Accidentally delete your work? Or save it somewhere and you can’t find it? Or the power went out? Before you start frantically emailing your professor, follow these steps:
- Send out a search party.
In Windows, clickStart,Search,All files and folders.
Type what you remember of the name or simply*.docto get all your Word documents.
SelectMy ComputerunderLook in, and then underMore advanced options, make sureSearch hidden files and foldersis checked.
Then hitSearch. - Still no luck? Check your Recycle Bin.
Open it up and look through whatever files you’ve got. Did you find it? If so, right-click and chooseRestore. Then if you’re not sure where it actually restored to, perform a search for it. - Or you can pray for AutoRecover.
Sometimes if Word crashes or closes unexpectedly, it’ll still save what you had. Re-open Word. If a Document Recovery task pane comes up, double-click your document to open it and immediatelySave As. - Search for AutoRecover files, yourself.
In Word, go toTools, thenOptions.
Under theFile Locationstab, double-clickAutoRecover filesand make a note of that path location.
ClickCancelandClose.
Open up that folder in My Computer or Windows Explorer and search for any.asdfiles. (Or another way to do this would be to run a search similar to step one but with*.asdinstead of *.doc) - If you have Word set to automatically back-up your documents, there’s still a chance here. Check the original folder for any .wbk file.
In Word, clickFile, thenOpen.
Navigate to the folder you think the file used to be located in and make sureAll Files *.*is selected.
Is there any .wbk file there? Select it and see if it’s what you’re looking for. - Still no dice? Send out a *.wbk search party.
This step is the same as the first search party step, but now search for*.wbkfiles. You might find a few. Open them up, one by one. - Or search your temporary files.
Again, this is like step one. But search for*.TMPfiles this time. You’ll come up with a lot, so change theWhen was it modified?to the last week or so. - Or search even more of your temporary files.
Some temporary files like to be unique. Search for those with~*.*this time. - Open up C:\Documents and Settings\*USERNAME*\Local Settings\Temp
This is a hidden folder, so you’ll probably have to use Windows Explorer. HitStart, thenAll Programs.
Go toAccessories, thenWindows Explorer. Navigate to that folder, where *USERNAME* is whatever your computer calls you. Do you see your document in that folder?
If none of those steps work, there are also programs that will help you recover deleted files. So this is the 10th and final option.
What’s important to understand here is that if you delete something, it doesn’t actually get deleted. Rather, it sits in a pile waiting to be overwritten. So the best way to recover a deleted file would be to try to find it right away –before it’s overwritten.
If you’d like to use a program, I’d recommend: Restoration, Undelete +, or Recuva. All are free. [There’s also a newcomer to the scene for Windows, UndeleteMyFiles. Thanks Lifehacker! ~Kelly, 6/25/08]
I hope this helps. And remember: Jesus saves, but Buddha does incremental back-ups.
So, to turn on the automatic back-up feature in Word, check out Tools, Options, and the Save tab.
Jason Shore
on October 17, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
One could also try using Recuva (pronounced “recover”) if the document was accidentally (or purposely) deleted. It’s a freeware app, from the creators of CCleaner. It can also restore files from bugs, viruses, or crashes. It’s a pretty handy app that you hope you never have to use.
http://www.recuva.com/
Kelly Sutton
on October 18, 2007 @ 12:36 am
Or you can just write in Google Docs… okay, okay I’ll stop.
Rosario Doriott
on October 18, 2007 @ 5:06 am
@Jason: From the post:
“If you’d like to use a program, I’d recommend: Restoration, Undelete +, or Recuva. All are free.”
Did you mean a different program?
