i can't find a word document that i saved on my sharepoint

Use the following steps in order until the document is found or confirmed unrecoverable.

1. Check if the file was moved or deleted (admin/audited sites)
   If audit logging is enabled:
   • Go to the Microsoft 365 Protection Center and search the audit log to see if the file was moved or deleted.
     For details, see Search the audit log in the Security & Compliance Center.
   • On the affected SharePoint site collection, you can also use SharePoint audit logs:
     • Browse to Site Settings for the site or OneDrive library.
     • Under Site Collection Administration, select Audit log reports.
     • Run a Deletion report and review where/when the file was deleted or moved.
2. Check the site Recycle Bin (first-stage)
   • Open the SharePoint site where the document was stored.
   • Open the site Recycle Bin.
   • Look for the missing Word document (use the file name or sort by Deleted date).
   • If found, select it and choose Restore.
3. Check the Second-stage Recycle Bin
   If the file is not in the first-stage Recycle Bin:
   • At the bottom of the Recycle Bin page, select Second-stage recycle bin (or the link “Can't find what you're looking for? Check the Second-stage recycle bin”).
   • Find the document, select it, and choose Restore.
4. Check local copies via OneDrive sync (if used)
   If the library is synced to a computer with the OneDrive sync client:
   • On that computer, open File Explorer and browse to the synced SharePoint library.
   • Look for the document or any older copies.
   • If found, copy it back to the SharePoint library.
     For sync details, see Sync files with OneDrive in Windows.
5. Use Version History if the file exists but is corrupted/overwritten
   If the document is present but opens incorrectly or was overwritten:
   • Go to the document library and locate the file.
   • Select the ellipses (…) next to the file and choose Version History.
   • Choose an earlier version (from before the issue), select Restore, then OK.
6. Restore the entire library or OneDrive (many files affected)
   If many files in the library or OneDrive were deleted/overwritten/corrupted around the same time:
   • Use Restore your OneDrive or Restore a shared library to roll back to a previous point in time:
     • Restore your OneDrive
     • Restore a shared library
   • This affects the whole library, so coordinate with site owners before restoring.
7. If none of the above works: contact support (admin)
   If the document is not in either Recycle Bin, not recoverable via Version History or Files Restore, and not available via sync:
   • A SharePoint administrator can open a ticket with Microsoft 365 support.
   • Provide:
     • The full URL of the affected site collection or library (for example, https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/<SiteCollectionName>/Shared%20Documents).
     • The exact file name (including .docx or other extension).
     • The date and time when the file was last known to be in a good state.
   • SharePoint Online keeps backups for 14 additional days beyond deletion. Within that window, Microsoft can restore an entire site collection from backup (not individual files or sub-sites).

If possible, share the file name, library URL, and approximate deletion/issue time with the SharePoint or Microsoft 365 admin so they can follow steps 1, 2, 3, and 7 precisely.

References:

• How to recover missing, deleted or corrupted items in SharePoint and OneDrive for work or school
• "Error: 404 File/Page not found" in OneDrive or SharePoint