If you're someone who uses Microsoft Word a lot, you may have experienced the frustration of thinking you saved a Word document, only to discover that you didn't. Finding it can then become a real headache. Aside from this, your Word documents can be lost on your computer for a number of reasons, such as hard drive failure, accidental deletion, or a virus attack.

Where are Temporary Word Files Located? This article will guide you through the steps of finding temporary Word files on both Windows and macOS.

But the best part is that Word creates and saves a copy or temporary file of your unsaved document. This will come in handy when you need to recover a lost document. Stay tuned!

How to Find Temporary Word Files in Windows

In this part, we'll introduce different ways to find temporary Word files on Windows. To save time, you can directly copy and paste the following path to locate temporary Word files in Windows: C:\Users\admin\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word.

For Windows, you can use the following method:

Solution 1: Locate the unsaved Word file with a recovery tool

Try using the Data Recovery Wizard tool to find any temporary Word files and unsaved Word documents. This will help you recover lost temporary Word documents no matter how you lost them.

Aside from Word files, you can also use it to recover unsaved PowerPoint, Excel, photos, videos, audio files, and more. It will scan your device deeply to find any unsaved files. After that, filter the files by path or type and select the one you want to recover.

Here are the steps to recover an unsaved Word file using the Data Recovery Wizard tool.

Step 1: Click the Download button on this page to install Disk Drill, the data recovery tool for Windows. Launch the app and select the local drive to scan.

Scan Local Disk

Step 2. Click on the Type and select Unsaved Files. All your Microsoft Word files will be displayed, and you can choose “.doc/.docx” to recover unsaved Word documents.

Find unsaved MS Word files with the filter options

Step 3: Scroll down to find the unsaved MS Word file and click "Preview" to check the document. Click "Recover" and select a location to save the chosen document. (This software can also help you recover deleted Word documents.)

Select a location, then click “Scan.”

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Solution 2: Locate the Word temporary file via 'Recover Unsaved Documents'

Microsoft Office Word has a feature that can recover any unsaved documents from MS Word.

Step 1. Open a Microsoft Word document.

Step 2: Click on the "File" tab in the top-left corner.

Click the File tab Click the File tab

Step 3: Then, choose File > Recover Unsaved Documents.

Click "Open Word Temporary Files" to open the Word temporary folder.

Step 4: You'll see a list of "unsaved documents." Check the box next to the one you want.

Select Unsaved Word

Step 5: Open the recovered file and save it.

If you can't find the “UnsavedFiles” folder, go to AppData > Roaming > Microsoft > Word. You should be able to find your temporary files there, copy them to a new folder, and then attempt to open them as a Word document. You can use a similar method to locate the location of Excel temporary files.

Fix 3: Locate the temp file using File Explorer

You can use the File Explorer to search for temporary Word files on Windows. Here's how.

Step 1: Press the "Windows key and E" on your keyboard at the same time to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Type .temp in the search bar in the top-right corner, then press the "Enter" key on your keyboard.

Type “temp” in “Tools” of File Explorer Type temp in Tools of File Explorer

Step 3: Select the temporary Word file you want from the list.

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Fix 4: Locate the Word temporary file via the Run dialog box

Another way to access the temporary files within the System Temp folder is by using the Run dialog box. Follow these steps to explore this location:

Step 1. Press the "Windows key + R" to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type in %temp% and click "OK."

Type %temp% and press Enter

Step 3: A list of temporary files will be displayed. Find the one you need.

By the way, if you want to recover unsaved Word files, you need to have had AutoSave and AutoRecover turned on beforehand:

Step 1: Open the Word application and click on the "File" tab.

Step 2: Select "Options".

Select an option in MS Word

Step 3: Check the box for “Save AutoRecover information every” and set it to save your work every 5 to 10 minutes.

Save AutoRecover Information

Step 4: Check the box that says “Always create a backup copy if I forget to save before closing,” and click OK.

To locate temporary files on macOS, follow these steps: 1. Open Finder. 2. Click on the "Go" menu in the top-left corner of the screen. 3. While holding down the Option key on your keyboard, the "Library" option will appear. 4. Select "Library." 5. Inside the Library, look for the "Temporary Items" folder or any folders with a ".tmp" extension. 6. These folders typically contain temporary files. Please note that these steps might vary slightly depending on the version of macOS you're using. In some versions, you may need to use Spotlight (Command + Space) to search for "Temporary Items" to find temporary files.

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Word Temporary Files on Mac

Word Temporary Files on Mac | How to Find and Recover

This article will guide you on how to locate Word temporary files on your Mac and use them to recover unsaved Word documents. Read More >>

How Do Temporary Word Files Work?

Temporary Word files play a significant role in the functioning of Microsoft Word. They occur when you create or edit a document. The application generates these files to ensure document safety and facilitate a smooth editing experience.

Normally, a temporary Word file is indicated with a “.tmp” extension and serves as a backup copy of the document being processed.

Every time you make changes to a Word document, it saves them in the background to a temporary file. The Word application stores it in a designated temp folder on your computer.

Also, keep in mind that temporary files are usually deleted automatically once you save the document.

In summary,

This article has shown that, if you're a Windows user, locating temporary files isn't too troublesome. Try out these methods and see which one suits you best.

However, to be on the safe side, I recommend downloading the Data Recovery Wizard tool. This software will ensure a high success rate for retrieving your lost or unsaved files.

FAQ: Temporary Word Files

You can find more information about the location of temporary Word files.

1. Where does Windows store unsaved Word files?

By default, Microsoft Word saves these files using the AutoRecover feature at the following path: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles. However, the exact location may vary depending on your version of Word and system settings. Check Word's AutoRecover settings for precise information.

How can I quickly find temporary files?

You can use the built-in file explorer to locate temporary files quickly.

Step 1. Press the "Windows key + E" to open File Explorer.

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

This opens a temp folder containing temporary files.

3. Can I recover an unsaved Word document without a temp file?

Yes, you need to utilize the Auto-Recover feature in Word. Here are the steps to do that: 1. **Open Microsoft Word**: Launch the application on your computer. 2. **Click on 'File':** Located at the top-left corner of the screen, this will open the backstage view. 3. **Select 'Options':** This is usually found at the bottom of the left-hand pane in the File menu. 4. **Choose 'Advanced':** In the Word Options window, scroll down to find the 'General' section. 5. **Find 'Auto-recover':** Under the 'Save' category, you'll see options related to auto-recovery. 6. **Set 'Save AutoRecover information':** Adjust the interval at which Word should save recovery information. The default is every 10 minutes, but you can change it as per your preference. 7. **Choose 'Location for AutoRecover files':** You can specify where Word should save these temporary files. 8. **Click 'OK':** This will save your settings and close the window. Now, if Word crashes or your computer restarts unexpectedly, it should automatically recover your unsaved work based on the set interval when you reopen the program. Remember, this feature doesn't guarantee the complete recovery of all changes, so it's still best to save your work regularly.

Step 1: Click the “File” tab, then choose “Info,” and then “Manage Document.”

Step 2: Click on "Recover Unsaved Documents."

Step 3: Select the files you want to recover and click "Open".

Step 4: Save your Word file by clicking on "Save As."

4. Where are temporary Word files stored on a Mac?

You might be able to find your lost work in a temp file in the Temp folder for Microsoft Word on a Mac. macOS creates these temp files in the system's Temp folder (TMP), and you might be able to recover your work from there.