Undelete Unsaved Word Document on Mac [Recover Unsaved or Deleted Word Documents]

How to Recover an Unsaved Word Document on a Mac

First, open the Mac version of Microsoft Word. Then, click on the “File” tab, select “Manage Documents” from the drop-down menu, and click on “Recover Unsaved Documents.” A window will pop up displaying a list of unsaved documents.

Accidentally closed a Word document (.doc or .docx) on your Mac without saving it? This article will guide you through how to recover unsaved Word documents on a Mac. Here are 5 tried-and-tested methods to retrieve an unsaved Word file on your Mac:

If built-in Microsoft Office features fail to recover unsaved documents on a Mac, don't despair; you can still effectively recover an unsaved Word document using a document recovery tool.

How do I recover an unsaved Word document on my Mac using software?

Reliable Mac Data Recovery software – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac has been upgraded with the unsaved document recovery feature, allowing you to recover unsaved Word documents on Mac with just a few clicks:

Download a reliable file recovery tool and follow the steps below to retrieve unsaved or lost Word documents from your Mac.

1. Step 1: Launch Disk Drill for Mac. Select the disk where your unsaved Word document was located and click "Search for lost files."
2. Step 2: In the scan results window on the left, click "Types > Unsaved Documents." Use the filter to select Word document files to recover an unsaved Word document on Mac or other files.

3. Step 3: Double-click to preview the selected lost Word file. Then, click "Recover" to restore an unsaved Word document on Mac without AutoRecovery.

Caution: Avoid recovering the files to their original location to prevent overwriting the files being recovered.

If this Mac data recovery tool helps you get back your original Word document, don't forget to share it on your SNS.

Video tutorial on how to recover unsaved Word documents on a Mac

With its more practical features in certain collaborative scenarios than recovering lost Pages documents on Mac, Microsoft Word is gaining popularity among Mac users. Office 365 also enables users to create Word files on a Mac. As a result, an increasing number of Mac users are looking for ways to recover unsaved Word documents on their Mac.

We have a video tutorial for you on how to recover an unsaved Word document on a Mac.

• 00:37 - Location of Auto Recover files in Word for Mac
• 02:04 - Recovering a document from the TMP folder
• 03:06 - Restoring a document from the Mac Trash
• 03:39 - Mac data recovery software

 

If you don't want to use a file recovery program, there are three ways you can recover a Word document on Mac without software. Depending on the version of Microsoft Word for Mac you have, there are three possible ways to recover an unsaved Word document after accidentally clicking “Don't Save.”

Microsoft Word offers the standard DOC or DOCX file format that's compatible with almost all operating systems. Starting from versions 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018... to 2011, Word has an AutoSave feature that lets you recover unsaved Word documents even without clicking "Save." In this article, you'll learn four methods to restore unsaved Word documents on Mac.

Restore an Unsaved Word Document Using AutoRecover

Word for Mac comes with an AutoSave feature turned on by default. The app saves a copy of your open Word documents every minute. That way, if Word crashes or your Mac malfunctions while you're editing a document, you don't lose your work – at least not entirely.

In this case, you can use an AutoRecover copy to restore changes or additions that you made to a Word document since you last saved it, but haven't yet saved.

How to Use AutoRecover to Retrieve an Unsaved Word Document

1. Step 1. Open Finder on your Mac.
2. Step 2. From the Finder menu at the top of your screen, choose Go, then choose Folder.
3. Step 3. Enter: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery, then press Return.
4. Step 4. Open the AutoRecovery folder, and look for a file that begins with "AutoRecovery save of." Find the file you want to recover.
5. Step 5. Double-click the file. The document opens in Word for Mac. Choose File, then Save As.

Recover Unsaved Mac Word Document from TMP Folder

Depending on the unique features of Microsoft Word for Mac, you might find your unsaved work in the AutoRecovery or Word Temporary Files folder, which keeps a copy of an unsaved document called a Word Recoverable Item. Your Mac also temporarily stores files in this folder. However, many Mac users have a hard time locating it.

