Word Document Disappeared After Sharing Link to It

Question

I shared a word document with colleagues that I had been working on for quite some time yesterday. When they clicked on it, they received an error code, and the document did not open. When I went to go into it today, it wasn't in any of my folders, and didn't even show in recent documents that I had been working on it. It has completely disappeared from my laptop.

Answer 1

Good day CKelly, 

Thank you for sharing your concern.  

Based on your description, the sharing link error and the disappearance of the document may indicate that the file was stored in a cloud location and was subsequently moved, renamed, deleted, not fully synced, or saved under a different account. Another possibility is that Word was working from a temporary or recovery copy that was not successfully saved to a permanent location. 

To help me better understand the situation and assist you effectively, could you please share a few details such as:   

1/ What is the exact error message or error code that your colleagues received when attempting to open the shared link?  

If possible, please share a screenshot of the error (Please make sure to blur or cover any personal or sensitive information in the screenshot to protect your privacy).   

2/ Where was the document originally stored? (OneDrive/SharePoint/Teams or a network drive) 

This will help me better understand the context and provide more targeted support. Any additional information will help me better understand and support you.    

In the meantime, please see the following workarounds that will help you verify the issue:  

Option 1: Search for the document in OneDrive on the web 

Go to office.com and sign in with the same work or school account that was used to create or share the document > Select App Launcher > Open OneDrive. 

Use the Search (All files) at the top of the page. 

Search by the file name if you remember it. 

If the file name doesn't appear, search using keywords from the document, the file type such as .docx, or the approximate date when it was edited. 

Option 2: Check the OneDrive Recycle Bin 

In the OneDrive page, select Recycle bin from the left side. 

Look for the missing Word document. 

If you find it, select the file > Select Restore. 

Additionally, you can also check the Windows Recycle Bin. If the file was stored as an online-only OneDrive file, check the OneDrive Recycle Bin instead. 

Option 3: Restore OneDrive to an earlier point in time 

If the file is still missing, you may be able to restore your OneDrive to a previous point in time. 

Go to OneDrive on the web > My files > Settings > Restore your OneDrive. 

Choose a restore point from before the document disappeared. 

Review the changes before restoring. 

Please note that restoring OneDrive may impact multiple files and folders, so use this option with caution. Any files or folders created after the selected restore point may be moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin, where they can be restored if needed. 

As a community moderator, I kindly ask for your understanding that I have limited visibility into internal development details and backend investigations. My role is to help guide users to the most appropriate resources and support channels. While I may not have access to perform deeper backend analysis, I will continue to do my best to assist within the scope of my role and available resources.  

Please let me know the outcome after trying the steps above. If possible, please also share any error message or error code you receive. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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