Lost documents

Lyn A 0 Reputation points
2026-07-14T19:05:55.7433333+00:00

I have lost the contents of a word file and am asking for help to recover them. I have tried bringing up previous versions of one saved document in the file folder and am unable to. Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | Other | Windows
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  1. John Jefferson Doyon 80,315 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-07-14T20:29:17.87+00:00

    Hi, @Lyn A

    Please avoid saving the file again for now, as this may overwrite any recoverable version.

    To help narrow down the issue:

    1. Is the document still there but blank, or was the file deleted completely?
    2. Also, was it saved in OneDrive, SharePoint, or only on the computer?

    In the meantime, if you haven’t already already:

    • Open Word, then go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
    • In File Explorer, enter this path: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles
    • Check the Recycle Bin.
    • If the file was saved in OneDrive, right-click it online and select Version history.

    Did Word or the computer crash before the contents disappeared? Also, which version of Word are you using?

    Was this answer helpful?

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