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Sometimes we get too engrossed in our work and forget to save files until an issue occurs, and then we frantically search for solutions. However, if you're reading this article, you won't have to worry about that because the guide on recovering Word, Excel, PowerPoint files not saved in time will help you get everything back.
Can you recover unsaved Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files?
However, there's a feature in the Office suite that you might not be aware of, allowing users to recover unsaved Word, Excel, PowerPoint files. All these features are pre-activated and can be customized to help users recover and retrieve Word, Excel, PowerPoint files with various options.
1. Recover unsaved PowerPoint files
- For PowerPoint 2019 version
PowerPoint 2019 is the latest version currently available. However, the process of recovering PowerPoint 2019 files is straightforward. Check out the article below for quick reference.
- Explore more: How to recover unsaved PowerPoint 2019 files
- For PowerPoint 2013, 2016 versions
The process for PowerPoint 2013, 2016 is similar to Word 2013, 2016. Readers can follow similar steps. Firstly, click on File > choose Open > here you will see Recover Unsaved Presentations, the place to recover PowerPoint files not saved in time.
- For PowerPoint 2007, 2010 versions
The process for PowerPoint 2007, 2010 is similar to Word 2007, 2010. Readers can follow similar steps as in the Word section above. Simply open the PowerPoint file, click on File > Choose Recent > Select Recover Unsaved Presentations.
2. Recover unsaved Word files
- For Word 2013, 2016 versions
Step 1: To recover unsaved Word files, first, open a new Word document, then click on File.
Step 2: In the File menu, click on Open, and you'll find the Recover Unsaved Documents section. That's where you can retrieve Word files not saved in time.
Step 3: Here, the system will list out abruptly closed and unsaved files. To reopen them, simply select Open.
Step 4: Immediately, the file will open with all the previous content you worked on. Now, click on Save As to save the file permanently.
- For Word 2007, 2010 versions
Step 1: Similar to above, open any Word 2007, 2010 file and choose the File tab.
Step 2: In the File section, there's a slight difference compared to Word 2013, 2016. Here, we have to select the Recent tab before accessing Recover Unsaved Documents.
Step 3: Similarly, just choose the file to recover unsaved Word files.
3. Recover unsaved Excel files
- For Excel 2013, 2016 versions
The process for Excel 2013, 2016 is similar to Word 2013, 2016. Readers can follow similar steps. Firstly, click on File > choose Open > here you will see Recover Unsaved Workbooks, the place to retrieve Excel files not saved in time.
- For Excel 2007, 2010 versions
The process for Excel 2007, 2010 is similar to Word 2007, 2010. Readers can follow similar steps as in the Word section above.
Simply open the Excel file, click on File > Choose Recent > Select Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
4. Set up automatic saving for Word, Excel, PowerPoint files
If you can't recover unsaved Word files, it means Word, Excel, PowerPoint has disabled that feature. Although it rarely happens because it's usually enabled by default, whether it's on or off, we still need to know exactly where it is.
Note: In the following guide, we'll use Word as an example, but it can apply to both Excel and PowerPoint.
- For Word 2013, 2016 versions
Step 1: To activate the automatic saving mode for Word files, navigate to the Options section in Word.
Step 2: Here, go to the Save section, and there are two lines to check:
- Save AutoRecover information every: Automatically saves the file at regular intervals (default is every 10 minutes).
- Keep the last AutoRecovered version if close without saving: Automatically restores the last working version before closing the file without saving.
- For Word 2007, 2010 versions
Step 1: Similar to above, to activate the automatic saving mode for Word files, go to the Options section in Word.
Step 2: Here, proceed to the Save section, and there are two lines to check:
- Save AutoRecover information every: Automatically saves the file at regular intervals (default is every 10 minutes).
- Keep the last AutoRecovered version if close without saving: Automatically restores the last working version before closing the file without saving.
Above is a guide on how to recover Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files when closed without saving. The built-in feature in the Office suite will help you retrieve files anytime without worrying about data loss.
However, that covers recovering Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files when closed without saving. For those dealing with issues opening Word files due to continuous error messages, you can refer to our article here. It provides guidance on fixing Word file errors to understand the reasons and how to resolve them.
