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How to Recover a Word Document After Selecting Do Not Save on Mac
Question details
The user needs to recover content from a Microsoft Word document on a Mac after accidentally closing the file without saving the changes.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- Mac
- Scenario
- Closing a Word document and mistakenly clicking the 'Do Not Save' prompt instead of saving the recent edits.
- Observed behavior
- The recent modifications to the document are lost, and newly created unsaved content cannot be found in the recent files list.
Before proceeding, determine if the document was previously saved at least once or if it was an entirely new file, as completely new and unsaved documents are much harder to recover from system memory.
Locate and Restore from the Mac AutoRecovery Folder
Microsoft Word for Mac periodically saves temporary copies of your work in a hidden AutoRecovery folder, which is the most reliable place to find unsaved edits.
The AutoRecover feature runs in the background while you edit. If you accidentally close a file without saving, the system might have preserved a snapshot of your progress just minutes before.
Open Finder on your Mac. Click on the 'Go' menu in the top Apple menu bar, then select 'Go to Folder'.
Type the path '~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery' into the search box and press Return.
Look for files that begin with 'AutoRecovery save of' followed by your document's name or a generic document title.
Double-click the file to open it in Word. If your missing text is there, immediately click 'File' > 'Save As' and save it to a secure location on your Mac.
Check the Mac Temporary Folder (TMPDIR)
macOS temporarily caches document data in a dedicated system folder, which can sometimes house unsaved Word files.
Restore from the Mac Trash Bin
When Word creates and deletes temporary backup files during a session, the remnants can sometimes end up in the Trash after you select 'Do Not Save'.
Prevent Lost Work with WPS Office for Mac
Tired of losing your unsaved work when Microsoft Word crashes or when you accidentally hit 'Do Not Save'? Switch to WPS Office. It provides robust auto-backup options, seamless format compatibility, and a lightweight editing environment for your Mac—entirely for free.
- 1. Download the Mac installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installation package tailored for macOS.
- 2. Install and launch: Drag the WPS Office application into your Applications folder, launch it, and open your existing Word files natively.
- 3. Enable Smart Backup: Go to Settings in WPS Writer and configure the Backup Center to automatically save your progress at custom intervals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a Word document on Mac if it was never saved even once?
If you created a completely new document, never saved it, and clicked 'Do Not Save', the text only existed in your Mac's RAM and is generally permanently deleted. Recovery is highly unlikely unless the AutoRecover interval passed and successfully wrote a background cache before you closed it.
How often does AutoRecover save my Word documents on Mac?
By default, Microsoft Word on Mac saves AutoRecover information every 10 minutes. You can shorten this interval to better protect your work by going to Word > Preferences > Save, and lowering the number of minutes for 'Save AutoRecover info every'.
Will Time Machine help me recover a document I just clicked 'Do Not Save' on?
Time Machine can only restore files that were saved to your hard drive during its last backup cycle (usually every hour). If you opened an existing file, made quick edits, and closed it with 'Do Not Save' within the same hour, Time Machine will only have the older version, not your recent edits.
