Is it possible to recover unsaved PowerPoint?

Hello. I was working on a PowerPoint presentation and had to leave abruptly, closing my laptop without saving the file (it was never saved, so there are no previous versions, and it wasn't named). Is there any way I can recover it? — Microsoft Community

You can lose important PowerPoint data when your computer suddenly loses power, the operating system crashes unexpectedly, or Microsoft PowerPoint encounters an unexpected error and shuts down abruptly.

Most of the time, you don't get the chance to click “Save” to save your PowerPoint file. Don't worry! Your PPT file is still on your computer, and you can recover an unsaved PowerPoint file in several ways. Take a quick look at the four solutions in the table below:

Unsaved Recovery Editor's Pick

Data Recovery Software

Most data recovery programs can only recover deleted files, but not unsaved ones. Some data recovery software supports the recovery of unsaved files.

Recover Unsaved Presentation

In most cases, PowerPoint will automatically recover an unsaved PPT file when you open it again. If no content is recovered, you can use this option to manually restore your unsaved PPT.

PowerPoint Auto-Recover

To use this auto-recover option, you need to have enabled it beforehand, otherwise PowerPoint won't be able to recover your unsaved PPT.

?Recover from Temp Folder

Windows keeps temporary files in a specific folder, and you can check this folder to find your unsaved PPT.

By the way, you can restore a lost PowerPoint file from your latest backup. If you don't have a backup, continue reading to find unsaved files without one.

Recover Unsaved PowerPoint

Method 1: Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint Using a Recovery Tool If you accidentally closed PowerPoint without saving, you can use a data recovery software to retrieve your file. Here are the general steps: 1. **Select a Recovery Tool**: First, download and install a reliable data recovery tool such as tools Data Recovery Wizard, Recuva, or Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery. 2. **Download and Install**: Visit the official website of the software, download the version compatible with your operating system, and follow the on-screen instructions to install it. 3. **Run the Software**: Launch the installed recovery software. It usually has a user-friendly interface guiding you through the process. 4. **Choose the Scan Location**: In the software, select the disk partition where you saved your PowerPoint file, such as the C drive or another storage device. 5. **Start Scanning**: Click "Scan" or a similar button, and the software will begin searching for lost files, including any unsaved PowerPoint presentations. 6. **Preview and Recover**: After the scan is complete, the software will display a list of found files. Locate and preview your PowerPoint file. Once you confirm it's the correct one, select it and click "Recover" to save it to a secure location. Please note that this method doesn't guarantee a 100% recovery, as the unsaved content might have been overwritten by other files. Therefore, regularly saving your work is always the best practice.

The most straightforward way is to use a powerful file recovery tool to restore your unsaved PPT or PPTX file. You can utilize reliable Microsoft recovery software to retrieve deleted or unsaved PowerPoint presentations. Click on the following button to download and install the trial version of the Data Recovery Wizard Pro tool directly.

What can Data Recovery Wizard do for you? Check out the main features of this Windows data recovery software:

    • Recover unsaved Word documents, Excel, PPT, and other files. Data recovery software makes it possible to retrieve unsaved data.
    • Restore deleted files on Windows 10 and Windows 11. With this software, recovering deleted documents, images, videos, emails, and audio is a breeze.
    • ⭐Supports PowerPoint recovery from various storage devices, including local C/D drives, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and SD cards.

Worried about how to recover an unsaved .ppt file from a software glitch? We've got you covered with a detailed tutorial! Keep reading to learn more:

Step 1: Launch tools Data Recovery Wizard on your computer. Select the disk where you lost unsaved files and click "Scan".

Select the location, then click \

Step 2. On the left, you'll see the “Path” and “Type” tabs. Click on “Type” and select “Unsaved Files.” You can double-click the folder to open it or hit “Open.” This unsaved file recovery software will help you easily restore unsaved Word, Excel, PPT, and other files.

Select an unsaved file

Step 3. Select the files you wish to recover and click the "Preview" button. After that, click "Recover" to retrieve your unsaved files. Make sure not to save the recovered files back to their original location to avoid overwriting them.

Recover unsaved files

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Method 2: Use PowerPoint's “Recover Unsaved Presentations” Option

Microsoft PowerPoint offers two options to help you recover unsaved PPT files: "Recover Unsaved Presentations" and the "AutoRecover" tool. First, check the manual method to restore an unsaved presentation after PowerPoint stopped working:

Step 1: Restart Microsoft PowerPoint on your Windows OS and click “File.”

Click “File” in PowerPoint Click File in PowerPoint

Step Two: Click “Open,” and you'll see a button below your old presentation labeled “Recover Unsaved Presentations.” Click it.

