Microsoft Word Auto Save documents disappeared

Question

Microsoft Word Auto Save documents disappeared

Kelsey H 20

I have a couple of Word documents that had AutoSave enabled that have completely disappeared. I cannot find them on my PC or on OneDrive, and I only have one Microsoft account (and yes, it has the Microsoft 365 subscription). When I search for the documents through Microsoft Word, they show up, but when I try to open them, it says "Sorry, we couldn't find [document name]. Is it possible it was moved, renamed or deleted?" All of my other auto save Word files are working properly. I have not moved, renamed, or deleted these files, and it would be very difficult to accidentally move them since they were saved directly to OneDrive.

There are duplicate files that show up with the same file name but with "-[my device name]" added on to the name. These files do show up on my PC and on OneDrive, but when I try to open them, it says, "Word found unreadable content in [document name]-[device name]. Do you want to recover the contents of this document? If you trust the source of this document, click Yes." When I click "yes," it just opens a blank document.

The duplicate files date back to January this year, so I assume this is when the issue occurred and I just didn't notice until now. I did look into recovering my OneDrive, but the page was glitching out and did not allow me to go farther than 29 days back in time.

Any help with this issue would be greatly appreciated! I'm not sure if this is related to the known issue "Search results appear blank or don't return files known to exist" or if this is a different problem. The files that disappeared both had notes about developmental milestones for my kids, so they have a lot of sentimental value.

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Answer 1

Dear Kelsey H

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Forum and thank you for reaching out and sharing your issue.

I understand how frustrating it must be to lose access to important documents especially when they hold personal value. I'm truly sorry you're experiencing this, and I’ll do my best to help you recover your files.

Based on the information you provided, it seems that only a few specific documents have disappeared, even though AutoSave was enabled. I’ve done some research and testing in my own environment, and here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

-Search for AutoRecover Files on Your PC

Open Word > File > Options > Save.

Copy the path listed under AutoRecover file location.

Open File Explorer, paste the path, and look for files with the .asd or .wbk extension. If you find any, open them in Word and save them with a new name.

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-Check OneDrive Version History:

Go to https://onedrive.live.com.

Look for files with names like filename-DESKTOP-XXXX.

Right-click the file > Version History.

Try restoring an earlier version if available.

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-Recover Unsaved Documents

Open Word > File > Info.

Click Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.

If any unsaved files appear, open and save them immediately.

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If you had enabled folder backup in OneDrive, go to OneDrive Settings → Sync and Backup tab → Manage Backup. Check whether folders like Documents, Pictures, or Desktop were being backed up. If they were, and you deleted them, it’s possible the data was lost across all synced devices.

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Please note: Most Recycle Bins (including OneDrive’s) only retain deleted items for a limited time typically 30 days, before they are permanently removed.

Please try all the troubleshooting steps above. If you discover any new details or need further help, feel free to share them, I’m here and ready to assist you.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Kelsey H 20 Reputation points

2025-07-10T19:50:44.3+00:00

Thank you for your help, Tammy! I was able to restore an older version using the Version History on OneDrive as you suggested, and that resolved the issue.