Steps to recover a lost Word document by finding the temporary files on a Mac using Terminal:

1. Step 1: Go to "Applications" > "Utilities," and then double-click "Terminal." 2. Step 2: In "Terminal," type open $TMPDIR, and you'll be directed to the TMP folder where temporary files are stored. 3. Step 3: Inside the TMP folder, find and open the "TemporaryItems" folder. Right-click on the desired Word file, then choose "Open With" > "Microsoft Word." 4. Step 4: To save the Word file, go to "File" > "Save As," and save it to a different location.

Recover an unsaved Word document from the 'Recovery' tab (Mac)

For documents that you haven't saved manually, Word for Mac saves a temporary copy in the Recovered Items folder in the Trash. This folder won't appear if there are no recovery files.

Steps to find unsaved documents on a Mac: 1. **Force Quit Applications**: Sometimes, an application might still have an unsaved document in its memory. To check, press `Command + Option + Esc` to open the "Force Quit" window. Select the application where you were working on the unsaved document and click "Force Quit." The next time you open the app, it might prompt you to recover the unsaved work. 2. **Recover from Auto-Save**: Many Mac apps, like TextEdit or Pages, have an auto-save feature. Look for the "Revert To" option in the "File" menu, then choose "Browse All Versions" to see if there's an unsaved version of your document. 3. **Time Machine Backup (if available)**: If you have Time Machine backup enabled, you can use it to restore a previous version of the file. Open Time Machine by clicking its icon in the Dock or through the "Backup" section in System Preferences. Navigate through the backups until you find the version of the document you need, then click "Restore." 4. **Spotlight Search**: Press `Command + Space` to open Spotlight Search. Type a few keywords from the content of the unsaved document and see if any recent items or temporary files match your search. 5. **Temporary Files**: Some applications save temporary files in your user folder. Check the "~/Library/Caches" or "~/Documents/Recovered Items" folders for any unsaved files. 6. **Check Recent Items**: Go to the Apple menu and select "Recent Items." This list may include recently opened or unsaved documents. 7. **Third-Party Recovery Tools**: If all else fails, consider using a third-party data recovery tool, such as Data Rescue, to scan your system for lost files. Remember that not all methods will be applicable in every situation, and the success of these steps depends on the specific circumstances and whether the document was autosaved or not.

1. Step 1. Click the "Trash" icon in the dock to open it.
2. Step 2. Look for a folder called "Recoverable Items" and click inside to search for your Word file. If you can't find it, try the next solution.

How to Recover a Deleted Word Document Using Software How to Retrieve Lost Word Documents with Software

If you have lost an existing Word document due to deletion, disk formatting, or missing Documents folder on Mac, you need to use a document recovery tool to restore the original Word file on your Mac.

Mac Data Recovery Wizard is a professional Mac data recovery tool that can recover emptied Mac Trash, including your deleted Word documents. In addition, it can also help you recover previous versions of Word documents on Mac, so you never have to worry about accidentally deleting your Word files again!

Here are the steps to recover deleted Word documents from a Mac:

Note: You can create a backup by clicking “Disk Backup” on the left first. The software will recover your documents from the backup image. It's safer and more reliable in preventing further damage to your disk and data.

Step 1: Scan for Lost Files

Select the location where your important Word/Excel/PPT/Numbers/Pages file was lost, and then click “Search Lost Files”.

Step 2: Look for the Lost Document on Your 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. Choose "Documents" to quickly filter out the previously lost DOC / PDF / PPT / XLS files.

Step 3: Recover Lost/Deleted Documents

Double-click to select the target files and preview them. Then, click “Recover” to get your lost documents back immediately.

If this method helped you recover your accidentally deleted Word document, share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

How to Increase the Likelihood of Recovering an Unsaved Word Document

After the horror of losing a Word document, you probably don't want to go through that again. Knowing how to avoid losing your Word files is essential. To prevent losing your file altogether, you can:

Tip No. 1: Save Every New Document As You Open It

An unsaved Word document exists in the computer's RAM, not on the hard drive. This is why there's very little chance of recovering an unsaved Word document. Knowing this should drive home the point that you should save a new Word document at least once.

