3+ Ways of How to Recover Unsaved Word Document on Mac. Despite the fact that Microsoft Word is developed by Microsoft, Mac users can take advantages from this software. Microsoft Word for Mac is just as excellent as Word for Windows. You can enjoy variety of features and tools to create a Word document. Recover An Unsaved Word Document on Mac via Temporary Folder If the action you are performing is not a deletion, it is likely that the Word document is not found in the trash. However, if you are lucky since the progress of editing the document will be saved in a temporary file. Jan 06, 2018 Well in most of the cases it is quite easy to Recover document in word Mac computers. Since Microsoft word has an autosave feature which saves your docs at the time of writing a document. So there is a chance that you can Recover unsaved word document 2007 version of Microsoft Word.
Jan 14, 2019 Recover unsaved Word document with Mac Temporary folder. Step 1 Launch Terminal with Spotlight or go to Applications Utilities. Step 2 Enter the command line: open $TMPDIR. Step 3 The temporary folder will be open. Check if there is the Word document that you didn't save. Accidentally Saved Over a Word Document on Mac. Close the Windows Task Manager dialog box, and then start Word. If Word finds the AutoRecover file, the Document Recovery task pane opens on the left side of the screen, and the missing document is listed as ' document name Original' or as ' document name Recovered.' Describes a range of methods to locate and recover lost Microsoft Word documents. Discusses Word 2002, Word 2003, Word 2007, and Word 2010 under various versions of Windows. How to recover a lost Word document - Office Microsoft Docs.
Mar 20,2019 • Filed to: Document Recovery • Proven solutions
“How to retrieve unsaved Word documents on Mac? I guess I have lost some Word files and now I don’t know how to find them!”
As a friend of mine asked me this recently, I realized that the problem is quite common. Since a lot of Mac users end up losing their important documents, they should know how to find them easily. If you are suffering from the same problem, then you have come to the right place. In this guide, we will teach you how to recover unsaved documents on Mac in not one, but 5 different ways.
Part 1: Accidentally Lost Word Document on Mac Without Saving?
Before we discuss things like how to find autosaved documents in Mac, let’s learn what could have caused this issue in the first place.
- It might happen that your Mac is infected by malware or virus
- If Mac has been updated to a beta or unstable firmware, then it can lead to data loss
- Sometimes, MS Word closes unexpectedly in between leading to the inaccessibility of files.
- A bad or corrupt sector can also cause this problem
- Any other third-party application might have also deleted your Word documents
Part 2: How to Recover Unsaved Word Documents on Mac?
To make it easier for you, we have come up with 5 major options to recover unsaved Word document on Mac.
Method 1: Recover Word Document from Trash
Just like Windows, Mac also maintains all the deleted content in Trash. When a Word file is deleted, Mac won’t erase it from its storage right away. Instead, it will move it to the Trash folder. In this way, you can try to recover unsaved documents Word on Mac.
- Firstly, open the Trash folder on Mac. You can go to Finder to locate it or view its icon on the home.
- Locate the Word file and select it. You can just drag it in order to move it to a safe location.
- Also, you can right-click the file and choose the “Put Back” option to restore it.
Method 2: Recover Word Document from Auto-recovery Files
As you know, Microsoft Word has an auto-recovery option. This is because when the application is closed unexpectedly, it automatically maintains a recovery file. Therefore, you can just visit the Auto-recovery folder on Mac and view if your file is there. If you are lucky, then you can just extract its content from here and recover the unsaved Word document on Mac.
- To start with, go to the Documents folder on your Mac and try to find the Windows User Data folder.
- Once you visit the folder, you can see the Office AutoRecovery folder. Simply open it and view the recovery file.
- After finding the relevant file, open it with Microsoft Word and extract the needed content.
Method 3: Recover Word Document from the Temporary Folder
Apart from performing an auto recovery of documents, Word can sometimes also save its temporary file as well. This is because the application keeps saving the document automatically in the background and maintains its information in a temp file. If needed, users can just visit the location and open the temporary file with Microsoft Word to access their content. To learn how to find an unsaved Word document on Mac, follow these steps:
- Click on the “Go” button on the home and select the “Go to Folder” option.
- From here, you can go to the Temporary folder. You might have to explore the folders a bit and could visit Private > Var to find the Word temporary files.
- Here, you can see the Word Work temporary files. Just select a word work temporary file of your choice, right-click, and open it with MS Word.
Wait for a while as Word would process the selected file and extract all the relevant content from it.
