Recover an Unsaved or Lost Word Document with AutoRecover

You closed Word without saving, it crashed mid-edit, or a document you swear you saved is nowhere to be found. Before you start retyping, work through these recovery options in order — most lost documents come back.

Why: when you work on a local file, Word quietly writes an AutoRecover copy (a .asd file) every few minutes. After an unexpected close it usually re-offers these the next time you open Word. For files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, AutoSave keeps versions in the cloud instead. There are also temporary files and optional .wbk backups to fall back on.

Fix 1: Reopen Word and use the Recovery pane

Word looks for AutoRecover files every time it starts.

1. Close and reopen Word.
2. If Word found anything, the Document Recovery task pane opens on the left, listing files as document name [Original] or [Recovered].
3. Double-click the entry to open it, then File > Save As and save it as a .docx.

In Microsoft 365, recovered files may instead appear behind a Recovered Unsaved File message bar — click Save to keep it.

Fix 2: Recover Unsaved Documents

If the file was never saved at all (you typed, then closed and clicked Don’t Save), Word keeps a short-lived copy.

1. Open Word and go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
2. The folder of unsaved files opens. Pick your document and click Open.
3. A bar warns it’s a recovered file — click Save As and save it somewhere permanent.

These unsaved drafts live in C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles — replace <UserName> with your Windows username if you want to browse there directly.

Fix 3: Search manually for .asd, .wbk and .tmp files

If neither pane shows your document, hunt for the underlying files. With a Microsoft 365 subscription, AutoRecover files also land in C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word.

1. AutoRecover files — select Start, type .asd and press Enter. If you find one, open Word, go to File > Open > Browse, set the file-type list to All Files, right-click the .asd file and choose Open.
2. Backup copies — Word backups are named Backup of … with a .wbk extension (only if File > Options > Advanced > Always create backup copy is on). Search Start for .wbk and double-click any match.
3. Temporary files — search Start for .tmp, then check the Documents tab for names matching your last edit time. If nothing matches, repeat the search using the tilde character ~ (temp file names often start with one).

Also check the Recycle Bin for .docx/.doc files in case the document was deleted rather than lost.

Fix 4: Stop it happening again

1. Go to File > Options > Save.
2. Tick Save AutoRecover information every and set it to 5 minutes or less.
3. Tick Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving.
4. For cloud files, leave AutoSave switched On (the toggle at the top-left of the Word window) so every change is versioned automatically.

Remember: AutoRecover is a safety net, not a substitute for saving. Press Ctrl + S often.

FAQ

What’s the difference between AutoRecover and AutoSave? AutoRecover writes periodic local backups (.asd) used after a crash; AutoSave continuously saves cloud files (OneDrive/SharePoint) as you type. Local files use AutoRecover; cloud files use AutoSave.

I found a .asd file but Word won’t open it directly. Open Word first, then File > Open > Browse, switch the file-type list to All Files, and open the .asd from there rather than double-clicking it in Explorer.

The file was on OneDrive — where are old versions? OneDrive and SharePoint keep version history and a recycle bin. Restore an earlier version from the file’s history online, or recover a deleted file from the OneDrive recycle bin.

Sources: Microsoft Learn — How to recover unsaved Word documents, Microsoft Support — Recover your Word files and documents