How to Recover an Unsaved Word Document in Office 365

Losing hours of work because you forgot to save a Word document is a painful experience most of us can relate to. Whether Word crashed, your laptop battery died, or you simply closed the file without saving, all of that effort is gone in an instant.

Or is it?

If you‘re using Microsoft Word on Windows 10, there‘s a good chance you can recover that unsaved document and avoid a lot of heartache. In this guide, I‘ll show you three methods to get your file back, ranging from simple to advanced. I‘ll also share some tips for preventing data loss in Word going forward.

But first, let‘s look at some eye-opening statistics on data loss. According to a survey by Kroll Ontrack, 40% of respondents said they had experienced data loss in the last year. Of those, 27% were due to human error, like failing to save a file.

The consequences can be severe. Research by the University of Texas shows that 94% of companies suffering from a catastrophic data loss do not survive – 43% never reopen and 51% close within two years. While that study looked at server and hard drive crashes, not individual file loss, it underscores the business risks of not protecting digital assets.

So don‘t be a statistic – learn how to recover that unsaved Word document below. Then, make sure it doesn‘t happen again with the prevention tips at the end of this article.

Method 1: Recover from AutoRecover

The best way to recover an unsaved Word document is to use Microsoft Word‘s built-in AutoRecover feature. By default, Word automatically saves a temporary backup copy of your document every 10 minutes. If the program crashes or you accidentally close an unsaved file, you can usually restore the most recent AutoRecover version the next time you open Word.

Here‘s how to recover an unsaved document from AutoRecover:

1. Open Microsoft Word and click the "File" tab in the upper left
2. Click "Open" and then the "Recover Unsaved Documents" button at the bottom of the Recent Documents list
3. A File Explorer window will open to Word‘s default AutoRecover file location:
   C:\Users[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles
4. Locate the unsaved document in the list, identified by the .asd file extension
5. Open the document and click the "Save As" button in the yellow bar at the top of the file
6. Choose a location and file name for the recovered document and click "Save"

If you don‘t see the AutoRecover file you need, you can also search for it manually using Windows File Explorer. Open a new Explorer window and navigate to the AutoRecover file path above. You can also search for *.asd to find all AutoRecover files.

To adjust how often Word saves AutoRecover files:

1. Click "File" > "Options" > "Save"
2. Next to "Save AutoRecover information every", change the default 10 minutes to your preferred interval
3. Click "OK" to save the changes

Be aware that AutoRecover is not a substitute for regularly saving your document. AutoRecover files are temporary and can be deleted without notice, so always remember to save your work often.

Method 2: Use Windows File History

Windows 10 has a useful backup tool called File History that automatically saves copies of your files to an external drive or network location. Once enabled, File History will back up files in your Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop folders every hour by default.

If you have File History turned on, you can use it to recover a previous version of an unsaved Word document:

1. Open the folder where you last saved the document
2. Right-click the document and select "Restore previous versions"
3. Choose the version you want to restore from the list of available backups
4. Click the "Restore" button to recover that version of the file

File History works best when you‘ve previously saved the document at least once, so there will be an older version to restore. However, it can sometimes find temporary versions of new unsaved files as well.

To set up File History in Windows 10:

1. Connect an external drive or specify a network location for backup
2. Open the Settings app and go to "Update & Security" > "Backup"
3. Click "Add a drive" and select the location you want to use for File History backups
4. Click "More options" to configure settings like how often to save backups and how long to keep them

Once enabled, File History will automatically save versions of your files to the backup location hourly, daily, or at your specified frequency. You can then easily restore those backups to recover lost work.

Method 3: Check Office 365 Version History

If you use Microsoft Word through an Office 365 subscription, you have an additional layer of protection against losing unsaved documents. Office 365 automatically syncs your files to Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage, allowing you to access them from anywhere. It also keeps a version history of your documents as you make changes.

To recover an unsaved Word document using OneDrive version history:

1. Sign in to OneDrive at onedrive.live.com
2. Browse to the folder where you last saved the document
3. Right-click the file and select "Version history"
4. Select the version you want to restore from the list
5. Click the "Restore" button to recover that version
6. Open the restored file in Word and save it to your computer

When you open a file stored in OneDrive in Word, you‘ll also see a "Version History" option on the File tab. Clicking this will open a pane showing recent versions of the document saved to OneDrive.

