Edited a document and now my file is fully erased

Question

I can’t find my file that i created earlier today and it is now no where to be seen i have checked everywhere my files my onedrive files, emails. Recently deleted the whole lot and its got it was for a 5hr long test and now it’s all gone.

Answer 1

Hello @Liv R, 

Good day! Thank you for posting your valuable question on the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Based on your description, I understand that you created a file earlier today on your device and it has now completely disappeared, you’ve checked Word, OneDrive, email, Recently Deleted, and other locations, but cannot locate it anywhere. I’m really sorry to hear this, especially after spending several hours working on it. 

Please let me know if I misunderstood any part of your issue or if there are additional details you’d like to share. 

To help us provide the most accurate and effective solution for your missing document, could you share a bit more detail about your setup: 

• Were you using Word for iOS on an iPhone or an iPad when working on the document? 
• When you mentioned checking OneDrive, do you mean the document was originally saved there, or was it saved to iCloud Drive, On My iPhone/iPad, or another storage location? 
• Was AutoSave enabled while you were editing the document? 
• Did the Word app crash, freeze, or close unexpectedly at any point before the file went missing? 
• When checking OneDrive, did you also review the Recycle Bin, Second‑stage Recycle Bin, or File History/Version History ? 
• What are the other locations where you searched for the file? 
• Since this thread is submitted under the Education tag, were you signed in to Word using your school/organization account or your personal Microsoft account? 

This additional context will help us understand your environment and the steps already taken so we can tailor the guidance to resolve the issue effectively. 

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In the meantime, if the file was saved to OneDrive, you can follow the steps in this Microsoft support article to restore your files: Restore your OneDrive files - Microsoft Support 

Please make sure to review each section by selecting the titles on the left side of the page. 

I apologize if I could not jump straight to a solution. I want to avoid suggesting anything that might be inaccurate or unhelpful. Once we have the details above, we’ll be able to assist you more effectively and guide you toward the right resolution. 

Looking forward to your response so we can get this sorted out for you together. 

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Answer 2

Try the following steps in order to recover the document:

1. Reopen Word on the same device used for the test.
   • If Word or the device crashed or the app was closed unexpectedly, the Document Recovery pane should open automatically.
   • In Document Recovery, look under Available Files, select the most recent version of the document, then choose Open and Save As to a known folder.
2. If multiple recovered versions appear:
   • Check the date and time shown under each file name.
   • Open the most recent one first to see if it contains the latest work.
   • After confirming, save it and then close the Document Recovery pane.
3. If the file was stored in OneDrive or SharePoint (for example, if AutoSave was turned on and the document was in the cloud):
   • Sign in to the OneDrive website and use Search everything to look for the file by name, file type (for example, docx), or words that appear in the document.
   • Also check the Recycle bin in OneDrive; if the document is there, select it and choose Restore.
4. If the document was saved in OneDrive and is not in the OneDrive Recycle Bin and does not appear in search, it usually cannot be recovered. In that case, an IT administrator (for a school account) may still be able to investigate, but they will need:
   • The file name (or likely names) and approximate last access time.
   • The device used (for example, iPad, iPhone, or PC).
5. If the document was stored locally on a Windows device (not iOS) and has been permanently deleted, Windows File Recovery can sometimes recover deleted files on Windows 10 version 2004 or later. This requires using the Windows File Recovery tool from Microsoft Store on that Windows device.

For future work, storing documents in OneDrive or SharePoint with AutoSave turned on provides additional protection, because Word will continuously save changes to the cloud.

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References:

• Video: Recover Office files
• Recover your Word files and documents
• How to recover unsaved Word documents
• Find lost or missing files in OneDrive