Process Deleted

Question

I was working in a word document through my browser and it suddenly reloaded and everything got deleted. I tried everything online to recover it but nothing worked. Super frustrating and I would love to recover the information so I don't have to do it again.

Answer 1

Hi Jonas,

Thank you for sharing the details of what happened.

Since you were working in Word through a browser, the document was likely being saved automatically to OneDrive or SharePoint. Here are some steps you can try:

1. Open the document in Word for the web.
2. Select File > Version History.
3. 
4. Review the available versions and open any version created before or around the time the page reloaded.
5. If you find the missing content, select Restore or copy the content into the current version.

You can also locate the document directly in OneDrive or SharePoint, right-click it, and select Version history. If the file itself is missing, please check the OneDrive or SharePoint Recycle Bin.

If the missing changes do not appear in Version History, it is possible that they were not successfully synced to the server before the browser reloaded. Unfortunately, changes that were never saved or synced may not be recoverable.

If this is a work or school account, I would also recommend contacting your Microsoft 365 administrator. They may be able to check additional SharePoint or OneDrive recovery options.

• In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support  

I hope an earlier version of the document contains the missing information. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to share them in the comment below. I'm very happy to help.  

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Answer 2

If the document was open in Word and the browser/app reloaded unexpectedly, the best recovery paths are:

1. Reopen Word and check whether Document Recovery appears.
   • When a Microsoft 365 app closes unexpectedly before recent changes are saved, Document Recovery can open the next time the app starts.
   • Open the most recent recovered version and save it immediately.
   • If multiple files appear, use the date and time to choose the newest version.
2. If the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, check for an earlier version.
   • Microsoft 365 files saved there can have AutoSave and Version History.
   • Open the file and look for an earlier version that contains the missing content.
3. If the file was saved on the device instead of OneDrive or SharePoint:
   • Recovery depends on AutoRecover being enabled.
   • If AutoRecover captured the file, Document Recovery should appear the next time the Office app opens.
4. On macOS, check the AutoRecovery folder manually.
   • In Finder, select Go > Go to Folder.
   • Enter: /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery
   • The folder is hidden, so the full path must be entered.
   • If a recovered file is found, save it immediately before closing or editing it.
5. If the file opens but the content is damaged, try Word’s text recovery option.
   • Go to Word > Preferences.
   • Under Authoring and Proofing Tools, select General.
   • Turn on Confirm file format conversion at Open.
   • Go to File > Open.
   • In the Open menu, select Recover Text.
   • Open the document.

Important details:

• If a recovered file is closed and Don’t Save is selected, the AutoRecover file is deleted.
• If the file was on OneDrive, also search for it on the OneDrive website and check the Recycle bin if needed.
• Microsoft recommends storing files on OneDrive or SharePoint and using AutoSave to reduce the chance of losing work.

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• Recover your Microsoft 365 files | Microsoft Support
• [macOS
• [Microsoft 365
• [Work/school