Recover Past Microsoft Word Docs Mac

like these Disasters happen every day! If you’re looking for how to recover a Word document on Mac, you’re in the right place. This article covers all the detailed guide to recover the previous version of Word document on Mac with Office history versions, restore unsaved Word document on Mac from AutoRecover folder and use the professional software to retrieve deleted/lost Word documents on Mac. You just need to skip to the right part you’re looking for and follow the steps there to achieve your goal. Let’s start to recover Word document on Mac now!

Select Start, type the document name in the Start Search box (.doc or.docx), and then press Enter. If the File list contains the document, double-click the document to open it in Word. If the File list does not contain the file, go to Method 2. To be honest, the theory for how to recover the previous version of Word document on Mac is similar to the autoSave/autoRecover in Microsoft Word. In fact, whenever you edit, duplicate, delete or make a change of a Word document, Microsoft Word will automatically save the previous version there for you, in case you need the previous version. Jan 22, 2013 In this video tutorial we will show you how to recover a word file on mac. In order to recover a word file on mac, open the Microsoft Word. Go to the application preferences.

Jan 22, 2013  In this video tutorial we will show you how to recover a word file on mac. In order to recover a word file on mac, open the Microsoft Word. Go to the application preferences. Describes how to identify a damaged Word document in Microsoft Office Word. Provides steps for how to recover the text and data that is contained in a document. How to troubleshoot damaged documents in Word - Office Microsoft Docs.

Part 1. How to Recover Previous Version of Word Document on Mac for Free

To be honest, the theory for how to recover the previous version of Word document on Mac is similar to the autoSave/autoRecover in Microsoft Word. In fact, whenever you edit , duplicate, delete or make a change of a Word document, Microsoft Word will automatically save the previous version there for you, in case you need the previous version. Here are the steps for how to find previous version of Word Doc on Mac:

A: Recover an old version of Word document on Mac from Office 365

Office 365 is the latest version of Microsoft's Office software. It provides a web service that allows multiple people to collaborate on a task. Therefore, it can better manage the historical version of the Word document. If you're using it and want to Mac Word restore the previous version. You just click the name of the file on the title bar, then select 'Browse Version History' to view all the previous version of Word Doc.

B: Recover previous of Word document on Mac from Office 2011/2016/2018/2020

The old version of Microsoft Office is a native program that allows only one user to use it, and different versions have different ways of finding the previous version of the Word document on Mac.

Open the current Word document, If you're using Office 2016 or 2020 for Mac, please click 'File' > 'Browse Version History'.

If you use another version, please click 'File' > 'Restore' > 'Browse Version History'.

Note: Compared with the previous version, if you haven’t done many changes for the current Word document, you can back to it by pressing the Command & Z buttons at the same time. It helps you undo the changes and recover previous version of Word document on Mac.

Part 2. How to Recover Unsaved Word Document on Mac

There are many scenarios that caused the issue of unsaved Word document: shut down Mac without saving the Word document; the Microsoft Word program crashed and not responsive so that you have to quit it without saving the document; the computer crashed, and you haven’t had time to save the word document at all. Please calm down. It is not a big deal for not being able to save Word document, because solutions available for you to recover unsaved Word document on Mac. First, please note that Microsoft Office has arranged the Word document recovery Mac solution in case of any the up-mentioned scenarios happen. It comes with 2 built-in features: AutoRecover and AutoSave.

AutoRecover allows you to recover an unsaved Word document on Mac which you have edited for more than once. It refers to recover the unsaved Word files which you haven’t saved after making changes on it more than once. This feature appears the next time open the Word document, popping up a reminder, asking you whether you’d like to restore the current Word to the last saved version or not. It’s up to you for restoring to which version.

AutoSave is a built-in tool that automatically saves a new document that you have created but not saved yet. It is enabled by default on your Microsoft Word on Mac. Here are the steps for how to use AutoSave to recover unsaved Word document on Mac.

1. Select 'Go' > 'Go to Folder' in the top menu. Then input '/Users/(username)/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery' to view the unsaved files.

2. Select the auto-saved Word document, copy it to a location on your Mac. At this point, you have successfully recover Word document not saved on Mac.

If you unexpected close other Office applications without saving files on Mac? Don't worry, You can also use the above method to recover unsaved excel file on Mac and recover PowerPoint on Mac.

Part 3. How to Recover Deleted/Lost Word Document on Mac

If you haven’t done any Word document deletion, then you can try Part 1 or Part 2 to lost Word document recovery on Mac. However, if you have lost the Word documents on Mac due to deleted, formatted drive, or emptied the trash, etc, then you should try the following ways to recover deleted Word document on Mac.

