How to Recover Visio File Unsaved & Deleted?

Can I recover unsaved Visio files?

Microsoft Visio, as a diagramming and vector graphics app of Microsoft Office, is welcomed and popular among users around the world.

It allows users to create diagrams, flowcharts, etc., and visualize and analyze complex information.

For IT and businessmen, this app is an important tool to promote understanding of systems and processes. They draw flowcharts, mind maps, organization charts, etc.

Like using other Microsoft products like Word, Excel, etc., users might encounter missing files. Sometimes users also need to recover unsaved Word documents.

Therefore, no one wants to lose the Visio files due to abrupt crashes or deletions.

You may be stuck in a similar plight now. If Visio crashed without saving or you have accidentally deleted Visio files, you could turn to this tutorial and get some help in Visio file recovery.

Firstly, let’s figure out if it is possible for users to recover Visio files that were unsaved or deleted.

Does Visio have auto recovery?

Yes, Visio saves your drawings automatically – only when you have enabled the AutoRecovery option.

Like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc., Visio also has an inbuilt AutoRecovery feature. You could also recover unsaved Excel files with the help of this feature.

Users can choose to enable it or not, as well as specify the interval of auto-saving. Thus Visio will record the changes you made in the files.

>> Start Visio > Tools > Options > Save > tick the option Save AutoRecover information every xx minutes.

Now, no matter whether you have unsaved, lost, or deleted Visio files, you could get them back by following the methods provided here.

How to recover Visio files that were unsaved?

First of all, let’s figure out “how does Visio recover unsaved files”. As we have discussed, Visio allows users to get back unsaved drawings.

Since you have activated the AutoRecovery feature, a recovery file will be generated automatically when the system crashes unexpectedly.

The auto-recovery file is named “AutoRecover.ini” or “AutoRecover11.ini”, according to your Visio version.

Visit the path to check the file.

Now, check the detailed steps here to restore unsaved Visio files.

Notes:✎...

Please note that this feature only saves your files when the software is abnormally shut. If you close the app normally, the auto-recovery files won’t be created.

Step 1. After the crash, start Visio again > the unexpectedly closed drawing will be shown automatically.

Step 2. Save the recovered drawing to your preferred place.

If no recovered drawing pops up, the AutoRecovery feature might malfunction, or the file did not auto-saved. And there is no luck.

How to recover Visio files that were deleted?

What if you have intentionally or mistakenly deleted a Visio file? How to recover it? This part gathers some feasible methods.

Method 1. Go to the Recycle Bin

Turning to the Recycle Bin first is a good idea. The Recycle Bin doesn’t work like a bin on a cloud storage service; it keeps your removed files until the bin is full or you have accidentally emptied the Recycle Bin.

The process is straightforward.

Step 1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop.

Step 2. Find the files you have removed > right-click the file/files > choose Restore.

If the deleted files are not in the Recycle Bin, they were permanently removed you’re your drive. Please check the following methods.

Method 2. Restore previous version of the Visio folder

Some cloud storage and hosting services provide version history for users to revert their files to an earlier date to undo some changes. Windows PC also has a similar feature.

As long as users have enabled the File History or there are restore points, they can restore previous version of files or folders to get back corrupted, lost, or deleted files.

Step 1. Start File Explorer > locate the folder which stores the deleted Visio files (a bottommost-level folder will be better).

Step 2. Right-click the folder > click Restore previous versions > select an earlier version >Restore. Or click Open to view and check the difference.

The folder will be reverted to a previous status and you can undo deletion in Windows 10.

Method 3. Restore Visio files that were deleted efficiently

The previous versions are only available for the c: drive files. If the Visio files are not saved on the local c: drive, you might have no luck.

Also, another shortcoming is obvious – it requires File History to be enabled in advance. As we all know, accidents always come without giving a clue. Many users are not equipped with any backups.

How to retrieve Visio files without backups? What if the Visio files were stored on other drives or on an external disk?

A professional Windows data recovery app will be your firm helper. MyRecover, developed by the leading benchmark in the data security industry, possesses advanced tech to offer help in file recovery.

Efficient. It facilitates users to recover deleted and missing files from internal and external hard drives, e.g., HDD, SSD, USB flash drives, and SD cards. 

Convenient. All users can operate it without difficulty in recovering data in 3 steps. 

Comprehensive. It applies to deletion, formatting, system crash, virus, etc. 

Compatible. It supports Windows 10/8/7/Server, and Windows 11.

Step 1. Install and run the software > Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted Visio files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. Search and sort the detected files with filenames, extensions, file types, Date modified, Size, etc.

Step 3. Go to Deleted files or Recycle Bin > find the folder which contains the deleted Visio files > choose what you want > click Recover x files.

This tool can also help you recover deleted Word documents in a breeze.

Wrapping up

If Visio crashed without saving or if you have accidentally deleted the Visio files, check this tutorial and recover Visio files easily.

Visio has a built-in AutoRecovery feature to recover the files lost due to an unexpected shutdown.

What’s more, Recycle Bin, previous versions, and the Windows data recovery app – MyRecover, can help you if you have removed the Visio files.