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How to retrieve a lost Word document

Daniel Spooner 20 Reputation points
2026-02-04T14:48:14.5966667+00:00

I downloaded a document, gave it a new name and proceeded edit it. I left the word document up/open overnight and in the morning, it was gone. I've looked in every location, used partial document names, used "*.doc", looked in Trash, looked in the folder where the original is located. It's nowhere to be found.

What can I do to locate it?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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TaoLi 79,625 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-02-05T07:11:37.24+00:00

Hello, thank you for your reply.

The modified file was not found, which means Word did not save your document. No file was generated, so you cannot locate it.

I’m sorry to inform you that since the file was not saved, no document was created, and therefore the edited content may not be retrievable.

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  1. TaoLi 79,625 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-02-04T16:16:00.7433333+00:00

    Hello,

    The most likely place to find the file right now is in the temporary directory: C:\Users\Your Username\AppData\Local\Temp\

    Search for .doc files there to see if there's a document you've lost.

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    2 people found this answer helpful.
  2. Daniel Spooner 20 Reputation points
    2026-02-04T15:05:19.0833333+00:00

    Cycled down File Explorer to #2. Still no data.

    To clarify: When I came back to my PC, Word was closed, as well as all my browser tabs. I restarted my browser & recovered all tabs. Restarting Word did not show my file in "Recent". I cannot access the "Info" menu without having a file selected. Since my file isn't in the menu, this option won't work.

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  3. Daniel Spooner 20 Reputation points
    2026-02-04T14:55:11.7933333+00:00

    I tried 1, 3, 4, 5, &\ 6. Don't know how to do #2.

    None worked.

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  4. AI answer

    2026-02-04T14:49:25.78+00:00

    To locate your lost Word document, you can try the following methods:

    1. Restart Word to open AutoRecover files: Close and reopen Word. If any AutoRecover files are found, the Document Recovery task pane will open, listing the recovered documents. You can then select and save them.
    2. Search for AutoRecover files: If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, check the following folder locations for AutoRecover files:
      • C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word
      • C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles Replace <UserName> with your actual username.
    3. Check for Word backup files: If you have the "Always create backup copy" option enabled, look for files with a .wbk extension. You can search for these files by entering *.wbk in the Start search box.
    4. Check the Recycle Bin: If you deleted the document, it might still be in the Recycle Bin. Open it and look for your document.
    5. Search for temporary files: Temporary files may have a .tmp extension. You can search for these by typing *.tmp in the Start search box. If you find any files that match the date and time you last edited the document, try opening them.
    6. Use Windows File Recovery Tool: If you are using Windows 10 version 2004 or later, you can use the Windows File Recovery tool to recover files that have been permanently deleted.

    If you still cannot find the document, you may want to check if it was saved to a cloud service like OneDrive or SharePoint, where you might be able to restore it from there.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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