, you can use the search box to locate your data.

Step 1. Enter the file name in the search box.

Step 2. Check the best match result.

If you don’t remember the specific name. Also, you can use Windows File Explorer to search your files.

Step 1. Run Windows "File Explorer".

Step 2. Type file name or keywords on the search box.

Step 3. Wait for the search result to complete.

Note: You’d better resort to the next solution if the Word document didn’t show up by using the 2 options above, which means you encounter data loss.

Way 2. Get back the Word document in Microsoft Office

I saved a Word document and can't find it. What’s the reason causing the issue and how can I recover it? If the Word document didn’t appear in a last way, then it may have been deleted accidentally. Usually, we can recover it from Microsoft Office. Please follow the step below to recover the deleted document.

Step 1. Open a new Word document and click “File”.

Step 2. Click “Options” and then select “Save”. You will find the AutoRecover file location.

Step 3. Copy this file path and open it in “File Explorer” to check the files.

Step 4. Open Microsoft Word > Click “File” tab > Choose “Open” > Select “Recover Unsaved Documents” > Paste the copied .asd file in the File name search box.

Step 5. After that, your files will be back.

Way 3. Check Recycle Bin

In addition to recovering from Microsoft Office, we could also find them in Recycle Bin if you delete them accidentally.

Step 1. Go to “Recycle Bin” and find the deleted word file.

Step 2. Right-click the word document > click “Restore”.

Then the deleted Docx files will go back to their original places.

Note: If you forget the specific name of the document, you can also input some content to locate the document.

Way 4. Retrieve word documents in Windows File Recovery

If you still didn’t find your lost Word document in Microsoft Office or Recycle Bin, then you could use a tool, Windows File Recovery, which is developed by Microsoft and can help you recover your deleted document and retrieve your lost files, to free you out from the confusion “I saved a Word document and can't find it”.

Notes:✎...

The tool is only working with Windows 10 versions 2004 and later.

It might not recover all the documents.

 There are 2 basic modes in this program: Regular Mode and Basic Mode.

Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store.

Step 2. Check the File System of disks, right-click on the source drive saving your lost documents before the deletion. Then click “Properties”. 

Step 3. When the installation and the check are completed, search “cmd” in the search box and then click on “Run as administrator” to open it.

Step 4. The basic command format for data recovery on Windows File Recovery is winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

Step 5. Run a search in regular mode. Suppose your deleted documents is called “FileRecovery”, and you want to recover the specific document from C: drive to E: drive, then you could run the following command (replace “users” with your username on PC):

winfr C: E: /n \Users\Documents\ FileRecovery.docx

Step 6. After that, input “Y” when you are asking to view the files.

Step 7. Now go to the “E” Drive to see your deleted documents.

Note: If you don’t want to be restricted by the complicated command line or be afraid not all your documents come back, you could use WinfrGUI to help you fully invoke Windows File Recovery to restore deleted files.

Way 5. AOMEI Data Recovery--- Restore your Word document effortlessly

After trying the solutions above, are you still meeting with the situation “I can't find the Word document I just saved”? Some users complain that they didn’t find any trace of their document even though they check the Recycle Bin, locate the file and act in Microsoft Office. And some say that Windows File Recovery is too complicated and they spend so much time on it but recover nothing.

Under the circumstance, the best way to restore Word documents is using professional software for data recovery-- MyRecover, which can help you recover your documents effectively and quickly and save a large amount of time for you.

★Tips:

 MyRecover is supported by a strong team that is devoted to protecting your data, allowing you to restore deleted and missing data with a high success rate.

 Its simple and user-friendly interface and easy operation would guarantee a nice experience for you.

 It is compatible with Windows OS from Windows 7 to Windows 11.

Now get the software and enjoy it with me.

Step 1. Install and run MyRecover on the computer. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

Step 2. Quick Scan and Deep Scan can search all the deleted Word files and other lost files on your selected partition/disk.

Step 3. Check your scanning results and click "Recover x files". And save your recovered Word files in a new position.

Conclusion

I can’t find my document in Word that I just saved. What can I do? In this post, we provide 5 ways for you to get the word document back, such as locating the file location, getting back the Word document in Microsoft Office, and retrieving them from Windows File Recovery.

If you didn’t find the specific Word document on Recycle Bin or the Windows File Recovery is too complicated for you, then AOMEI Data Recovery would be your best choice.