How To Recover an Unsaved Document in Word, by Word Made Easy on YouTube. 2 min 19 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 19 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Open Microsoft Word and go to File, then Info. Click Manage Document and choose Recover Unsaved Documents from the list.
In the Open window, Word shows its UnsavedFiles folder. Pick the.asd file with the right name or date and click Open.
If the list is empty, press Win + R on your keyboard, type %temp% in the box and press Enter. This opens the Windows temp folder.
Click the Type column header to group files by type, or type *.asd in the search box at the top right of the folder.
Sort by Date modified with the newest first. Look for files created around the time Word crashed or closed.
Double-click the newest.asd file to open it in Word. Your recent text should appear in the document.
Save the file straight away with File, then Save As. Give it a name and choose Word Document (.docx) so it is no longer a temporary file.
To reduce the risk next time, go to File, then Options, then Save and check that Save AutoRecover information every 10 minutes is ticked.
Tips and common mistakes
Leave Word open after a crash until you have saved the recovered file, because closing it can remove the temporary copy.
AutoRecover usually only covers documents you have already saved once, so a brand new file may not appear in the list.
Press Ctrl + S every few minutes so there is always a saved version to fall back on.
If the temp folder shows nothing, search your whole user folder in File Explorer for *.asd files.
Questions
Can I recover a Word document I never saved at all?
Sometimes, but not always. Word usually creates AutoRecovery files only for documents that were saved at least once, so a brand new file may be missing from the list. Check both the Recover Unsaved Documents option and the %temp% folder.
How long do.asd files stay in the temp folder?
Windows can clear the temp folder at any time, and Word removes recovery files when it closes normally. Recover and save the file as soon as you notice it is missing.
Where does Word keep its AutoRecovery files?
The exact path is shown in File, then Options, then Save, under AutoRecover file location. You can also browse to it directly instead of using the temp folder.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
