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Recover Unsaved Word Document: AutoRecover Path + 6 Methods (Win/Mac)

By Noah Zhang April 2, 2026 Updated May 19, 2026 file-issues
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Quick Answer

Windows: paste %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles into File Explorer's address bar — open the most recent .asd or unnamed file and Save As .docx immediately. Mac: in Finder press Cmd+Shift+G, paste ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery. If both are empty, check the OneDrive version history at OneDrive.com (right-click file → Version history).

Got Here by Pasting %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles?

You’re in the right place. Here’s what to do once File Explorer opens that folder:

  1. Look for files with timestamps near when you were working. They may have no extension, or have .asd, .tmp, or weird auto-generated names.
  2. Right-click the most recent one → Open with → Word.
  3. If Word opens it (even with formatting issues), immediately File → Save As as a normal .docx. The recovery file is volatile and Word may delete it.
  4. If Word says “this file is in use” or won’t open it, first copy it to your Desktop, then try again from there.

If the folder is empty, see Method 4 and Method 6 — there are 5 other places Word may have saved your work.

AutoRecover Paths Quick Reference

OSUnsaved (never-named) docsAutoRecover snapshots of saved docs
Windows%localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles%appdata%\Microsoft\Word
Mac~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/UnsavedFiles~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery

On Windows, paste the path into File Explorer’s address bar (top of the window) and press Enter. On Mac, in Finder press Cmd+Shift+G (“Go to folder…”), paste the path, press Enter.

Recovering Lost Documents

Whether you closed without saving or Word crashed, there are several ways to get your work back.

Step-by-Step Fix

Method 1: Document Recovery Pane

  1. Reopen Word after a crash
  2. The Document Recovery pane should appear on the left
  3. Click the document you want to recover
  4. Save it immediately with Ctrl+S

Method 2: Recover Unsaved Documents

  1. Open Word
  2. Go to File > Info > Manage Document
  3. Click Recover Unsaved Documents
  4. A folder opens showing AutoRecover files (.asd files)
  5. Open the one with the most recent timestamp
  6. Save it as a .docx immediately

Method 3: Check AutoRecover Location Manually

  1. Press Windows + R
  2. Type %appdata%\Microsoft\Word and press Enter
  3. Look for files starting with ~ or ending in .asd
  4. Also check: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles
  5. Open any recovery files found and save them

Method 4: Check Temporary Files

  1. Press Windows + R
  2. Type %temp% and press Enter
  3. Sort by date modified and look for .docx or .tmp files from when you were working
  4. Try opening them in Word

Method 5: Check File History (Windows)

  1. Open File Explorer to the folder where you normally save
  2. Right-click in the folder > Properties > Previous Versions
  3. If File History is enabled, previous versions may be available

Method 6: OneDrive Version History

If you were saving to OneDrive:

  1. Go to OneDrive.com
  2. Right-click the file > Version history
  3. Browse and restore a previous version

Prevention Setup

  1. Go to File > Options > Save
  2. Set AutoRecover interval to 5 minutes
  3. Check Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving
  4. Enable AutoSave for OneDrive/SharePoint files

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Word save unsaved documents on Windows?

Two locations: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles (for documents you never named/saved) and %appdata%\Microsoft\Word (for AutoRecover snapshots of saved documents). Paste either path into File Explorer's address bar. You can also confirm the path Word is using in File → Options → Save → AutoRecover file location.

Where does Word save unsaved documents on Mac?

Two locations: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery (AutoRecover snapshots) and ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/UnsavedFiles (never-saved documents). In Finder, press Cmd+Shift+G and paste the path.

I opened the UnsavedFiles folder and it's empty — what now?

Three causes: (1) AutoRecover was disabled for your Word version — try Method 5 (Temp files) or Method 6 (OneDrive version history); (2) more than 4 days passed (Word auto-deletes after 4 days by default); (3) you saved at least once, in which case the file is in %appdata%\Microsoft\Word as a .asd file, not in UnsavedFiles. Check both paths.

How long does Word keep unsaved documents?

Word keeps AutoRecover files for 4 days by default. After that, they're automatically deleted. Check the recovery locations as soon as possible after losing a document. If you need a longer retention, change File → Options → Save → Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving (this also stops the 4-day purge for that file).

What's the difference between .asd and .wbk files?

Both are recovery files. .asd is the AutoRecover snapshot (taken every 10 minutes by default while Word is running). .wbk is a backup copy created when 'Always create backup copy' is enabled in Word's Save options. Try opening either by changing the extension to .docx — or use File → Open → Browse and select 'All Files (*.*)' in the type filter.

I'm pasting the path but File Explorer says 'not found' — why?

On Windows the literal characters %localappdata% are an environment variable that File Explorer expands to your actual path (something like C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local). If you typed it manually with the wrong case or extra spaces, expansion fails. Copy-paste this exact string: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles — then press Enter.

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