Deleted my work in Word Document

Hi @Maylee Cooper, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.   

Based on your description, your work in Word was deleted and the document’s version history does not show a recoverable copy. We truly understand and appreciate the time you invested and the care you took. 

This can occur when AutoSave is off or when the file is stored locally, where cloud version history is not available. It may also happen if a document is overwritten, renamed, or moved, which can break links to earlier versions. In some cases, sync conflicts or a crash may leave only temporary files. 

To help us tailor the next actions please confirm: 

1. What is the device brand and model name? (Example: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, Google Pixel 8)
2. What Android version is installed on the device? (Settings → About phone → Android version)
3. Where is the file stored OneDrive SharePoint (a local folder or a network drive)? 
4. Is AutoSave turned on in Word and do you see an AutoRecover file location in File Options Save 
5. Approximately when did the deletion occur and did Word crash or display any sync error? 

Since you haven’t specified your account type, I may not be able to provide an exact solution. However, assuming you're using a school account, you may consider the following steps that suit for your situation:   

1/ Start by locating and restoring unsaved documents using AutoRecover features. 

• Open Word in your laptop and go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.

• Open the newest item and use Save As to create a new copy. Then go to File > Options > Save, note the AutoRecover file location, open the latest .asd file from that folder, and Save As a new name. 

2/ Then, search for temporary file copies and review Previous Versions to locate recoverable content. 

• In Windows File Explorer search the document folder for files that start with ~WRL or have .tmp or .asd extensions.  
• Open the most recent candidate in Word and save it with a new name. If the file or its folder is on Windows select it in File Explorer choose Properties > Previous Versions and restore the newest snapshot. 

3/ Next, restore the file from OneDrive or SharePoint using the version history feature. 

• If the document is in OneDrive or SharePoint open it in the browser select Version history and restore the latest good version. This is often the fastest path in school or organization accounts. 

4/ After that, review all Track Changes and apply stronger document protection settings. 

• In Word open Review > Tracking and accept or reject changes to bring back content that may be hidden.  
• Turn on AutoSave, set AutoRecover to a short interval such as 5 minutes, and save documents to OneDrive to keep version history for education accounts. 

5/ Since your account is managed by your school, you can reach out to your school’s IT department for assistance. If the issue cannot be resolved internally, your IT administrator can submit a support request directly to Microsoft for backend assistance.  

For a more efficient resolution, we recommend using your administrator account or contacting your school's IT administrator to submit a support request directly to Microsoft Support Teams.   

They can raise a support ticket by visiting: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn 

As community moderators, we appreciate your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If you have any updates regarding the issue, please feel free to share them with me.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments of this post so I can continue to support you.   

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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