Issue/Question
How can I recover a lost Word document?
Cause
Microsoft Word documents can be lost in certain situations. For example, the document may be lost if an error occurs that forces Word to quit, if you experience a power interruption while editing, or if you close the document without saving changes. Some lost documents may not be recoverable.
Resolution
When creating new Word documents it is always a good idea to save the document as soon as you begin working on it. Initiating the Save process greatly reduces the risks of losing the document and also significantly increases the chance that Word is able to recover changes made to the document if the program encounters an error.
- Check for Recent Documents, if you are uncertain where the file was saved.
- Search for AutoRecovery documents.
Note: If Word has detected that it can AutoRecover the document, this will be prompted when re-opening the program. If this is not automatically prompted then Word has not detected a potential recovery document.
- Check your Mac's Trash.
- If you have Time Machine configured, you can search through it for the document(s). Reference this Apple support documentation for more information.
If none of the above solutions are able to recover your document(s), third-party software may be able to do so, but WKU IT is not able to make recommendations nor support such software. Any assistance needed should be directed to the developer of the software.