How to Restore Accidentally Closed Word Without Saving? [2023 Solved]

While working on this technical article, there are a few instances that I accidentally closed Word without saving it. Thanks to my technical skills and resources, I was able to get back the file just in time. A power interruption, accidental closing, and a corrupted file are just a few scenarios that can affect the way you use MS Word.

But don’t worry, there are a handful of ways on how to restore a Word file without getting frustrated. Everyone is busy with working from home and homeschooling and MS Word is perhaps the most used program on the computer.

And it also has the most frequent concerns regarding saving, accidental closing, and even recovery. MS Word has come a long way when talking about backup. So, before you get mad at yourself for accidentally quitting Word without saving the changes, read this guide.

Part 1. Recover MS Word File from Recent Documents Part 2. Restore an Accidentally Closed MS Word from Temporary Files (MS Word 2013)Part 3. Trigger Auto Recovery via Task Manager to Recover MS Word Part 4. Bonus Tip: Recover a Deleted MS Word with FoneDog Data RecoveryPart 5. Conclusion

Part 1. Recover MS Word File from Recent Documents

Whether you are using Word for study or work, one thing is common, there are times that you accidentally closed Word without saving it, right? And this is the most devastating feeling especially when you are good to go with whatever you are working on.

Luckily, the file you are working with is not really gone, just yet. MS Word has an option to recover recent files without doing any advanced troubleshooting.

Here are the steps on how to recover unsaved Word documents from recent documents:

1. Launch a blank or new MS Word.
2. Click File from the Menu (MS 2013) or click the Word icon (MS Word 2007).
3. If you are using MS Word 2007, just simply find the recent Word document you were working with from the Recent Document tab after clicking the Word icon.
4. For MS Word 2013, click Info and go to Manage Documents. Click Recover Unsaved Documents.
5. Find the document you need to recover and click Open.

Once you have successfully recovered the file, don’t forget to hit the save button!

Part 2. Restore an Accidentally Closed MS Word from Temporary Files (MS Word 2013)

The next thing you can do to restore an accidentally closed Word without saving is by accessing the temporary files. This method is a bit tricky and technical, but you can still go along by following these steps:

1. Open MS Word and select File. Choose Options and click Save.
2. Under the Save Document section, navigate to ‘Autorecover File Location’. Then Copy the file location path and paste it on your File Explorer. Usually, the unsaved document is saved as .asd extension.
3. Open Word again and go to File, then Open, and click Recover Unsaved Documents, paste the .asd file in the file name area and click Open. Check if the contents are ok and save the file this time.
4. If you encounter an error while saving, repeat these steps and click "Open and Repair" from the unsaved documents window.

Turn on Autosave on MS Word 2013 and 2007

As the saying goes it’s always better to be safe than sorry, you can avoid getting stressed and frustrated the next time you accidentally closed Word without saving. Thanks to the autosave feature that’s available on MS Word 2013 version.

By default, this feature is turned on but just in case you want to know how and where to find it, follow these steps:

1. Launch MS Word 2013
2. Go to File
3. Toggle the Autosave bar on

MS Word 2007

1. Open MS Word, go to File or click the Microsoft icon
2. Click Word Options, find and select Save
3. Check the box beside Save Autorecover Information Every
4. Set the time-frequency and click OK

Once you have enabled autosave, you are now confident that even if you forget to hit the save button, your file is still safe.

Part 3. Trigger Auto Recovery via Task Manager to Recover MS Word

Even if you don’t have some technical background, you can still troubleshoot any time as long as you are familiar with a few steps. This next method you can do to recover an accidentally closed Word without saving is by ending a task on Task Manager.

Check these out:

1. Launch Task Manager. You can use the CTRL + ALT + DEL and click on the Task Manager. You can also point your mouse on the taskbar and right-click, scroll and click Task Manager
2. Under the Processes tab, find the MS Word or Winword.exe
3. Click End Task
4. Reopen MS Word and find Document Recovery
5. Once you found the accidentally closed Word file, save it immediately

You may notice that the recovered Word file may not contain the most recent changes you did but still thankful that the entire document is still there.

Part 4. Bonus Tip: Recover a Deleted MS Word with FoneDog Data Recovery

If the three methods above failed and it seemed that the Word file is gone or deleted, then don’t get upset yet. There is still hope in the form of recovery software.

The most ideal recovery software in this situation is FoneDog Data Recovery. It offers two kinds of data scans, Quick and Deep scans to allow you to retrieve your lost files efficiently.

FoneDog Data Recovery software is able to retrieve images, audio, documents, email, videos, and more. This recovery tool scans your computer’s hard drive disk, a removable disk, and even the recycle bin.

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You also have an option to selectively choose the desired file type and location for faster recovery. To find out more on how you can recover files with FoneDog Data Recovery, download and try the free trial version.

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Part 5. Conclusion

Knowing what to do in times like this can save you from terrible heartache. Imagine what would have happened if I wasn’t able to recover my Word file. I wouldn’t be able to share with you the 3 essential ways that helped me restore an accidentally closed Word without saving.

You can try any of these methods to see which among them works best for your concern. Remember to turn on the autosave the next time you are working with MS Word.

And if things fail and the file is nowhere to be found, you can rely on FoneDog Data Recovery software. It’s perfect for retrieving files such as MS Word.