How To: Recover a Deleted Word Document · TechBlogger
on October 19, 2007 @ 7:02 am
[…] recovery, too.) If not, turn it on in the Tools menu’s Options dialog’s Save tab. 10 Ways to Find a Lost Word .doc […]
foo
on October 19, 2007 @ 7:10 am
very windowsish-tipps … if you use linux, you have all your backups where you want them. At first, backup-files (if configured) of the last version als filename.odf~ in the same dir, or backups on your backup-medium, where you backup your files each (day|week|…)
TC
on October 19, 2007 @ 7:41 am
@foo: Good luck finding “Word .doc”s (per article title) on your linux system …
10 Ways to Find a Lost Word .doc « Hartness Library System
on October 19, 2007 @ 7:54 am
[…] 10 Ways to Find a Lost Word .doc [HackCollege] […]
cypher
on October 19, 2007 @ 8:07 am
I rely on Google DeskTop.
This app works marvels. It searches way better than the normal search feature, and also stored cached copies of your document, once deleted.
Frankly, what else would you need ?
Speedmaster
on October 19, 2007 @ 8:14 am
Useful post, thanks.
My Ghillie » 10 Ways to Find a Lost Word .doc | HackCollege
on October 19, 2007 @ 9:04 am
[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerpt […]
palinode
on October 19, 2007 @ 9:16 am
Also, if you lose the document at work, your IT department may have a recent backup handy. But doing it yourself is so much more fun.
Ghillie Suits » 10 Ways to Find a Lost Word .doc | HackCollege
on October 19, 2007 @ 9:29 am
[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerpt […]
Bob
on October 19, 2007 @ 9:29 am
What about other operating systems?
Jason Shore
on October 19, 2007 @ 9:29 am
@Rosario
Whoops must have overlooked that part. Sorry! Great post btw!
subcorpus
on October 19, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
great article … hope all of these tips come to mind when i’m frantically searching for a .doc …
anyways … it would be nice if you could tell how to perform the same search on a mac …
Usersky Daily News Network » How To: Recover a Deleted Word Document
on October 19, 2007 @ 3:42 pm
[…] recovery, too.) If not, turn it on in the Tools menu’s Options dialog’s Save tab. 10 Ways to Find a Lost Word .doc […]
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on October 19, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
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on October 21, 2007 @ 5:31 am
[…] don´t seem to be able to find a back-up copy. Lifehacker’s How-to with a good link to “10 ways to find a lost word doc“. I somewhat assume that this also applies in parts to other documents of the Office package, […]
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on October 21, 2007 @ 8:32 am
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on October 31, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
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on November 6, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
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sufyan
on November 12, 2007 @ 4:20 am
Thanks dear, your recovery method really works. I just recored one very important file which i deleted by mistake. thankfully i recovered it in the 5th step.
Sildi?iniz bir Word döküman?n? kurtar?n » SEFA YAPICI
on November 17, 2007 @ 2:21 pm
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on November 22, 2007 @ 3:33 am
know how recover doc file - recover doc file, this tool can recover information from corrupted Microsoft Word documents and templates located on corrupted media (floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, Zip drives, etc.), Export the recovered information both to Microsoft Word and to a plain text file.
Ben
on November 29, 2007 @ 8:32 am
I just recently had to find a document for my wife - and just for those searching…She was OPENING (not saving) a .doc attachment from an e-mail, altered the files and clicked ‘Save’ - not Save-As. So thinking the file was saved where she wanted it - she clicked close. After doing some research, the location Word stores these temp shortcut files that are opened and not saved: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Recent. Once you find the shortcut, Rt Click > Properties > Find Target. Just FYI
Thank You Thank You
on December 10, 2007 @ 10:54 pm
Wow thanks Ben… I had the same problem.. for me though I found the file in . \Application DaTa\Local Temp
I hate word… this always happens to me when I am working on my paper the night before its due
Vivek Chauhan
on December 11, 2007 @ 6:55 am
My saved Word document vanished before my very eyes when I tried to save it for some 34-35th time. An error box popped, and whoosh….it disappeared never to be found in the most intricate and hidden directories.
Solution: Have Google Desktop installed. It’s a life saver. Found almost 90% of my work through Google Desktop. Microsoft sucks. Google Ahoy.
