Computer power outages, critical errors that occur in the system, unintentional closure - all this leads to the fact that an unsaved Word document (doc or docx) may be lost. But almost any data can be recovered, the main requirement is to know the methods and be able to use a PC. The methods below are sorted by complexity, from easiest to hardest. It is recommended to apply the options in order of priority.
Option 1: Auto Repair Word Document
The Word text editor has a built-in ability to automatically restore a document. If the system crashed, which led to a forced restart of Windows, the program itself will offer to return the lost information. It looks like this:
Comment. Word text editor provides the option to automatically repair only when you first start the program. When you open the utility again, nothing will be offered. You should not miss such a chance.
If the user did not save the Word document before closing, then you can try to reopen it forcibly. There is an important detail here: the method will not work if the user created a new Word document, typed the text and saved it. Algorithm:
- Create and open a blank sheet;
- In the upper left corner, go to the "File" section and click open;
- A window pops up in which you need to select "Open and Repair":
The most controversial method, as the performance leaves much to be desired. In most cases, nothing happens to a clean file.
Option 2: Source File
Despite the lack of saving, the original Word file (doc or docx) could remain in the system. To find it, we use the following algorithm, which consists of two steps:
A list of files whose name matches the entered keyword will appear. If the document is found, open it and view the contents.
Comment. This method is the simplest, but not ideal. The chance that the original document will remain on the computer after a critical error is extremely small.
Option 3: Folder with automatic saves
Word (especially the latest versions) is smart enough. So, if the user did not change the default parameters, then every 10 minutes, the document is automatically saved to a specially designated folder which is called reserve. The folder is hidden, so it's not a fact that the search from the above method will help, so you have to check the contents manually. For this:
In the directory you can find the last saved file. The view may differ depending on the version. In Word 2010, the folder looks like this:
There is also an alternative to this method. It consists in the following:
A few notes:
- The method is relevant only when automatic saving of Word data is disabled;
- It is possible to restore a document in this way only after a forced shutdown of the system (voltage drop, critical error, etc.);
- In order for the file to be added to the folder, the user must work with it for some time;
- Unsaved files are presented in .asd, older versions (before 2010) of Word do not see this format.
This is where the main system methods end. Now let's talk about recovering Word information using third-party software.
Document recovery using third-party programs
The method presented below will allow you to recover a lost file from your device even in the most difficult situations: accidental deletion without placing it in the trash, virus damage, formatting, etc.
In this case, third-party programs downloaded from the Internet are used for recovery ( it is advisable to check for malware with an antivirus). Here are some specialized applications:
- 7- Data Recovery. Of the advantages, multifunctionality should be noted: there are five options for recovering lost data. Despite the presence of the Russian language, the program is quite complicated for inexperienced users;
- Active Undelete. The most versatile utility that works with all file systems, operating systems and supports most external devices. The interface is quite simple and great for beginners;
- Wondershare Data Recovery. A powerful program that can recover any files both from a computer and from external media;
- . At the moment it is the leader in the Word file recovery segment.
Comment. The resources of all utilities are limited, if a large amount of data was written to a disk or flash drive after deleting an unsaved file, then you should not expect a positive result.
In order to recover a Word document in .doc or .docx format, the latest Wondershare Data Recovery program is ideal.
The whole stage of working with the application consists of 3 steps:
I do not often publish posts about such banal user things, but today I encountered an unpleasant situation when the winword.exe process hung tightly, crashed and did not save changes to the document being edited. I had to urgently deal with the functionality autosave in Microsoft Word 2010 and try to recover the document. I will add my research to the treasury of knowledge in the form of a ready-made manual for restoring unsaved versions of documents in MS Word 2010. In other programs of the MS Office package, autosave works in a similar way.
MS Office 2010 has an autosave feature that should periodically save copies of the document while editing a file. If you start Word after a crash, the system should in the panel Document Recovery display a list of documents that have not been previously saved. By clicking on the document name (contains the label in the name [ autosaved]), you can open the last automatically created copy.
If this window does not appear, you need to start Word and in the section File –> Info –> Manage Versions click on the button Recover Unsaved Documents.
A dialog box will open with a directory containing copies of unsaved documents from all MS Office applications.
Advice. IN Windows XP this directory is C:\Documents and Settings\ %username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Unsaved Files
IN Windows Vista/7/8/10-C:\Users\ %username%
Where %username%- your account name.
