Total Word File Recovery Solution: Recover A Word Document

Microsoft Word or MS Word is a simple computer word processing program primarily used to create text, including letters, official documents, etc. It is equipped with multiple advanced & versatile tools like adding graphics, spell & grammar check, auto-formatting & table of content. It also comes with an online document collaboration tool that allows people to simultaneously read, write, or make changes in the document saved in one drive.

Even if Microsoft Word comes with offline "Auto Recovery" & online "Auto-Save" features for your documents, there are some scary situations when your documents disappear suddenly, and you have no clue why.

Reasons for disappearing documents:

• ❌ You accidentally deleted the whole document while deleting some specific portion.
• 📑 You haven't saved the documents before exiting from the page.
• 📤 When you are working offline & your online "Auto-saved" OneDrive feature is not activated, your file may not be saved & disappear.
• 🖥️ Sudden software crash or accidental formatting of partitions/disks
• 👽 Any bug or malware attack on your system could cause the sudden deletion of your Word document.

Whether you depend on Word for business or personal tasks, losing your word document sucks. Here, instead of regretting the loss, you can work upon viable solutions to recover Word documents without wasting more time. This article guides you on the ways for a speedy Word file recovery in multiple situations. Stay tuned for quick access to your lost Word files.

How to Recover a Deleted Word Document

If you are searching for a trusted tool to recover your lost Word files quickly, then iBeesoft Data Recovery is one of the most efficient and trusted tools. It is a trusted virus-free software used by beginners and professionals for all their data recovery needs, including Word file recovery. Its interface is easy to use and works on both Windows and Mac computers.

The main concern of the tool is to help users to recover a Word document in one of the easiest ways possible. To fully use this software for your file recovery, stopping using your disk from where you have lost the files is recommended, preventing data overwritten issues.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Install and launch the iBeesoft Data Recovery software on your computer.
2. On the app's main interface, you will see all the available hard drives for your system. Select and scan the drive where you lost your Word document. After selecting, click the Scan icon. Suppose you have saved the Word files in the Documents folder. In this case, select the C drive.
3. It would help if you waited for some time for the scanning process to complete. Once done, check the found files. After you find the document you were looking for, you must save it in a safe place.

Recover an Unsaved Word Document Using the AppData

AppData is the default autosave location for MS Word. Generally, the directory is hidden in your system, and the unsaved files can be located in this folder. In addition, it includes the custom settings and other information required by the system applications for their operations.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard together to open the Run command.
2. In the search box, type AppData and click Enter. This way, the AppData folder will open in File Explorer.
3. Next, navigate to: Local > Microsoft > Office > UnsavedFiles
4. Select the file you intend to recover from File Explorer and hit Open.
5. Save your recovered Word document in your desired location by tapping the Save As button.

If this method does not work, you can click here for more plans to restore unsaved Word files.

Recover a Word Document after a Computer Crash Using the AutoRecovery Feature

Using Microsoft Word, you can auto recover the lost or deleted Word file in any case, including the system crash. Users might not always be at fault; sometimes, your PC may crash due to specific issues leading to losing your important Word documents.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Reopen MS Word once your system gets back online. Generally, the unsaved Word files auto recover. Click Show Recovered Files.
2. Suppose the Word file recovery is not automatic; proceed with the below-given steps:
3. Select File > Options > Save
4. Copy the file path for AutoRecover File Location and paste it to the File Explorer.
5. Next, open the folder having your document's name and copy the .asd file with the latest modified time and date.
6. Reopen MS Word > File > Open > Recent document list (at the bottom) > Recover Unsaved Documents.
7. Paste the file (copied) to the popped-up folder. Then, open the file to recover your Word document.

How to Recover a Word Document that was Saved to the Wrong Location?

You can use Windows File Explorer if you cannot trace the exact location of your saved Word file. It is the best, quickest, and easiest method to track the location and recover a Word document within no time.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Run the Windows File Explorer on your system.
2. Open the search box and type the file name or keywords.
3. Wait until the search process completes.
4. Once done, click on the found file to view it and save it to your desired location.

Recover an Accidentally Overwritten Word Document Using the Previous Version

You can quickly recover a Word document accidentally overwritten by tracing its previous versions. However, for this method to work effectively, you must have enabled the backup option and regularly backed up your files for all the arrangements.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Tap Start > double click on Computer.
2. Double-click on the drive having your overwritten Word file > Select the file location.
3. Next, right-click on the Word document > Select Restore previous versions. All the available items and their locations will appear before you.
4. Select the version you need to restore and click the Restore button.

If it doesn't help you, here are more ways to retrieve overwritten Word files.

Repair a Corrupted Word Document that Won't Open Using the Trust Center Settings

Using the Trust Center Settings of MS Word, you can easily customize the privacy and security settings to repair and recover corrupt Word documents that won't open. Instead, you can also share your Word file with others and restrict confidential information. Finally, it helps you disable the protected view settings and resolve the issue to fix a corrupt Word file that won't open.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Open the MS Word app on your PC.
2. Open the File menu and click Options.
3. Select the Trust Center and click on Trust Center Settings.
4. Tap the Protected View tab, unmark all the available boxes and select OK.
5. Finally, close your Word application and open the file you need.

Tips for Preventing Word File Loss in the Future

Taking adequate preventive measures beforehand can save you from the embarrassment of losing your data later. Though there are methods to recover Word documents, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Instead, it saves you from the Word file recovery hassle later.

• 🖥️ Keep your system clean and dust-proof.
• 💽 Prevent storing your Word file in the primary drive or the operating system. Instead, you can save it on a second internal hard drive.
• ⛔ Be cautious of user error, as many times you might accidentally delete your Word document while editing. Once saved, you cannot undo the losses unless you have taken precautionary measures beforehand. Instead, a helpful method is to use the F12 key before you work on your Word file, as it will enable you to save the file in another name.
• 📧 Avoid opening suspicious emails and attachments and regularly update your antivirus software.
• ⛱️ Remember to create regular backups of your essential Word documents in a fireproof vault. You can keep your files at multiple locations with encryption.
• 🎏 You can also use Cloud storage to save a backup of your Word files for a double layer of protection.
• 🗃️ Be on the lookout for your email attachments, as receiving a file of the same name and location can overwrite your original document. So it is better to save your email attachments in a unique place.
• 📰 Consider keeping hard copies of your Word files to access in case you lose your soft copies.

Conclusion

Technology has not advanced enough to not result in any losses. Therefore, to prevent losing your essential data, you must always take necessary actions to protect it. For example, you must enable the built-in features of your system to have a solid backup even if you lose it accidentally for any reason.

Though we have already mentioned the best solutions for each loss scenario, if you fail to retrieve your valuable data and a need to recover a Word document arises, you can blindly rely on the iBeesoft Data Recovery software. It is indeed a one-stop solution for all your Word file recovery.

Frequently Answered Questions