The OneDrive versions are separate from Word‘s local AutoRecover files. So even if the AutoRecover copy of an unsaved file gets deleted, you may still find a restorable version in OneDrive.

To enable AutoSave in Word for Office 365:

1. Open a document and click the AutoSave toggle at the top left of the window
2. If prompted, sign in with your Microsoft account
3. Select OneDrive as the save location for the file

With AutoSave on, Word continuously syncs your document to OneDrive so you always have a backup copy in the cloud. The feature is only available for files already saved to OneDrive or SharePoint Online.

Bonus: Best Practices to Avoid Losing Work in Word

While the methods above can help you recover an unsaved Word file in many cases, they aren‘t foolproof. Some data loss scenarios are unavoidable, like when a power outage corrupts your hard drive.

The best approach is to take proactive steps to prevent losing work in the first place:

• Save early and often. Get in the habit of hitting Ctrl+S or clicking the Save button frequently. I recommend saving after every significant change or at least every 5 minutes.
• Keep documents in the cloud. Saving files to OneDrive or another cloud storage service protects you from losing work if your computer crashes or dies. It also enables real-time coauthoring and easy file sharing.
• Turn on AutoSave. If you have an Office 365 subscription, make sure AutoSave is enabled for every document. Word will continuously sync your changes to OneDrive, creating a backup in real-time.
• Adjust AutoRecover settings. Reduce the default AutoRecover interval so Word saves versions more frequently. Every 5 minutes is usually sufficient. You can also change the AutoRecover file location if you want.
• Use backup software. For added peace of mind, use a third-party backup program like EaseUS Todo Backup or Acronis True Image. These can fully back up your computer‘s hard drive on a schedule and let you restore individual files.

No backup system is perfect, but following these tips will greatly reduce the risk of losing hours of hard work to an unsaved or corrupt Word document.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I recover a Word document I forgot to save?
If you never saved the document, your first step is to check Word‘s AutoRecover folder (see Method 1 above). You may find a temporary copy of the unsaved file there. If not, try Method 2 to look for previous versions using Windows File History or Method 3 to restore from OneDrive version history.

Does Microsoft Word autosave documents?
Word has two features that automatically save your documents: AutoRecover and AutoSave. AutoRecover is enabled by default and saves a temporary copy of your document at a specified interval (every 10 minutes by default). You can adjust the AutoRecover settings or turn it off completely in Word Options.

AutoSave is only available in Word for Office 365. When enabled, it continuously syncs your document to OneDrive or SharePoint Online so you always have a backup copy in the cloud. AutoSave is not enabled by default.

Where are unsaved Word documents stored?
If AutoRecover is on, Word stores unsaved documents in the following location:
C:\Users[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles

To quickly access this folder, open Word and go to File > Open > Recover Unsaved Documents. If you have AutoSave enabled, unsaved files will instead be synced to your OneDrive.

Can I recover an overwritten Word document?
In most cases, no. When you save changes to an existing Word document, the previous version is permanently overwritten. However, you may be able to restore an overwritten file from a backup, if you have one:

• If the document is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint Online, right-click it and select "Version History" to view and restore previous versions
• If you use Windows File History, right-click the document in File Explorer and select "Restore Previous Versions"
• If you use backup software like Carbonite or Backblaze, look in the app to see if it has a saved copy of the overwritten file

What is the difference between AutoRecover and AutoSave in Word?
AutoRecover and AutoSave are similar features that automatically save backup copies of your document, but they work differently:

So while AutoRecover is a helpful safety net for all Word users, AutoSave in Office 365 is a more comprehensive solution that provides continuous cloud backup and the ability to revert to earlier versions of a document.

Losing an hour of typing because Word crashed is maddening. But the next time it happens, don‘t despair. Follow the methods in this guide and you‘ll be able to recover that unsaved document more often than not.

Even better, take control of your Word workflow to prevent data loss in the future. Use AutoSave, adjust your AutoRecover settings, and keep files in the cloud to ensure you can always get your work back. A little preparation now can save you from a lot of frustration later.