How to Recover a Word Doc

Recover your documents in Microsoft Word.

In the unexpected event that Microsoft Word shuts down abnormally, you won't necessarily lose all the work you've just done. Either you will be able to open the file like normal or Word will automatically launch the Document Recovery task pane. This task pane will bring up to three possible recovered versions of your document. Use this task pane to recover your document and get back to working on it.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Word

Instructions

1. Restart Microsoft Word.

2. Look for the Document Recovery task pane on the left-hand side of the screen.

3. Click the down-arrow icon next to the first file listed.

4. Make one of three selections. Click "Open" to view the recovered document to see if it's something you can use and want to keep. Click "Save as" to save the file in order to create a new document from the recovered version. Click "Delete" if you know you don't want this version of the file.

5. Repeat these steps for each file listed (if more than one).

6. Keep the recovered document you want and click "Save as" to save it.

Tips & Warnings

• While the Document Recovery task pane is quite useful, it won't solve all your problems. Other situations, such as a power outage or system problem, can cause you to lose your work. Prevent this as much as possible by enabling Word's AutoRecover feature. With AutoRecover your data will be automatically saved at regular intervals. To enable it, click the "Microsoft Office Button" in Word. Click "Word Options" at the bottom of the menu. Click the "Save" tab. Click "Save AutoRecover Information Every x Minutes." Choose how often you want the document to be saved under "Minutes."

References

• Microsoft Word 2007 Help: Use the Document Recovery Task Pane to Recover Your Files
• Microsoft Word 2007 Help: Automatically Save and Recover Office Files