lost my word document after closing computer

Question

My document is no longer anywhere on my account or in autosave so I'm not sure how to recover the document it was recent (yesterday).

Answer 1

Hello,

Win + R → type %temp%

Focus on finding these files in the folder: .asd, .wbk, ~*.tmp

Word documents are usually backed up in the temporary directory.

Answer 2

Try the following recovery steps in order on Windows. Each step may find a different kind of backup or temporary copy.

1. Use Word’s built‑in “Recover Unsaved Documents”
   1. Open Word.
   2. Select File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
   3. Look for yesterday’s file in the list. If found, open it, then immediately use Save As to save it as a .docx file.
2. Check AutoRecover folders directly If using Microsoft 365 Word on Windows, check these folders (replace <UserName> with the Windows account name):
   1. C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word
   2. C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles
   Look for files with a .asd extension that match the time you were working yesterday. If you find one:
   1. Open Word.
   2. Select File > Open and browse to that folder, or double‑click the file to open it in Word.
   3. Save it immediately as a .docx file.
3. Restart Word to trigger Document Recovery
   1. Close Word completely.
   2. Open Word again.
   3. If Word finds AutoRecover files, the Document Recovery pane or a “Recovered Unsaved File” bar will appear.
   4. Open the candidate file(s) from that pane and use File > Save As to save the document.
4. Search for AutoRecover and temporary files
   1. Select Start, type *.asd in the search box, and press Enter.
      • Open any .asd files found in Word and save them as .docx.
   2. If nothing useful appears, repeat with *.tmp and then with ~ (tilde) in the search box.
      • In the search results, look for files dated around the time you worked on the document.
      • In Word, go to File > Open > Folders, then browse to the folder where a likely .tmp or ~ file is stored and try opening it.
5. If the file was on OneDrive or SharePoint
   • If the document was saved or synced to OneDrive or SharePoint, sign in to the web interface and check:
     • The document library or folder where it was stored.
     • The service’s Recycle Bin (OneDrive or SharePoint) for deleted copies.

If none of these methods locate the document, there is no additional native Word/Windows method in the provided guidance to recover it.

To reduce future risk, ensure:

• AutoRecover is turned on and set to save every 5 minutes or less.
• Important documents are stored on OneDrive or SharePoint so AutoSave can protect changes.

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References:

• How to recover unsaved Word documents
• Recover your Word files and documents
• Recover an earlier version of a Word file