How to Recover Information From a Lost Word Document

Microsoft Word has an auto-recovery feature that stores a temporary copy of your Word document on your hard drive. This is a very useful feature, especially if you need to recover information from a Word document that was either shut down unexpectedly or if your computer suddenly froze up and forced you to restart.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Word 2003 or higher

Instructions

1. Launch Microsoft Word.

2. Click on "Tools" and select the "Save" tab. Make sure the box titled "Save AutoRecover Info" is checked. You can also set a time when you want Word to auto-recover your information. By default, it should be set at every 10 minutes.

3. Hit the "Start" button. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, go to Step 4. If you are using Windows XP, select "Search." Choose "All Files and Folders."

4. Type "*.doc" on the search bar. If you are using Word 2007, type "*.docx." Hit "Search."

5. Sort your lost file from the search results. The easiest way to do this is by clicking on the "Date modified" tab. This will show Word documents that were opened or modified on individual dates.

6. Double-click on the temporary Word file when you find it. Check to see if all the lost information is in there. Click on "File" and select "Save As..." Rename the file and save it under a secured location on your hard drive.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to recover a lost Word document