How to find an unsaved Word document in Windows 10
Don't worry! Your file isn't lost forever. Here's how to find it.
Alina Bradford CNET Contributor
Alina Bradford has been writing how-tos, tech articles and more for almost two decades. She currently writes for CNET's Smart Home Section, MTVNews' tech section and for Live Science's reference section. Follow her on Twitter.
Word has an auto-save feature, but there are times when your documents don't show up in the recovery pane when you open Word. Maybe your computer shut down unexpectedly or you accidentally clicked "Don't Save" as you closed your document. We've all been there.
In any case, you can recover your file in seconds with this quick tip:
- Go to the Windows Start Menu using the Windows key on your keyboard.
- Click on File Explorer.
- Choose This PC in the left-hand menu.
- Type .asd into the search bar.
- Hit Enter on your keyboard.
Your computer will bring up your missing file in the search results. Click on the file and when it opens in Word, save it as usual.
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