How to Recover Lost Documents on Windows Computer

Scenario: Can I recover lost documents?

“Is there a decent recovery tool that can restore lost documents? This isn't an emergency, but I've lost multiple Word documents and Excels in the previous six months. These files are stored on distinct devices on my Windows system. Now I need them again, any ideas?”

Windows users are undoubtedly familiar with various document types, including office documents and system documents such as pdf, docx, xlsx, and zip formats, among others. Many of these documents hold immense significance, as users may have invested weeks or even months of work in them. Losing such a critical document is simply not an option for any user.

Some users might accidentally delete documents using "Shift+Del" or permanently erase them from the Recycle Bin, prompting a desperate search for methods to recover permanently deleted documents. Additionally, documents may also be lost due to disk corruption or accidental formatting.

The purpose of this tutorial is to address the question of how to recover lost documents on a Windows computer. It will delve into several practical approaches to tackle different document loss scenarios and ensure successful document retrieval.

3 ways to recover lost documents

This section will show you five methods for recovering lost documents. Continue reading and putting them into practice.

Way 1. Quickest and easiest way to recover lost documents on Windows

Using professional and user-friendly software, like AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional which is dedicated to recovering deleted or missing data is the fastest and easiest approach to recovering lost documents.

With the “Recover Data” function of this disk and partition manager, you may easily recover lost documents with only a few clicks, making the process simple enough for even a computer novice to handle. In addition, you could benefit from the following benefits:

• Your documents can be restored by the tool at a high speed and degree of security.
• From Windows 7 to Windows 11 and Windows Server, it supports all supported Windows versions.
• Docx, xlsx, ppt, jpg, png, pdf, MOV, mp3, mp4, zip, deleted videos… more than 200+ types of documents can be recovered.
• Compatible with NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.

Tip: This all-in-one program offers other advanced features such as recovering lost partitions, resetting Windows password, cloning disk, allocating free space, moving installed programs to another drive, etc.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, click Recover> Recover Data.

Step 2. Select the source drive where the Word document was saved > Start Scanning.

Step 3. When the scan is over, all deleted files, Recycle Bin and other lost files will be listed. Please select the data you want to recover and click Recover.

Step 4. Please select a path to save recovered documents.

Step 5. The recovery progress will start and data will be saved to the path if it is successful.

Way 2. Recover lost Word document with AutoRecover

Step 1. Find the file saving path (e.g.: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles).

Step 2. Here, copy the file name of the Word document you want to recover.

Step 3. Open your Microsoft Word, click "File". Then, click "Manage Document" and select "Recover Unsaved Documents" from the drop-down list. Please paste the copied file into the file name column and click "Open".

To enable AutoRecover, you can: Click “File” > “Options” > “Save”, tick “Save AutoRecover information every x minutes” > “Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving” > “OK”.

Way 3. Recover Excel documents via File History

File History Backup is another Windows feature that may be used to restore lost Documents, Videos, Music, Pictures, Desktop folders, and OneDrive offline content. If you previously backed up Excel files using it, you can follow the instructions to find out where you can find the lost Excel documents.

Step 1. Open "Control Panel" by typing it in the search bar and then click "System and Security".

Step 2. Select "Restore your files with File History" under the "File History" tab.

Step 3. Click the "Restore personal files" button.

Step 4. If you directly click "Restore", the deleted Excel files will be sent to their original location. Then, you can find the files there.

If you right-click "Restore", you will be given an option "Restore to" to save them in your specific location.

Conclusion

Losing important documents on a Windows computer can be nerve-wracking, but with the right strategies, you can increase the chances of successful recovery. Remember to check the Recycle Bin, utilize File History or backups, and consider data recovery software. By using AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can quickly and easily recover lost documents on your Windows.