Recover Unsaved Presentations in PPT

It's super easy, so you can skip ahead to the next method to learn how to automatically recover unsaved PowerPoint presentations.

Method 3: Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint Using Auto-Recover

With AutoRecover turned on, you won't lose your important presentation if the application unexpectedly quits.

Let's see how to check if AutoSave is turned on in Microsoft PowerPoint:

Step 1: Open PowerPoint on your computer and click the “File” tab.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the sidebar and click “Options.”

Click the “Options” tab in PowerPoint Click the 'Options' tab in PowerPoint

Step 3: Click the “Save” tab in the PowerPoint Options dialog box that appears.

Click Save. Click Save

4. Under Save Presentation, select Save AutoRecover information every _ minutes. Change the number to adjust how often you want it saved.

Check the Auto-Recover tool

Note: If you need to recover an unsaved Excel file using AutoRecover, start Excel and follow steps similar to those in PowerPoint.

Method 4: Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint File from the Temp Folder

Windows reserves temporary files for different programs, and all of these temp files are stored in a specific folder. Here's how to access it:

Step 1: Press the Windows and R keys simultaneously to open the Run program.

Step 2: Type %temp% in the search box, and then click OK or press Enter.

Open the Temp folder via Run Open the Temp folder via Run

Step 3: Once inside the Temp folder, search for your unsaved PowerPoint file by its name or extension (e.g., .pptx or .ppt).

Recover unsaved PPT from Temp folder

You can also access the Temp folder through this path: C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp. If you accidentally delete temporary files, you can follow this guide to recover them.

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Recover Deleted Temporary Files

How to Recover Deleted Temporary Files - Tools

If you accidentally delete temporary files, you can easily recover deleted temporary files using the tool Data Recovery Wizard. Learn More >>

All of these tricks work, and remember to share them with your friends!

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The bottom line?

After reading this article, if you now know all the possible ways to recover unsaved PowerPoint, you must have noticed that using Data Recovery Wizard tool is the best solution.

With the right tools, you can easily recover deleted files without a backup! Don't forget to enable AutoRecover in Microsoft PowerPoint to avoid unnecessary data loss.

Frequently Asked Questions About Recovering Unsaved PowerPoint Presentations

See more important questions about recovering an unsaved PowerPoint:

**How to recover an unsaved PowerPoint presentation on a Mac?** To recover an unsaved PowerPoint presentation on your Mac, try the following methods: 1. **Auto-Recover Files:** - Open PowerPoint. - Click "File" (File) in the menu bar. - Choose "Open" (Open). - In the Open dialog box, go to the "Recent" tab. - Click "Recover Unsaved Presentations." - You should see some automatically saved versions. Select the file you need and click "Open" (Open). 2. **Using Time Machine Backup:** - If you have Time Machine backups enabled, connect your backup disk. - Launch the Time Machine application. - Scroll through the timeline to find the point when you might have saved the file. - Filter and locate the PowerPoint file. - Select the file and click the "Restore" button on the right to restore it to its current location. 3. **Check Temporary Folders:** - Go to Finder and press `Shift + Command + G` to open the "Go to Folder" dialog. - Type `/private/var/folders/` and click "Go" (Go). - In the opened window, navigate into the folder named with your username. - Look for a folder named "tmp" or "Temporary Items." - Search for possible PowerPoint file copies within these folders, but note that they might not have file extensions. Try renaming them to `.pptx` or `.ppt` and then open them with PowerPoint. 4. **Contact Microsoft Support:** - If none of the above methods work, you may need to contact Microsoft's official support for further assistance. Remember to act promptly, as auto-recovered files and temporary files can be deleted over time.

The method to recover an unsaved PowerPoint on a Mac is as follows:

  1. 1. Recover using a tool: Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
  2. 2. Recover unsaved PPT from the AutoRecover folder
  3. 3. Recover PPT from the Temp folder on your Mac

2. Where are PowerPoint temporary files stored?

All PowerPoint files that were created are located in the Microsoft folder, which can be found at C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Microsoft.

3. Can I recover unsaved PPT with software?

Yes, while many programs fail to recover unsaved files, tools like Data Recovery Wizard can surely help you out:

    1. Launch the unsaved recovery tool and select the disk/directory to scan. 2. From the sidebar, choose "Unsaved Files," then select a folder and click "Open." 3. Preview the files, and once confirmed, click "Recover" to save them.

4. Can PowerPoint automatically recover unsaved PPT files?

If PowerPoint closes unexpectedly, the next time you start the program, it will attempt to recover your work by accessing any AutoRecover files that it finds.