How to retrieve word file!!!!!!!

Question

I was working on a word document on my tablet and have lost all my work it is saving it was last saved 24/2/26 at 8pm however I have been working on the document since 11:30 am, my word app on my tablet went black and when i relaunched it my word doc has reverted back to what was completed yesterday and all my work I completed today gone, I have attempted to use previous version however it was not synced to one drive is there a way I can possible get it back?

Answer 1

Hi @Joshua Adam, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum, and I’m really sorry to hear what happened.  

From what you described, it sounds like the document you were working on was not stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, and was instead being saved locally on your tablet. When a file isn’t saved in the cloud, the recovery options on iOS/iPadOS are unfortunately very limited. Word’s AutoSave feature only works reliably when the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and you’re signed in.

If the file is local, Word cannot create cloud‑based version history. In those cases, recovery depends almost entirely on AutoRecover. If Word didn’t show any AutoRecover versions when you reopened the app, and there’s no version history or backup available then unfortunately the unsaved work is very likely unrecoverable.

I know this isn’t the answer you were hoping for, and I’m genuinely sorry you’ve had to experience this. If you have any additional details or follow‑up questions, feel free to share them here, I'm here to help however I can. 

Thank you again for your understanding! 

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Answer 2

To attempt to recover your lost Word document, you can follow these steps:

1. Check AutoRecover Files: If you have AutoRecover enabled, Word may have saved a temporary version of your document. You can try reopening Word to see if the Document Recovery pane appears with your unsaved work. If it does, select the document and save it.
2. Search for Temporary Files: You can search for temporary files that may have been created during your editing session. On your tablet, you might not have direct access to the file system like on a PC, but if you have access to a file manager, you can search for files with the .tmp extension or look for files starting with a tilde (~).
3. Check OneDrive: Since you mentioned that the document was not synced to OneDrive, ensure that you check for any previous versions that might have been saved there. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can also check the OneDrive recycle bin for any deleted files.
4. Restore from Recycle Bin: If you deleted the document, check the Recycle Bin on your device to see if it is still there.
5. Look for Backup Files: If you had the backup copy option enabled in Word, look for files with a .wbk extension in the usual backup locations.

If none of these methods work, unfortunately, it may not be possible to recover the lost work. It's a good practice to regularly save your work and ensure AutoSave is enabled for future documents.

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References:

• How to recover unsaved Word documents