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Where is Document Recover pane

Alice Gosfield 0 Reputation points
2026-05-04T14:09:46.11+00:00

I cleaned a redlined document and saved, but it didn't save to the directory. Where is the Document Recover Pane?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | Other | Windows

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  1. Stefan Blom 341.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-05-04T14:13:25.28+00:00

    As the AI-generated response says, you will usually see the Document Recovery pane when Word has restarted after a crash.

    If you are not seeing the pane, what you can do is search your C: drive for files with the .asd extension. If you find any, try to open them via File > Open > Browse in Word.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-04T14:10:02.35+00:00

    In Word for Windows, the Document Recovery pane appears automatically the next time Word is opened after the app closes unexpectedly (for example, a crash or power failure). It is not opened manually from a menu.

    When Word restarts after such an event, look on the left or right side of the window for the Document Recovery pane. It will list any recovered files under Available Files. From there:

    • Select a file in the list to open and review it.
    • Use the date and time shown under each file name to decide which version to keep.
    • After recovering and saving the documents needed, close the Document Recovery pane.

    If Close is selected on the pane without reviewing all files, Word will offer to show them again the next time the app is opened, with options:

    • Yes, I want to view these files later (safest option) to keep them available.
    • No, remove the files. I have saved the files I need to discard them.

    If Word did not crash or close unexpectedly, the Document Recovery pane will not appear, and there will be no recovered version of the document.

    References:

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

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