How to Recover an Unsaved Word Document on Mac Without AutoRecovery | Top 3 Methods

While working on a document in Microsoft Word, you can use the AutoSave option to save it automatically. If you don't see the AutoSave icon, you may need to update your Microsoft Office to the latest version. Microsoft Word also has an AutoRecovery option that you can use to recover unsaved Word documents with the Microsoft AutoRecovery feature. If this utility is unavailable on your Mac, read on to find out how to recover unsaved Word documents on Mac without AutoRecovery. We'll share three tested methods that will help you restore unsaved DOC/DOCX files on your Mac.

Solution 1: Recover Unsaved Word Documents on Mac using AutoRecovery [Recovery Software] When you accidentally close a Word document without saving it, you can attempt to recover it using the AutoRecovery feature on your Mac. Here's how: 1. Open Microsoft Word. 2. Click on "File" in the menu bar. 3. Select "Open." 4. On the left sidebar, find and click on "Recent Documents." 5. Look for any unsaved draft documents. If present, they usually appear as "Document Name - AutoRecover." 6. Preview the content by clicking on the document. Once confirmed, click "Open" to retrieve it. If the above method doesn't yield your file, you can try using professional data recovery software. Here are a few recommended tools for Mac: 1. Disk Drill 2. tools Data Recovery Wizard 3. Stellar Data Recovery These applications can scan your hard drive and locate lost files, including unsaved Word documents. Note that using these tools might require purchasing a full version, but often, they offer free trial versions for initial scans. Before using any recovery software, make sure not to create new data on your Mac to avoid overwriting deleted or unsaved files.

Most users who don't have AutoRecover set up on their Macs opt for using data recovery software to restore unsaved Excel files or Word documents. This might be the easiest and fastest solution, especially for new Mac users.

How do you choose a good Word recovery tool? You can look for a recovery program that you can download for free and make sure it's completely safe and easy to use. Where can you find such a recovery tool? You can get a free trial by downloading the Mac Data Recovery Wizard by clicking the button below.

• Recover unsaved Mac Office documents, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
• Restore unsaved Photoshop files on Mac, as well as unsaved Sketch files using appropriate tools.
• Retrieve deleted files on your Mac, such as photos, documents, videos, audio files, and emails.

This is a video on how to recover unsaved documents on a Mac. You can refer to the following timeline:

• 00:00 - Document Recovery Options
• 00:37 - Auto-Recover in Word
• 02:04 - Recovering from the TMP Folder
• 03:06 - Recovering from the Mac Trash
• 03:39 - Recovery Software

Continue with the written tutorial below for instructions on how to recover an unsaved Word document on a Mac without using the AutoRecover option:

Note: You can click "Disk Backup" on the left to create a backup first. You can restore data from the backup image when the disk is damaged or unsaved documents on the disk are accidentally deleted or lost.

Step 1: Select the Disk

Run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, hover the mouse over the device where your unsaved files were lost, and click Search for Lost Files.

Step 2: Select the unsaved document.

When the scan is finished, click “Type,” then expand “Unsaved Documents.” Click on the exact file type of the unsaved document you lost – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages, or Numbers.

Step 3: Preview and recover the unsaved files

Double-click the unsaved file to preview it, choose the correct version, and then click “Recover” to save the file to a secure location on your Mac.

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Fix 2: Recover unsaved Word document on Mac without AutoRecover [Temp Files]

Microsoft Office creates temporary files on a Mac, and these temp files can contain important information that you might be able to use to recover an unsaved Word document. You'll need to use the Mac Terminal to search for temp files on your Mac. If you're not comfortable with command lines, go back to the first method.

Step 1: Open the Terminal on your Mac by launching it from the Applications folder, or you can use Spotlight to find it quickly.

Step 2. Enter open $TMPDIR in the terminal window and confirm the command.

Step 3: The "Temp" folder should open, inside of which there should be a folder named "Temporary Items." Double-click it to open.

Step 4: Here, you should find your unsaved Word documents. Select and right-click on the target Word file, then choose to open it with Word. After that, you can click "Save As…" to save the file to another location.

If you chose not to save a Word document on your Mac, you can use this method to recover an unsaved Word document. Read the article below for more information.

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Fix 3: Recover Unsaved Word Document on Mac without AutoRecovery [Trash]

You can also recover an unsaved Word document from the Trash on a Mac. There is a folder within the Trash called "Recoverable Items" where Mac stores unsaved documents. If you do not find this folder in your Trash, it means that there are no unsaved files to recover. You may be able to recover the Word document another way.

Step 1. Find the Trash on your Mac. If you don't know where is the Trash on Mac, click the link to learn more.

Step 2: Scroll down and double-click the “Recoverable Items” folder to open it.

Step 3. Look for your unsaved Word document in this folder. If you can't find it, you might want to try recovering emptied trash on Mac. If this method works for you, please share it with more users!