Tip 2: Change the Auto Save interval

After you save a Word document, AutoSave turns on. To help minimize the loss of work if a file you're editing is lost, you can change how often Word automatically saves your changes:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word on your Mac.

Step 3. Check all the items under “Save Options” (recommended) and change the “Auto Save” interval, for example, from every 10 minutes to every 5 minutes.

By following the two tips above, you can greatly reduce the risk of losing your Word documents. What if you accidentally delete an important Word file on your Mac? Don't worry. Try to recover permanently deleted Word documents for free with the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool.

Frequently Asked Questions on Recovering Unsaved Word Documents on a Mac 1. **How do I recover an unsaved Word document on my Mac?** - Open Microsoft Word, click on "File," then select "Recent Documents." Check if your unsaved document appears in the list. - Use Time Machine (if you have it set up) to restore the lost document. Open Time Machine, find the Word application, and browse to the point when you created the document. - Try the "AutoRecover" feature. In Word, click "File" > "Open" > "Recover Unsaved Documents." 2. **Can I still retrieve my work if Word closed unexpectedly?** - Yes, Word usually saves drafts automatically. Reopen Word and check "Recent Documents" or use the "AutoRecover" option. 3. **What if I didn't have Auto Save enabled? Can I still recover my unsaved document?** - Even without Auto Save, Word sometimes saves temporary files in the background. In Finder, navigate to `/Users/YourUsername/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2016 AutoRecover` or a similar path to look for possible temporary files. 4. **Can I use third-party tools to recover an unsaved Word document?** - Yes, there are data recovery software tools available that can help retrieve lost documents. Ensure you choose a reputable tool and follow its instructions. 5. **How can I prevent losing unsaved Word documents in the future?** - Enable Word's Auto Save feature: `File` > `Options` > `Save`, then check "Save AutoRecovery information" and set an interval. - Save your document manually at regular intervals using the keyboard shortcut `Command+S`. - Use Time Machine or another backup solution to regularly back up your files. 6. **If I made significant changes in Word but forgot to save, how can I revert to the last saved state?** - In Word, click "File" > "Info" > "Manage Versions." Here, you can view previous versions and choose to revert. Follow these steps as applicable, and always ensure you back up important files.

If you still don't know how to recover deleted Word document on macOS or retrieve unsaved Word pages, don't worry. Read the questions and answers below for more help.

**How to Recover an Unsaved Word Document on Mac Without Using Auto-Recover?**

There are at least two ways to recover unsaved Word files on Mac. You can use data recovery software to restore the unsaved document, or use a Time Machine backup. Here's how to recover unsaved documents on Mac using Time Machine:

Connect the hard drive containing the Time Machine backup to your Mac. Click on the Time Machine icon and choose Enter Time Machine. Open the folder where the document should be. Use the arrows on the right to select the desired backup version and search for the missing file. Click on the Word document you need, then click Restore.

2. Can I recover an unsaved Word document on Mac?

Yes, as long as Word hasn't been set to overwrite the file, you can recover an unsaved document.

Open the current version and click on “Version History” to look for an earlier version. If that fails, try using Time Machine or a Mac data recovery wizard utility.

3. How do I find AutoRecover files in Word for Mac?

Auto-recovered files are stored in a hidden folder on your Mac, so you won't be able to locate them by browsing through the Finder. To find a Word document on your Mac, go to "Go" > "Go to Folder," and then type in the following folder path, replacing "username" with your actual username:

User > Username > Library > Containers > com.Microsoft > Data > Library > Preferences > AutoRecovery

4. Can I recover a overwritten Word document on Mac?

Yes, there are several ways to recover a replaced Word document on Mac:

• Use Time Machine backup
• Switch to iCloud backup
• Run data recovery software