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How to recover edits to a file that didn't save

Edie Marriage Massey [en22emm] 0 Reputation points
2026-05-19T08:34:48.2866667+00:00

I was editing a file on autosave yesterday but when I opened it today it said the last edits were made hours before the last edits I made. How do I recover the edits I made to the file?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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  1. Emmanuel Santana 39,040 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-19T09:31:10.1466667+00:00

    Hello. Was the file stored in OneDrive, or only locally on the computer? Did the app, computer, or internet connection unexpectedly close or disconnect before you reopened the file?

    Try this first if the file was stored in OneDrive:

    1. Open the file.
    2. Go to File > Info > Version History.
    3. Check for a version from yesterday around the time the missing edits were made.

    If the file was stored locally on the PC:

    1. Open a blank Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file.
    2. Go to File > Info > Manage Document (or Manage Workbook).
    3. Select Recover Unsaved Documents.

    You can also manually check the AutoRecover folder:

    C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\

    You can also try searching Windows File Explorer for:

    • *.asd
    • *.wbk

    These are Office recovery and backup files that may still contain the missing work. If nothing can be found and the file wasn’t saved properly, it’s most likely gone.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-19T08:35:05.1433333+00:00

    Use the built-in recovery features and version history to try to get the missing edits back.

    1. Check Document Recovery in Word
      • If Word or Windows closed unexpectedly after those edits, reopen Word.
      • If recoverable versions exist, the Document Recovery pane should appear, listing files recovered from the last manual save, last AutoSave (if stored on OneDrive/SharePoint), or last AutoRecover.
      • In the Document Recovery pane, double-click the relevant entry (for example, document name [Recovered]).
      • If it contains the missing edits, select File > Save As and save it as a .docx file.
    2. Use Version History (for files on OneDrive or SharePoint)
      • Open the document again in Word.
      • At the top of the window, click the filename, then click Version History.
      • Review the list of versions (by date and time) to find one that matches when the missing edits were made.
      • Click Open version to view it in a separate window.
      • If it has the edits, click Restore to roll back the file to that version.
    3. If using Word on macOS
      • Open the document.
      • Select File > Browse Version History.
      • In the Version History pane, pick the date/time that matches the missing edits and click Open Version.
      • If correct, click Restore to make that version the current one.

    If no suitable entry appears in Document Recovery or Version History, there is no supported way in Word to reconstruct edits that were never saved, AutoSaved, or captured by AutoRecover.

    References:

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

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