Method 4: Recover Word Document from Time Machine Backup
If you have already taken a previous backup of your Word documents via Time Machine, then you won’t face any trouble recovering it. Time Machine is the native feature on Mac that can help us maintain a backup of your data and restore it afterward. Before you proceed, you should know that the backup of your Word documents exist and that the Time Machine backup option is enabled. Once it is done, follow these steps to learn how to recover unsaved Word document on Mac.
- Firstly, go to the Spotlight option on your Mac and search for Time Machine to open it.
- Before you proceed, make sure that the Time Machine drive is enabled. Once Time Machine is loaded, you can browse it to find the Word file of your choice.
- You can move the up and down keys or arrows to explore it. In order to have a preview of a file, select it, and press the space bar.
- After finding the relevant file, click on the “Restore” button to save it to a secure location. You can select and restore multiple files as well.
Method 5: Recover Word Documents with Recoverit (IS) for Mac
This is undoubtedly the best way to recover unsaved Word documents on Mac. The Recoverit (IS) application for Mac is equipped with tons of features and provides high data retrieval rate. The tool is extremely easy to use and does not need any prior technical assistance. It can recover Word files from your Mac’s internal storage as well as from an external media too.
Recoverit (IS) for Mac
A Life Saver to Solve Your Data Loss Problems!
Accidentally Deleted Unsaved Word Document
- From virus attack to accidental deletion and lost partition to corrupt storage, the application can perform data recovery in all kinds of scenarios.
- It can recover all sorts of text documents like doc, docx, txt, and more. Apart from Word files, users can also recover their photos, videos, music, PowerPoint, Excel files, and so much more.
- The application features two different modes of data recovery. This includes a quick normal scan and a more time-consuming deep scan.
- The interface allows us to preview the recovered content. In this way, users can first preview the files and restore them selectively.
- It features an intuitive user-friendly interface. You can install Recoverit (IS)y on every leading macOS version.
If you want to know how to get back an unsaved document on Mac using iSkysoft, then consider following these steps:
Step 1 Select a recovery mode
Start by launching the Recoverit (IS) application on your Mac. From the welcome screen of the application, it has multiple data recovery modes, deleted file recovery, system crash recovery, and so on. By default, it will begin scanning without selecting recovery mode.
Step 2 Choose where to scan
Furthermore, the interface will ask you where to look for the lost or inaccessible Word file on your Mac. From here, you can select any partition, a drive, or even an external connected unit. After making the selections, click on the “Start” button.
Step 3 Recover the retrieved Word files
You would have to wait for a while as Recoverit (IS)y will scan your Mac. It will show the progress of the scan on the screen as well. In the end, you can view the retrieved content under different categories. Simply select the Word file of your choice, preview it, and restore it back to your Mac.
In case if you are not satisfied with the results, then consider performing an All-around recovery (i.e. a deep scan). It is a more time-consuming and thorough scan that will certainly help you dig up more data.
Part 3: Pro Tip about Recovering Lost Mac Data
Sometimes, users are not able to recover their lost data on Mac. This is because of its native feature, System Integrity Protection. The feature was first introduced in macOS X El Capitan and can prevent third-party apps to access certain data or permissions. Also, it is turned on by default in versions under macOS 10.13. Therefore, if you wish to recover your data, then you need to disable SIP beforehand.
1. Restart your Mac system. While it restarts, press the Command and R keys at the same time to enter the recovery mode.
2. From the recovery window, go to the “Utilities” section and launch the terminal.
3. Now, just type the command “csrutil disable” and press enter. Wait for a while as Mac would disable SIP. Once it is done, restart your Mac the usual way.
I’m sure that the guide would have helped you do the Mac recovery of unsaved Word documents. As you can see, Recoverit (IS) provides such a hassle-free solution to recover all kinds of content. Not only to recover unsaved Word documents on Mac, it can also help you get back your lost photos, media files, videos, and other important documents as well. Go ahead and download the tool right away and always be prepared to perform data recovery like a pro.
-->Note
Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
If you're looking for recent Word document recovery info, see:
- Recover your Office files (For versions through Office 2019)
For more on earlier versions of Word, see: Mac microsoft word free hand drawing.
Resolution
To fix this problem, use the following methods in the order in which they're presented, as appropriate for your situation.
Method 1: Search for the original document
To do this, follow these steps, as appropriate for the version of Windows that you're running.
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type the document name in the Start Search box (.doc or .docx), and then press Enter. If the File list contains the document, double-click the document to open it in Word.
- If the File list does not contain the file, go to Method 2.
Method 2: Search for Word backup files
Word backup file names end with the .wbk extension. If the Always create backup copy option is selected, there may be a backup copy of the file.
