Unsaved word file

Alicia Bonifacio 0 Reputation points
2026-05-27T22:39:16.67+00:00

How to retrieve my unsaved word file in the app word ??

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Android
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  1. Ferdinand Nanalig 31,150 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-27T23:22:19.79+00:00

    Hi! Let me help you.

    Do you have OneDrive on your phone?

    Please check the Word directory on your Android phone to see if it stores temporary files.

    Click on the File Manager (Yellow folder), and then try checking this path on your SD card /Android/data/com.microsoft.office.word/files/. See if you have an Autorecover folder, and try to locate any file with .tmp extension, when you find it, rename the extension to .docx and copy or move it to a different location and then open it using your Word app.

    Or check if the document is in the Recycle bin.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-27T22:39:26.15+00:00

    On Word for Android, an unsaved file can only be recovered if Word created an AutoRecover/temporary copy and offers it when the app is next opened. Use these steps:

    1. Reopen the Word app on Android.
    2. Check if a Document Recovery or Recovered file prompt appears. If it does, open the recovered file and immediately use Save or Save As to store it in OneDrive or on the device.
    3. If no recovery prompt appears and the document was never saved (no file name, never stored to OneDrive/SharePoint/This device), there is no supported way to retrieve it.
    4. To reduce data loss in the future, save new documents early to OneDrive or SharePoint and keep AutoSave turned on where available.

    If the document had been saved previously (for example in OneDrive or SharePoint) and then changes were lost, use version history or file-recovery options in that storage service rather than in the Word app itself.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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