6 Proven Ways to Recover Unsaved Microsoft Word Documents

Losing an unsaved Word document after a crash or unexpected close is frustrating, but don't start over yet. As experienced IT professionals who've helped countless users recover critical files, we've outlined reliable, step-by-step methods built into Windows and Word to retrieve your work.

Here's how to recover unsaved Word documents effectively:

• Find the original in the Start menu
• Search for .WBK or .ASD files
• Use Task Manager
• Find temporary files
• Use Manage Documents in Word
• Check the Recycle Bin
• Windows File Recovery Tool

Find the original document in the Start menu

This simple search often locates recently accessed files:

Step 1: Type the document name into the Windows search bar and press Enter.

Step 2: If it appears in Recent Documents, double-click to open in Word.

Search for .WBK or .ASD extension

Word creates .WBK backups and .ASD autosaves. Enable backups if needed (see below):

Step 1: Search for .wbk or .asd in Windows.

Step 2: Look for "Backup of [filename]" or .asd files.

• Backup: Backup of + filename
• Autosave: .asd extension

Step 3: Double-click to open.

To ensure backups are enabled:

Step 1: Open Word.

Step 2: Click File.

Step 3: Select Options.

Step 4: Go to Advanced.

Step 5: Under Save, check Always create backup copy.

Step 6: Click OK.

Using Task Manager

Restart Word processes to trigger recovery:

Step 1: Open Task Manager.

Step 2: Go to Processes.

Step 3: End any Microsoft Word tasks in Apps.

Step 4: End Word background processes.

Step 5: Close Task Manager and reopen Word.

Step 6: Check the Document Recovery pane on the left.

Step 7: Double-click recovered files to open.

Search temporary files

Word temps use .tmp extension:

Step 1: Search .tmp or ~.

Step 2: Filter by Documents.

Step 3: Match by recent date/time.

Step 4: In Word, go to File > Open > Browse.

Step 6: Navigate to and open the .tmp file.

Use the Manage Documents feature in Microsoft Word

Word's built-in recovery tool:

Step 1: Open Word.

Step 2: File.

Step 3: Info.

Step 4: Manage Document.

Step 5: Recover Unsaved Documents.

Search the Recycle Bin

For accidentally deleted files:

Step 1: Open Recycle Bin.

Step 2: Search for the file.

Step 3: Right-click and Restore.

Using the Microsoft Windows Recovery Tool

For deleted files not in Recycle Bin, use Windows File Recovery (download from Microsoft Store). These methods have saved our clients' work countless times—act quickly for best results.