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. Anonymous
    2016-01-15T04:24:25+00:00

    I'm sure it is too late for you now, but for anyone else who may do this, the easiest thing would be to undo the restore (you can use CTRL+Z to undo the last action) then drag it out of the recycle bin to the desktop. Another thought on this, once you recovered the file, it should have been in a folder deep in your appdata files. When you next opened Word, it should have asked you if you wanted to save the file again.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-01-15T03:50:14+00:00

    Thank you! The "roaming" folder was the key here.

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  3. Stefan Blom 353.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-12-08T19:42:15+00:00

    So... I got to this point but ended up hitting 'recover' when I should have saved. Any inkling as to where an unnamed document might end up?

    Assuming that you have a recent version of Word (Word 2010 or later), you can click File tab | Info | Manage Versions | Recover Unsaved Documents.

    For older versions of Word, try searching Windows Explorer for files with the asd extension. The chance is slim, but it is worth a shot.

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