Note
To locate this option:
- Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013:Select File, then Options, and then Advanced. Scroll down to the Save section and select Always create backup copy.
- Word 2010:Select File, then Options. In the Save tab, select Always create backup copy.
To find the backup copy of the file, follow these steps:
- Locate the folder in which you last saved the missing file.
- Search for files that have the .wbk file name extension.
If there's no .wbk file in the original folder, search the computer for any .wbk files. To do this, follow these steps:
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type *.wbk in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
- If the File list contains the backup file, repeat the steps in step 2 ('Search for files that have the .wbk file name extension') to open the file. If the File list does not contain the backup file, go to Method 3.
If you find any files that have the name 'Backup of' followed by the name of the missing file, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for the version of Word that you're running.
Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013
- On the File menu, select Open, and then Browse. (In some versions, select Computer and then Browse.)
- In the Files of type list (All Word Documents), select All Files.
- Select the backup file that you found, and then select Open.
Word 2010
- On the File menu, select Open.
- In the Files of type list (All Word documents), select All Files.
- Select the backup file that you found, and then select Open.
Method 3: Search for AutoRecover files
AutoRecover file names end with the .asd extension. By default, Word searches for AutoRecover files every time that it starts, and then it displays all that it finds in the Document Recovery task pane.
Use Word to automatically find the AutoRecover files. To do this, follow these steps:
Right-click the taskbar, and then select Task Manager.
On the Processes tab, select any instance of Winword.exe or Microsoft Word, and then select End Task or End Process. Repeat this step until you have exited all instances of Winword.exe and Word.
Close the Windows Task Manager dialog box, and then start Word.
If Word finds the AutoRecover file, the Document Recovery task pane opens on the left side of the screen, and the missing document is listed as 'document name [Original]' or as 'document name [Recovered].' If this occurs, double-click the file in the Document Recovery pane, select Save As on the File menu, and then save the document as a .docx file. Manually change the extension to .docx, if necessary, by right-clicking the file and selecting Rename.
If the Recovery pane does not open, manually search for AutoRecover files. To do this, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for the version of Word that you're running.
Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013
- On the File menu, select Open, and then Browse.
- If you don't see your document listed, select Recover Unsaved Documents.
Word 2010
- On the File menu, select Recent.
- If you don't see your document listed, select Recover Unsaved Documents.
If you can't locate an AutoRecover file in the location that is identified in the Folder name list, search your whole drive for any .asd files. To do this, follow these steps:
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type .asd in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
- If the File list does not contain AutoRecover files, go to Method 4.
If you find any files that have the .asd extension, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for the version of Word that you're running:
Word 2019, Word 2016, or Word 2013
- On the File menu, select Open, and then Browse. (In some versions, select **Computer **and then Browse.)
- In the Files of type list (All Word Documents), select All Files.
- Select the .asd file that you found, and then select Open.
Word 2010
- On the File menu, select Open.
- In the Files of type list (All Word Documents), select All Files.
- Select the .asd file that you found, and then select Open.
Note
If you find an AutoRecover file in the Recovery pane that does not open correctly, go to 'Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents' for more information about how to open damaged files.
Method 4: Search for temporary files
Temporary file names end with the .tmp extension. To find these files, use one of the following procedure.
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type .tmp in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
- On the Show only toolbar, select Other.
- Scroll through the files and search for files that match the last few dates and times that you edited the document. If you find the document that you're looking for, go to 'Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents' for more information about how to recover information from the file.
Method 5: Search for '~' files
Some temporary file names start with the tilde (~) character. To find these files, follow these steps:
Windows 10 and Windows 7
Select Start, type ~ in the Start Search box.
Select See more results.
Scroll through the files, and look for any that may match the last few dates and times that you edited the document. If you find the document that you're looking for, go to 'Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents' for more information about how to recover information from the file.
For information about how Word creates and uses temporary files, see Description of how Word creates temporary files.
Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents
For information about how to troubleshoot damaged Word documents, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
More information
You can lose a Word document in certain situations. For example, the document may be lost if an error occurs that forces Word to close, if you experience a power interruption while editing, or if you close the document without saving your changes.
Note
The whole document may be lost if you have not recently saved the document. If you have saved your document, you may lose only the changes that you made since the last save. Be aware that some lost documents may not be recoverable.
The AutoRecover feature in Word performs an emergency backup of open documents when an error occurs. Some errors can interfere with the AutoRecover functionality. The AutoRecover feature is not a substitute for saving your files.
We do not provide any utilities to recover deleted documents. However, some third-party utilities to recover deleted documents might be available on the Internet.
For more information about AutoRecover, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Microsoft Word Doc Reader
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.