Cannot find document

Question

I cannot find a Word document I wrote last week and saved to a file on my desktop.  I went to edit the document, but it is no longer in the file where I saved it.

• When I could not locate the document in the folder, I went to Word, Open Recents and my document appears on the list of recent documents, but when I try to open it I get an error message that "Word was unable to find the document" and "Would you like to locate it yourself?"
  • I attempted to locate the document by searching in Spotlight using phrases from the document title, but it doesn't appear.
  • I checked my trash and the document is not there.
  • I have checked the Auto Recovery files in my hidden Library folder could not find the document (although I did find another document that similarly disappeared earlier this week.)
  • I've tried document recovery software and every trick I can find on Mac and Word forums and cannot find the document. It still appears in my recent documents list, so I know I wrote it!

I'm using Word for Mac 2011 version 14.7.7 on a MacBook Air running High Sierra.

Answer 1

Hi Rhein15,

We could understand the frustration when you can't find your document.

If the file was saved to local drive and you have checked the trash as well as the Autorecovery folder, I'm afraid we can't help further and sorry for the trouble you are running into. We suggest you try backing up important files manually, saving them to Online location in the future to avoid data loss. Thanks for your understanding.

Community members who have the same experience are welcome to share insights here.

Regards,

Tina

Answer 2

Thank you. I had unfortunately already tried the fixes mentioned in the previous threads and none of them worked. I had not used Time Machine since creating the missing file.

Answer 3

Hi Rhein15,

Feel free to share any update with us after you refer to the suggestions above.

Regards,

Tina

Answer 4

Hi Rhein15,

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

You may try restarting your Mac and then see if you can find and open the affected document.

We suggest you refer to the suggestions in the similar threads below:

"Word was unable to find the document. Would you like to locate it yourself?"

cannot find saved word document on macbook air 

Microsoft unable to locate file

Besides, if you have Time Machine on your Mac, follow the information in the articles below to see if you can find the document:

How to use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

macOS Sierra: Restore items backed up with Time Machine

macOS Sierra: View and restore past versions of documents

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

Regards,

Tina