How to Recover a Deleted Word Document on a Mac Using Software

Mac Data Recovery Wizard can recover unsaved Word documents and supports deletion recovery. You can easily recover deleted photos from Mac, as well as deleted documents, emails, videos, and audio files, with just a few simple steps.

Note: You can click "Disk Backup" on the left first to create one. The software will recover your files from the backup image, which is safer and more reliable, preventing further damage to your disk and data.

Step 1: Scan the Lost Document

Select the location where you lost your important Word/Excel/PPT/Numbers/Pages document and click on “Search Lost Files”.

Step 2: Find the Lost Document on Mac

After running the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, the program will immediately scan the disk volume you selected. The scanning results will be displayed in the left panel. By choosing "Documents", you can quickly filter out previously lost DOC / PDF / PPT / XLS files.

Step 3: Recover Lost/Deleted Documents

Select the files you want to recover, preview them by double-clicking, and then click “Recover” to get your lost files back immediately.

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If you don't want to lose your Word documents in the future on your Mac, you should enable AutoSave in Microsoft Office and save your file every few minutes. We recommend using a recovery tool to restore unsaved Word documents on your Mac because it's safe and reliable.

Frequently Asked Questions about Recovering Unsaved Word Documents without AutoRecovery on Mac: 1. What is unsaved Word document recovery? Answer: Unsaved Word document recovery refers to retrieving work that was not manually saved due to accidental closure, system crashes, or other reasons. On a Mac, Word typically has an auto-save feature, but if it's not enabled or encounters issues, users may need to use alternative methods to recover lost content. 2. What is AutoRecovery? Answer: AutoRecovery is a feature in Microsoft Word that saves backup copies of documents at regular intervals, allowing for the recovery of recent edits in case the program closes unexpectedly. 3. Can I still recover an unsaved Word document if I didn't have AutoRecovery enabled? Answer: Even without AutoRecovery, it may be possible to recover an unsaved Word document. You can try recovering from Word's "Recent Documents" list or search temporary folders for any draft files. 4. How do I locate unsaved Word documents on my Mac? Answer: - Open Finder, then navigate to "Applications">"Microsoft Office">"Microsoft Word." - Double-click to open Word, and click the "File" menu in the top-left corner. - In the dropdown menu, select "Open," then click "Recent Documents" in the left sidebar. - Check the list for the unsaved document you're looking for. 5. Are there third-party tools that can help recover unsaved Word documents? Answer: There are data recovery software options like Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery, tools Data Recovery Wizard, etc., which can assist in finding and recovering unsaved Word documents. Make sure to choose a reputable and well-reviewed software. 6. Will my unsaved Word document be retained if I shut down my computer? Answer: It depends on your Word settings. If AutoSave is enabled, Word will attempt to save your work even when you shut down your computer. Otherwise, you may rely on system caches or temporary files to recover the content. 7. How can I prevent losing unsaved Word documents in the future? Answer: - Enable Word's AutoSave feature: Go to "File">"Options">"Save," set a reasonable interval for "Save AutoRecovery information," and check "If I don't save, restore my work." - Save your document manually: Use the keyboard shortcut "Command+S" or go to "File">"Save" regularly. - Utilize version history: If using Office 365 or Word Online, you can view and restore previous versions using the version history feature. 8. If I can't recover my unsaved document, are there alternative options? Answer: If direct recovery is not possible, consider recreating the document or seeking assistance from technical support. Sometimes, re-creating the document from memory might be the only option.

Read through the following question and answer to learn more about recovering unsaved Word documents on a Mac:

1. How to Find AutoRecovery Word Files on a Mac?

You can easily find the Word AutoRecovery files on a Mac. How do you access this folder? If you use Microsoft Office Word 2011, go to Users > Library > Application Support > Microsoft > Office > Office2011AutoRecovery. For other versions, go to Users > Library > Containers > com.microsoft.Word > Data > Library > Preferences > AutoRecovery.

**How to recover unsaved Word documents on Mac without AutoRecover?**

There are three ways to recover an unsaved Word document:

1. Use a professional recovery software to recover the file.
2. Recover from Mac's temporary files.
3. Recover from the "Recovered Items" folder in the Trash.

3. Which software can recover unsaved Word documents on Mac?

You can use Mac Data Recovery Software to recover an unsaved Word document:

1. Select a disk to scan for unsaved Word documents. 2. Choose "Unsaved Documents" from the sidebar. 3. Select the unsaved file and recover it.

How do I recover a Word document that was accidentally deleted on my Mac?

Normally, deleted Word documents are moved to the Recycle Bin. You can check the Recycle Bin to find any accidentally deleted Word files. If you have already emptied the Recycle Bin, you should use data recovery software or seek assistance from a professional expert.