Ways 1: Recover Deleted Word Document on Mac from Trash

If you have deleted the Word document, you should know that it is first put into Trash Can. And the validated period for it to stay is 30 days. You can open the trash can, find and select it, and click 'Restore' to save it to the original place. You can also try the spotlight on the very top right if you have remembered its name, search there, find it and drag it to the desktop. If you empty the Mac trash or permanently delete, formatted drive or other reasons due to a lost word file on Mac, you can free try the tool to recover Word document on Mac.

Recover Word File In Mac

Ways 2: Recover Permanently Deleted Word Document on Mac

To restore lost Word Document on Mac with software. It is the most efficient way to recover Word document on Mac for lost or delete files are invisible, you can’t do anything to them without a tool. iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac is such a tool that allows you to scan and recover deleted or lost photos, documents, emails, videos and more from Mac or removable drives. Here are the simple steps for how to recover Word document on Mac.

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Method #1 - Video guide to recover deleted Word Document on Mac

Method #2 - Text Tutorial for How to Recover Word Doc on Mac

First of all, please download the latest version of the Word document recovery Mac Tool by clicking the download button below. Install it as the way you install other software on your Mac.

Step 1. Select the type of file you want to restore

Run the best Mac data recovery software on your Mac. From the main window, you can see all the supported files are selected, the recover word document Mac tool is ready to scan for them. You need to uncheck them, only keep the 'Documents' option selected and click 'Start' to select your drive.

Step 3. Select hard disk/removable drive to scan

All storage devices, as well as external hard drives connected to your Mac, are listed there. Please select the one where you have deleted or lost the Word files and click 'Scan'. A recover Word documents Mac progress bar will tell you how it goes on with the scanning process.

Step 4. Preview and recover Word document on Mac

It only takes a few minutes for this program to scan for the deleted or lost files. After then, you can see the found Word Doc in the result window. Find the one you need and click 'Recover' to save Word documents on your Mac or other drives.

Summary

In this article, you will learn 4 effective ways to recover unsaved, lost and deleted Word document on Mac with detailed steps: [1]recover with AutoRecovery; [2]Recover from Temp folder; [3]Recover from Recovered item in Trash; [4]recover with Word file recovery software.

Accidentally closed Word without saving on Mac? Do you know how to recover unsaved Word documents on Mac? According to the unique features of Microsoft Word for Mac, you may find the unsaved item in the AutoRecovery folder, Temporary folder or Recovered item in Trash. Besides, if you unintentionally lost, deleted or formatted your Word document, you can recover a Word document on Mac with EaseUS Word file recovery software.

Workable SolutionsStep-by-step Troubleshooting
Recover Unsaved Word Document

#1. Recover from the AutoRecovery folder..Full steps
#2. Recover from the TMP folder..Full steps
#3. Recover from the Recover item in Trash..Full steps

Recover Deleted Word Document#4. Recover with Word file recovery software..Full steps

How to Recover Unsaved Word Document on Mac

Embedded with more useful features in certain collaborative situations than Pages, Microsoft Word becomes increasingly popular among Mac computers. Office 365 even allows users to create Word files on their Mac. On one hand, Microsoft Word offers standard DOC or DOCX file formats that are compatible in almost every OS platform; On the other hand, Word 2020, 2019, 2018..2011 is featured with auto-saving, which enables us to recover a Word document before we could hit Save.

Based on the features of Microsoft Word for Mac, there are three potential ways to recover your unsaved Word documents. These methods can also be applied to recover unsaved Excel files on your Mac.

#1. Recover Unsaved Word Docs on Mac with AutoRecovery

The Word for Mac includes an AutoRecovery option. It is turned on by default. The app will automatically save a copy of an open Word file every 10 minutes. If Word freezes while you're working on a document, or if the computer crashes, you can use the AutoRecovery copy to recover unsaved Word document with the changes or additions that you made in your last Word for Mac session.

How To Recover Microsoft Word Document Mac

Guide: How to recover an unsaved Word document

Unlike recovering unsaved Word document in Windows, the file recovery on Mac from the AutoRecovery folder is different.

Step 1. Open 'Finder' on your Mac, then head to 'Go' > 'Go to Folder'.

Recover Deleted Word Document Mac

Step 2. Type: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery and click 'Go'.

