Documents were not saved from yesterday

Question

Why did my edits disappear even though autosave was turned on while working on a document on my iPad, and how can I make sure this doesn’t happen again?

Answer 1

Hi @Brown Charlotte,

Thank you for reaching out. To better assist you, please confirm the following: 

1. Which version of Word are you using ? 
2. Have you made any changes or updates to your IOS system and Word? Did the app or iPad experience any crashes, updates, or low battery shutdowns? 
3. Where did you save the files? Was it locally on your iPad, to iCloud, OneDrive, or another cloud service? 
4. Can you recall if there are any error messages while saving or closing the app? 
5. Were you connected to the internet during the editing session? 
6. Have you try checking the “Recent” tab or “Recover Unsaved Documents” section in the app?  

AutoSave is designed for cloud files (OneDrive/SharePoint). If your document is stored:

• “On My iPad”
• In the Files app under iCloud Drive or another provider then AutoSave may not function as expected, and version history may not be tracked correctly.

Try these steps on your iPad (and, if possible, on a desktop Word too):

1. Check Version History (if file is in OneDrive/SharePoint)
   • Open the document in Word on iPad.
   • Tap the “…” (More) button at the top right.
   • Tap Version history.
   • Look for versions with timestamps around when you were editing.
   • Tap a version to preview, then Restore if it has your missing content.
2. Check the iPad Files app
   • Open the Files app.
   • Browse:
   • On My iPad > Word / Microsoft Word / Documents
   • iCloud Drive > similar folders
   • Look for multiple copies of the same filename or recently modified files.

If none of these show your missing edits, the changes may not have been saved to any recoverable location.

To make this far less likely in future on iPad:

1. Always store documents in OneDrive or SharePoint
   • When creating or saving a file, choose your school OneDrive/SharePoint location, not “On My iPad” or generic iCloud Drive folders.
   • Confirm the toggle AutoSave at the top left is On and the file path shows OneDrive/SharePoint.reddit+1
2. Wait for sync before closing
   • After making substantial edits, pause a few seconds and ensure:
   • No “Saving…” indicator is showing.
   • You see a small “Saved”/checkmark status.
   • Avoid force‑quitting Word immediately after heavy editing, especially if you saw lag.
3. Keep the app and iOS updated
   • Update Word and iPadOS regularly; Microsoft often fixes sync and autosave issues in updates.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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