Why Has My Saved Word Document Disappeared from My PC?

Why has my saved document disappeared?

Losing a valuable Word document can be a frustrating experience. Perhaps you spent hours perfecting it, or it contains crucial information for your work or studies. Some users find a strange case on their computers. After they saved some documents, somehow, these files disappeared. How does this happen?

Well, nothing on your computer should disappear without any reason. Some possible problems may cause Word documents to disappear after saving.

• Accidental deletion: You or someone else may have unintentionally deleted the file, thinking it was no longer needed. This is one of the most frequent causes of document loss.
• Misplaced file: It's possible that you moved the document to a different folder or directory, making it seem like it has disappeared.
• Corrupted or damaged file: If the Word document file becomes corrupted or damaged due to software or hardware issues, it might not open or be visible in the normal way.
• Software or system crashes: A sudden system crash or a Word application crash during the time you were working on the document can lead to data loss.
• Autosave failures: If the AutoSave or AutoRecover feature in Microsoft Word fails to work correctly, your document may not have been saved as expected.
• System Updates: Sometimes, during system updates or upgrades, files can be misplaced or inadvertently removed.
• Virus or Malware Infection: Malicious software can sometimes lead to file disappearance or corruption.
• Improper Shutdown: If the computer is forcefully shut down while Word is still open, it can lead to data loss.
• File format compatibility: Compatibility issues between different Word versions or software may prevent the document from displaying correctly.

How to recover Word document disappeared after saving

In most cases, understanding the cause of the disappearance can help in choosing the appropriate method for document recovery. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore various methods to recover your missing Word document. We will cover two native solutions within Microsoft Word itself, and then we'll introduce you to an exceptional third-party tool to help you recover lost Word documents.

Method 1. Restore Word Document from Recent Work

MS Word saves backup copies of your work as auto-save files. You can restore your work if you find these recent files in the document recovery option. Remember that it works when Word recognizes that it has abruptly stopped operating the next time you open it.

Step 1. Open Microsoft Word.

Open MS Word and see if you get the Document Recovery option.

Step 2. Go to the "File" menu.

Step 3. Select "Open" from the list on the left.

Step 4. Click on "Recent."

Look for your missing Word document in the list of recent documents. If you find it, click on it to open the file.

Method 2. Recover lost Word document with AutoRecover

AutoRecover is a built-in feature of Microsoft Office, which supports automatically saving the Word document you are editing within a custom time. If you have enabled AutoRecover, you can use it to recover unsaved Word documents.

Step 1. Follow the saving path.

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

Step 2. Set file names.

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

Step 3. Enter Word and start to recover.

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".

Step 4. Use AutoRecover to recover lost Word documents.

Manual active the AutoRecover: Click “File” > “Options” > “Save”. Then tick “Save AutoRecover information every x minutes” > “Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving” > “OK”.

Method 3. Recover disappeared Word documents via data recovery expert

The above methods are useful if you or your system accidentally deleted the document. Windows occasionally creates automatic backups of your files, which can be a treasure trove when you need to recover lost data. However, if all Windows tools fail to help you recover lost Word files, how can you retrieve lost files back?

Here, we use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It is a versatile software solution known for its compatibility with various file systems, including NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS, ensuring it seamlessly integrates with Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.

This tool can effortlessly retrieve deleted or lost data from a spectrum of storage devices, encompassing HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and other storage mediums, allowing for the retrieval of multiple data types such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, photos, videos, audio files, emails, web pages, and compressed files.

With its automatic quick scan and deep scan features, it takes the guesswork out of data retrieval, swiftly and comprehensively scouring your storage devices to locate all deleted data, making it an indispensable tool for safeguarding your valuable information.

Step 1. Download the data recovery tool.

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

Step 2. Choose a target drive to scan.

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

Step 3. Preview all files.

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. Select a recovery path.

Please select a path to save recovered documents.

Step 5. Finish the recovery.

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

Conclusion

Now you know why your saved Word documents disappeared. Losing a saved Word document is an unfortunate event, but with the right tools and methods, you can recover your important files. While Microsoft Word offers built-in solutions for recent documents and file restoration, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional takes data recovery to the next level.

This powerful third-party tool not only helps recover lost files but also provides comprehensive partition management features. It is designed to assist users in managing partitions on their hard drives effectively. You can clone disk, MBR/GPT data-safe conversion, clean junk files, move installed apps, etc.