Making Friends Out There | geek stew
on January 19, 2008 @ 10:39 am
[…] 10 Ways to Find a Lost Word Doc […]
Vincent's Tip's & Trick's
on January 24, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
That’s a great tip, You better expect a pingback coming your way;)
Cheers
Vincent
The World of Office, XP and Vista Tips and Tricks.
3 Essential Productivity Reads To Survive College — Grad School Journal
on January 29, 2008 @ 11:54 am
[…] Hack College, humor and wisdom rolled into a jelly donut Favorite Post: 10 Ways to find a lost word doc […]
Mark
on February 9, 2008 @ 7:12 am
Thank you so much! You helped me recover something very important and now I really know the value of backing everything up!
Alex
on February 19, 2008 @ 5:14 am
Hi there. I found a review of RECOVER(By Brian Kato) in http://www.thereviews4u.com
It seems pretty easy to use and effective. You can give it a try if you think you deleted your file recently.
Also you can use Google Desktop too to find it (but you have to complete an indexacion first)
Good Luck.
Penny Stock
on February 28, 2008 @ 3:30 am
I think 1st and the 4th point are the good option.
the 1880 » Blog » FUCK. You’ve lost your Word document?
on March 27, 2008 @ 7:27 pm
[…] Read more @ HackCollege […]
Anonymous
on April 2, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
Northern Nurses In The Civil War…
Northern Nurses In The Civil War…
Paulo
on April 6, 2008 @ 6:46 am
excellent info but no joy ;(
I opened a doc from hotmail…modified it…and then saved it but when i looked for it - nothing! Can’t find any trace of it anywhere….not in word, not listed under recent docs, no temp file….like I said nothing!
The worst bit is that I can’t figure out what happened and it’s driving me nutz!!!
Advokat
on April 13, 2008 @ 12:36 am
Hi there,
This is some pretty cool thing you got going here. Gonna check out the remaining site pages to see if there are any updates.
Cheers!
Kate
on April 20, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
Thank you! Your search for *.asd files advice yielded the document I thought I’d lost. Many, many thanks.
Dawn
on April 21, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
Thank you soooooo much! I thought I lost my statistics homework with tons of hand calculations, etc. It would have taken me hours to recreate. Number 9 completely saved the day!!!
Katie
on May 1, 2008 @ 4:56 am
Thank you so much! I am so impressed. I tried the first couple, then skipped down to 9 and retrieved my poor lil bro’s paper for him! I was so surprised when it actually appeared I jumped out of my chair. haha
Ways to save for College » Blog Archive » God’s existence - Accounts of pre-mortal existence
on May 1, 2008 @ 7:46 pm
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Alex S
on May 9, 2008 @ 8:24 am
Thanks for the information. It made interesting reading but I still can’t find my file.
I saved a document on my dektop and then emailed it to myself so that I could work on it at home. Then I emailed it back to myself thismorning so that I could work on it some more in the office. I opened it from Outlook and have been saving it regularly all day but now when I try to re-open it, none of the changes have been saved!
Oh well, I have set Word to make automatic back ups now.
You live and learn eh?
Ways to save for College » Blog Archive » Ways to save for college - Collingwood College
on May 9, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
[…] 10 Ways to Find a Lost Word .doc | HackCollege HackCollege.com is a lifehacking site for college students. 10 Ways to Save a Lost Word .doc - a must for any student who does rely on Word, […]
Monty
on May 13, 2008 @ 9:23 am
If you know the name of the file, goto Command Prompt in Start>Accessories
change to your C: drive, and at the C:\> prompt type,
dir myfilename*.doc /s /a /p
Alina
on May 15, 2008 @ 2:02 am
omg. i love you so much right now
Shark
on June 6, 2008 @ 7:52 am
I lost a file off a corrupted floppy disk! Still trying to find it, so fingers crossed, but this has kept be from breaking down into tears…
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on June 29, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
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