URGENT! Microsoft word didn't save, progress gone.

Question

URGENT! Microsoft word didn't save, progress gone.

Farrell Sky 5

Hi there, I need urgent help with my microsoft word. I tried saving my file, since I do not have autorecovery on. I clicked on save, but when I closed it and opened the file, all my progress was gone. I need to submit this by tomorrow. I tried checking the autorecovery file, but nothing was there. And it says the last time it was modified was yesterday.

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2 answers

Answer 1

Mya Mercado 0

where do you find file and info?

Stefan Blom 334.8K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-16T10:24:01.59+00:00

@Mya Mercado,

In Word for Windows, click the File tab to open the so-called Backstage view, and you will find Info on the left hand side. See the screen shot.

If you have some other version of Word, the command may be missing completely.

For more specific suggestions that apply to your version of Word (Office), I recommend that you start your own thread. Click the Ask a question button at the top of the Q&A page.

The current thread is old and it will be closed.

Answer 2

RuthMayB 400 Independent Advisor

Hi there. I am truly sorry to hear that you lost your document in Word, especially with a deadline approaching. I understand how overwhelming that can feel. Regrettably, if AutoRecover was not activated and the file indicates the last modified date as yesterday, it typically signifies that the recent changes were not saved to the file.

Here are a few things you can still try:

Check for files that haven't been saved.

Open Word and navigate to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
Check if your draft is visible there.
2. Look for temporary files In File Explorer, enter *.asd or *.wbk in the search box to find any AutoSave or backup files.
3. Check recent directories
Open Word > File > Open > Recent and scroll to the bottom to see if there’s a choice such as Recover Unsaved Documents.

If none of these options restore your progress, unfortunately, there’s no other method to retrieve it, as Word relies on AutoRecover or manual saves to maintain changes.

In the future, I suggest enabling AutoRecover (File > Options > Save) and adjusting it to save every 5 minutes, or saving files directly to OneDrive to ensure versions are automatically maintained.

Would you like me to guide you step by step in setting that up so this doesn’t happen again?

Farrell Sky 5 Reputation points

2025-08-21T17:39:44.14+00:00

im sorry but I said something wrong. i had autosave off, but i have autorecovery on. idk if that changes anything or if theres more solutions to this, but ive tried all the 3 steps and none of them seem to work.
RuthMayB 400 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-21T18:28:20.95+00:00

Thanks for clarifying that AutoRecover was on, but AutoSave was off. That makes a difference, but it also depends on whether Word had the chance to create an AutoRecover snapshot before the file was closed.

1. Check the AutoRecover folder directly.
Sometimes Word doesn’t show the files in the recovery pane.

Press Windows + R → type: %AppData%\Microsoft\Word
Press Enter.

Look for files with the extension .asd (AutoRecover) or .wbk (backup).

If you see one, copy it to your Desktop, then open it in Word.

2. Check the Temp folder AutoRecover files can also end up here:

Press Windows + R → type: %temp%
Sort files by Date Modified.

Look for files starting with ~WRL or ending in .tmp.

Try opening them in Word.

3. Confirm AutoRecover save location
Sometimes AutoRecover is saving to a different folder:

Open Word → File > Options > Save.

Under AutoRecover file location, copy that path.

Paste it into File Explorer and check for files there.

Important note: If you closed Word and clicked Don’t Save, AutoRecover files are usually deleted. But if Word or Windows crashed, or the program was forced closed, the AutoRecover file often remains.

If you’ve checked all of the above and still can’t find anything, it’s very likely that the progress can’t be restored this time.

Would you like me to write you a step-by-step guide on how to permanently enable AutoRecover + version history in OneDrive, so this never happens again? That way, even if you forget to save, Word will keep multiple versions automatically.

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URGENT! Microsoft word didn't save, progress gone.

2 answers