As you can see, the files have the extension .asd are Word auto-recovery files. If the document is new and has not been previously saved by the user, its name will look something like this " Autorecoverysaveofdocument1.asd«.
Try to open such a document. If it does not open due to damage, you can try using the built-in file recovery function ( Open and Repair). Copies of unsaved documents are stored for 4 days, after which they are automatically deleted. Therefore, do not forget to save the recovered document through the menu File -> Save as.
When editing a document, Word at regular intervals (once every 10 minutes by default) saves the current version of the file to its service directory. Document autosave settings are defined in the section file-> options -> save.
The autosave directory is also listed here.
- For XP this is C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Microsoft\Word
- For Windows 7Andabove- C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word
Advice. To centrally manage the autosave settings for Word 2010 documents on user computers, you can use
The autosave directory is set in the parameter AUTOSAVE-PATH(REG_EXPAND_SZ) branches HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\ (Product)\Options\AutoRecoverPath
(Product) need to be replaced with Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.
File saving frequency: set by a parameter (REG_DWORD type) in the branch HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Word\Options\vpref
Possible parameter values (in minutes) from 0 to 120
This directory contains autosave files (*.asd), temporary files (*.tmp), and backup files (*.wbk). File names are of a service kind and are not suitable for navigating through document versions, therefore, in order to find a saved version of a document, it makes sense to open files with the date when the document was last modified.
There are different ways to recover lost Word files. In this article, we will consider several options for returning disappeared documents without the use of third-party programs.
The reasons for the loss of Word documents can be different: the system hung up, the power supply suddenly turned off, they forgot to save the document when exiting the program, and others. All of them are unpleasant and even painful. However, do not be upset, because you can return the disappeared files.
Method 1: AutoRecover Document in Word
In the event of a system failure, after which Windows was forced to reboot, the program itself will offer to restore unsaved documents. However, after a crash, the automatic file recovery function will only work the first time you start Word.
Recovery:
- Double click on the Word icon and open a new empty document;
- On the left side of the window, you will see a list of documents that were open when the computer crashed. Under each of them is the date and time of their last adjustment. Select the document you need, click on it, and the text will appear on the screen.
When you close the list tab, the copies of the documents will be moved to the trash. But first, the system will ask you to confirm their removal. Be careful, because this list only opens the first time you enter the Word text editor after a crash.
Method 2: Restore from autosave folder.
If you accidentally closed the list discussed in the previous method, but did not select the document and, therefore, did not reanimate it, then this method will do.
Method 3: Recovery from hidden reserve.
The latest versions of the Word text editor make automatic saving of all versions of documents at intervals of 10 minutes. For these needs, there is a hidden folder, to go to which you need to do a few simple steps:
Method 4: Restore from the original file.
An unsaved document could also remain in the original Word file of the system, which is located in two steps:
All the methods described above are different, but each of them is designed to help you find the Word document that needs to be restored. At least one of them will definitely solve your problem.
If you accidentally deleted an important Microsoft Word document, and then inadvertently emptied the Recycle Bin, do not despair - if large amounts of data were not written to the disk, the chance to recover lost files remains quite high.
But what if the document you created has not yet been saved, and you closed it by mistake, or some kind of incident occurred during work, such as a system failure, a software error, or a sudden power outage. Can it be restored? The question may seem redundant - in such cases, applications usually restore the data themselves.
However, imagine this situation. You typed a decent amount of text in Word, and then, as luck would have it, an error occurs and the program closes. In theory, the next time you start the Word editor, it should offer recovered documents, but for some reason this did not happen. First, don't panic. Word, select Options; Saving and make sure that the autosave function of documents is enabled (there is a check mark). If it is not installed, which is very unlikely, alas, the text you typed may be irretrievably lost.
By default, all Microsoft Office applications automatically resave any open file to a specific folder every 10 minutes. This file is temporary and has an .asd extension. When the editor ends normally, it is deleted, but if MS Word closed due to an error, the file will remain. Finding it is very simple - the address is indicated in the Word options window.
For example, in Windows 7 it looks like this: C:Users”Username”AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWord. In Windows XP, the Word temporary files folder is located at: C:Documents and Settings”Username”Application DataMicrosoftWord
You can try to open it directly, or if unsuccessful, force the Microsoft Office application. Alternatively (if the .asd file is not saved), you can try to find traces of the unsaved document among the temporary .tmp or with the presence of a tilde (~).