Step 3. Open the AutoRecovery folder, locate all the files that start with the words 'AutoRecovery save of'. Select the one you want to recover, rename the file, then add the '.doc' filename extension.

Step 4. Double-click the file. The document now opens in Word for Mac.

Recover Past Microsoft Word Docs Mac Pdf

Step 5. Click the File menu and select 'Save As'. Type a new name for the file into the Name field, select a folder for the file and click the 'Save' button.

#2. Recover Unsaved Word Documents on Mac from TMP Folder

The Word for Mac saves a copy of the unsaved document named as Word Work File in the Temporary folder. Your Mac also temporarily keep files in this folder. Though for many Mac users, it's not easy to find it.

Guide: How to recover an unsaved Word document on Mac

Step 1. Go to 'Applications' > 'Utilities' and double-click 'Terminal'.

Step 2. In Terminal, enter open $TMPDIR and you will be directed to the TMP folder which is used to keep files temporarily.

Step 3. In the TMP folder, find and open the folder named 'TemporaryItems'. In it, right-click the desired unsaved Word files and 'Open with..' Microsoft Word.

Step 4. Save the Word file by clicking on 'File' > 'Save As' and save it to another location.

#3. Recover Unsaved Word Document on Mac from Recovered Item

The Word for Mac temporarily saves documents that the user has not yet saved themselves in a folder named 'Recovered items', located in the Trash. If there are no recovered files, this folder will not appear.

Guide: How to find unsaved Word files on Mac

Step 1. Open 'Trash' by clicking its icon on the dock.

Step 2. Look for a folder labeled 'Recovered items' and click into it to look for your unsaved Word file. If you cannot find it, try the next solution.

#4. Recover Deleted Word Document with Word Recovery Software

The aforementioned three ways are exclusively for saving the file you're currently working on but suddenly disappear before clicking the Save button. To be specific, the methods will only work for files that are in the process of being worked on when they disappeared. Hence, if you lost a Word doc that is already existed by deletion, disk formatting or losing its access, you need to turn to other ways to recover a Word document on Mac.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is third-party specialized Mac data recovery software that can scour your hard drive, external hard drive, SD card, or USB flash drive to find all the lost data that vanishes without a trace on Mac OS X/macOS. It doesn't matter whether you emptied the trash bin or not, the deleted file will show up after you use the program to scan your selected drive.

For the first attempt, we strongly recommend you download its free version. It won't cost you a penny to search for your missing files. And since your problem is only for a few lost Word files, the 2GB recovery limit should be more than enough. The scan & recovery process is very simple, we’ll show you how it works.

Guide: How to recover a Word document on Mac

Step 1. Select the location where your important Word documents were lost and click Scan button.

Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will start immediately a quick scan as well as a deep scan on your selected disk volume. Meanwhile, the scanning results will be presented in the left pane.

Step 3. By Path and Type, you can quickly filter the Word files you've lost earlier. Select the target files and click Recover Now button to get them back at once.

How to Increase the Chance of Unsaved Word Data Recovery

After suffering from the fear of losing your Word documents, you must not want to experience this kind of situation again. Thus, it's necessary for you to know how to avoid losing your Word files. To avoid completely losing your files, you can:

Recover Past Microsoft Word Docs Mac 10

Tip 1. Save the Word Document Whenever You Create a New One

An ever unsaved Word document exists in the computer's RAM, not on the hard disk. Thus, the chances to save a Word Document that has never been saved before are slim. Knowing this should give you a hint that you should save the word document at least once whenever you create a new one.

Microsoft Open the downloaded apk file and installSign in is easy, convenient, and secure when you use Microsoft Authenticator. You simply have to enter your username, then approve the notification sent to your phone. Use your phone, not your password, to log into your Microsoft account.

Tip 2. Change the AutoSave Interval

Recover Microsoft Word Document Mac

After you save your Word document, the AutoSave feature will begin to work. To minimize the loss of the progress on the file you are working, you can change the frequency of AutoSave:

Recover Past Microsoft Word Docs Machine

Step 1. Open Microsoft Word on your Mac.

Step 2. Go to 'Word' > 'Preferences' and click 'Save' under Output and Sharing.

Recover Past Microsoft Word Docs Mac 10

Step 3. Check all the items under Save Options (Recommended) and change the interval of AutoSave, for example, from every 10 minutes to every 5 minutes.

If you follow the two tips above, you will substantially decrease the risk of losing your Word documents. What if you carelessly deleted your important Word files on your Mac? No worry. Try the free method to retrieve permanently deleted Word documents with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.