How to Recover Lost Documents in Microsoft Word and Excel

Losing important work can be one of the most frustrating experiences, especially when you’re working on a critical document or spreadsheet in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel. Whether you accidentally close a file without saving, your computer crashes, or a power outage interrupts your work, the thought of losing hours or days of effort can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Microsoft has built in several tools and recovery features to help you recover lost documents and spreadsheets, minimizing the stress of data loss.

In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the different methods you can use to recover lost Word and Excel documents, with step-by-step instructions and practical tips.

1. Check AutoSave and AutoRecovery

What is AutoSave and AutoRecovery?

Both Microsoft Word and Excel offer AutoSave and AutoRecovery features. These tools automatically save versions of your document or spreadsheet at regular intervals, helping you recover your work in the event of a system crash, power failure, or other unexpected disruptions.

• AutoSave: This feature is available if you’re working with a document saved to OneDrive or SharePoint. It saves your document in real-time.
• AutoRecovery: This is a local backup feature that saves copies of your documents at regular intervals, typically every 10 minutes, to help recover your files after an unexpected event.

How to Recover Using AutoSave and AutoRecovery

For Microsoft Word and Excel (Windows)

1. Open Word or Excel: Start the application as you normally would.
2. Recover from AutoRecovery:
   
   • If Word or Excel was closed unexpectedly, open the program again.
   • On the left panel, under the Document Recovery section, you’ll see any available autosaved versions of your file. Click on the document to open it.
3. Save Your Recovered Document:
   
   • Once the AutoRecovery version opens, make sure to save it immediately by clicking File > Save As to prevent losing it again.

For Mac Users

1. Open Word or Excel: Launch the application on your Mac.

2. AutoRecovery:

   • If a document was lost due to a crash, you should see a Recovered Files option when reopening the application.
   • Click on the document in the Document Recovery pane to restore it.

3. Save the Document: Save the recovered file immediately by going to File > Save As.

What if AutoRecovery Didn’t Save Your Document?

If your document or spreadsheet is not available through AutoRecovery, don’t worry—there are still other methods to explore.

2. Check the Recent Files List

Both Word and Excel maintain a list of recent documents that were opened, even if they weren’t saved. If you accidentally closed a document without saving, it might still appear in the Recent Documents list.

How to Recover Lost Documents from Recent Files

For Microsoft Word and Excel (Windows)

1. Open the Program: Launch Microsoft Word or Excel.

2. Navigate to Recent Files:

   • Go to File > Open > Recent.
   • In the Recent Documents section, look for the file that was recently opened.
   • Click on the file to open it.

3. Save the Document: Once the file is open, save it using File > Save As.

For Mac Users

1. Open Word or Excel.
2. Check Recent Documents:
   
   • Go to File > Open Recent and look for the file.
   • If it appears, open it and save it immediately.

3. Search for Temporary Files

Microsoft Word and Excel sometimes create temporary files during the editing process. These files can be helpful in recovering lost documents, especially if the program crashes or the file is lost unexpectedly.

How to Search for Temporary Files

For Microsoft Word and Excel (Windows)

1. Navigate to the Temporary File Location:

   • Open File Explorer and type the following path into the search bar:
     
     shell

     Copy

     %temp%

   • This will take you to the Temp folder where temporary files are stored.

2. Search for the Word or Excel File:

   • Look for files with names that start with a tilde (~) or have extensions like .tmp or .asd.
   • Temporary Word files will often have names like ~WRLxxxx.tmp or ~$filename.docx.
   • Temporary Excel files may have names like ~$filename.xlsx.

3. Open the File: If you find a file that matches the one you lost, try opening it to see if it contains your unsaved work.

4. Save the Document: If the file opens successfully, save it immediately with a new name to avoid losing it.

For Mac Users

1. Open Finder: Navigate to the Finder.
2. Search for Temporary Files:
   
   • Search for ~ or .tmp files within the Temporary Items or AutoSave folders.
3. Open and Recover: If you find the document, open it and save it.

4. Check the Recycle Bin or Trash

Sometimes, a file may not be lost at all—it might just be deleted by accident. If you accidentally deleted your Word or Excel file, you may be able to recover it from the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac).

How to Recover from the Recycle Bin (Windows)

1. Open the Recycle Bin: Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
2. Search for the File: Look for your lost Word or Excel file.
3. Restore the File: Right-click on the file and select Restore. The file will be restored to its original location.

How to Recover from Trash (Mac)

1. Open the Trash: Click on the Trash icon in the dock.
2. Search for the File: Look for the file you deleted.
3. Restore the File: Right-click on the file and select Put Back to restore it to its original location.

5. Use OneDrive Version History (For Cloud-Saved Files)

If you are using OneDrive to save your files, you can take advantage of the Version History feature. This feature lets you restore earlier versions of a file, which can be invaluable if you’ve accidentally overwritten a document or made significant changes that you want to undo.

How to Use OneDrive Version History

For Microsoft Word and Excel (Windows/Mac)

1. Open OneDrive: Go to the OneDrive folder where the file is saved.
2. Right-click the File: Select the three dots (…) next to the file name.
3. View Version History: Click on Version History.
4. Restore a Previous Version: Select an earlier version of the document that you want to restore and click Restore.

6. Check Microsoft Office 365 for Online Backups

If you’re using Microsoft 365 with cloud-based services like OneDrive, your documents might be saved in the cloud even if they weren’t saved locally. If this is the case, you can recover a copy from the cloud.

How to Recover from OneDrive (Office 365)

1. Go to OneDrive: Visit the OneDrive website or open the OneDrive app on your device.
2. Search for the File: Look for your Word or Excel file.
3. Check Version History: If your file has been saved to the cloud, you can check the version history for older versions.

7. Third-Party File Recovery Tools

If you have tried all of the above methods and still cannot recover your file, you can turn to third-party file recovery tools. These tools scan your hard drive for deleted or lost files and attempt to recover them.

Popular Third-Party Recovery Tools:

• Recuva: A popular file recovery tool for Windows that scans your hard drive for lost files and allows you to recover them.
• Disk Drill: A powerful recovery tool for both Windows and Mac, offering advanced recovery features.
• EaseUS Data Recovery: This tool is another great option for recovering lost documents and files on both Windows and Mac.

Using File Recovery Tools:

1. Install the Recovery Tool: Download and install the recovery tool on your computer.
2. Scan Your Hard Drive: Use the tool to scan for lost or deleted files.
3. Recover the File: If the tool finds your lost document, follow the on-screen instructions to restore it.

Closing Words:

Losing a Word or Excel document doesn’t always mean that your work is gone forever. Microsoft offers several built-in recovery options that can help you restore unsaved or lost documents, from AutoSave and AutoRecovery to temporary files and Version History. Additionally, checking the Recycle Bin, OneDrive, or using third-party recovery tools can be lifesavers in difficult situations.

To minimize the risk of losing important files in the future, consider enabling AutoSave in OneDrive, saving your documents regularly, and keeping backups. Regularly saving your work in the cloud or using external storage options can also offer peace of mind and ensure that your data is safe in case of unexpected disruptions.

If you come to this point after reading the whole article, you get proper knowledge about How to Recover Lost Documents in Microsoft Word and Excel . If you face any difficulty regarding this recovery, let us know your problem by contacting to  support@mswares.com. And to get all Microsoft office licenses at an affordable price visit:https://mswares.com.