The chances that he will be saved are scanty and the time spent searching for him can only serve to calm his conscience. You can also resort to the help of special programs, such as Perfect File Recovery.
Perfect File Recovery is positioned as an advanced tool for finding and recovering lost text documents, databases, presentations, images, archives, audio, video, executable, system and other types of files. The program successfully works with hard drives, removable media, mobile devices, cameras and even virtual drives.
The application has a built-in search, a powerful filtering system, supports a preview of the recovered data, as well as the creation of exact copies of hard disk partitions.
Creating accurate images can be useful in cases where you need to carefully examine the contents of the disk without affecting the "real" disks.
Perfect File Recovery has three main scanning modes: fast, advanced (custom) and full. Since the program is very fast, in most cases a full scan is recommended.
You can speed up and simplify your search using the built-in filtering system.
Filtering by creation date, modification, type, size and other criteria is supported.
Upon completion of the check, you can select the necessary files from the Perfect File Recovery list and restore them.
Instruction
Open the Office program in which the document was created.
Select the "File" tab from the program menu.
Use the line "Recent files" in the drop-down menu.
Select the desired file in the opened window with saved versions of documents.
Click the "Open" button.
Select a name and format for saving the file in the "Save As" service menu in the toolbar of the application window.
Alternatively, you can use another method to find and restore files.
Open the Office program in which the document was created and select any document.
Click the Details button on the File menu of the program window.
Select "Version Control" from the dropdown menu.
Select Recover Unsaved Documents (for Word files), Recover Unsaved Workbooks (for Excel files), or Recover Unsaved Presentations (for PowerPoint files).
Select the desired document from the opened list of unsaved versions.
Open the desired file.
From the program menu, select "File" and click the "Details" button.
Select the latest revision of the document in the "Versions" block.
Select the "Restore" field in the toolbar of the program window. Please note that all previous revisions of the document will be updated to the selected version.
note
Keep in mind that these features work in Microsoft Office programs only if you turn on the "Autosave every ..." and "Keep the last autosaved version if the file was closed without saving" options.
You cannot change the location of unsaved files on disk.
Useful advice
You can find and open unsaved documents in
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles (for Windows Vista and Windows 7).
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Unsaved Files (for Windows XP).
Sources:
- Official website of Microsoft Office
Some files that we did not save manually on the computer are available to be opened from the hard drive. In most cases, this happens when they are created by certain programs that provide for periodic backups.
Instruction
If you opened any file downloaded from the Internet for viewing and now, without saving it, you cannot find it again, check the Temp folder, which is located in the following directory: C:/Documents and Settings/Username/Local Settings/Temp. It contains all temporary files, which you used in the process of working with the browser for a certain period of time, set by you in the browser settings. It is best to set the manual mode for clearing folder data in the settings so that you do not lose information in the future.
If you haven't saved your document in Microsoft Office, use the Restore previously edited files feature. This is done due to the fact that the system provides periodic documents. Open the MS Office program that was editing, and then select the option to recover unsaved documents (or workbooks in Excel).
To view unsaved files edited in other programs, check the menu of the software you are using for the option to recover unsaved data. Also check the folders for temporary data storage, which may be located in the Application Data menu on your local drive, after enabling the visibility of hidden system items in the Folder Options menu in the computer control panel.
If you cannot find backup copies of edited unsaved data, search the local disk of your computer by file name, while enabling advanced options for scanning system folders and hidden system items. Don't forget to include the approximate date your file was created. Also specify the name given to new files by the default program you use.
Related videos
Useful advice
Save edited files periodically and use an uninterruptible power supply.
Often, when working in Microsoft Office, users for some reason forget or do not have time to save file, which they were just working on, and the information is lost when the unsaved document is closed. If you haven't saved file and closed the program, this does not mean that all your work was lost - unsaved in Microsoft Office file can .
Instruction
In Power Point, the program will prompt you to restore unsaved . A new window will open in which you will see automatically saved drafts. Choose the right one file and open it, and then select the "Save As" option from the menu.
In addition, restore file You can do this by choosing the File menu, Info, and then Version Control. In the window that opens, click on the button to restore unsaved documents.
Sources:
- how to restore a presentation
Solving the problem of restoring unsaved document can be conditionally divided into two methods, depending on whether the document was accidentally closed by the user himself, or an unexpected shutdown of the office application occurred.
