How do I recover an accidentally deleted, never-saved autorecovery file?

Anonymous
2012-06-22T22:34:15+00:00

When I opened another word document, it asked me whether I wished to keep the autorecovered file (which I'd forgotten about), and I accidentally said "no."  Realizing I still want it, I found the document in my recycle bin and clicked "restore," but now I can't find it anywhere.  Please help!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2012-06-22T23:21:59+00:00

On the File tab, select Recent. At the bottom, click Recover Unsaved Documents. If your document is not listed there, then you're out of luck.

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Anonymous
2012-06-23T10:55:20+00:00

Do you remember the name of the file?

If yes, you may use the Windows search and check if you find the file in your computer.

Enable hidden files and folders using the link below before doing the search:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Show-hidden-files

For information related to Windows search you may refer to the link mentioned below:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-search

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  1. Stefan Blom 353.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2017-11-24T07:31:03+00:00

    Did you remember to start the search in the root folder (C:)?

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-24T07:15:30+00:00

    I tried searching for *.asd file through the system search option but it did found nothing. That's strange because tehere are *.asd files on C: drive (just not these i'm looking for), but they didn't pop

    up in searching...

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  3. Stefan Blom 353.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2017-11-24T07:05:22+00:00

    You can search your C: drive for *.asd files.

    If you find such a file, try opening it from within Word (via File | Open). If that fails, move the file into Word's folder for recovered files and then try again.

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