File Corruption & Recovery

How to Recover an Unsaved Word File Accidentally Closed on Mac

Emma Brown Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to recover unsaved work after accidentally closing a Microsoft Word document on a Mac before saving it.

How to Recover an Unsaved Word File Accidentally Closed on Mac

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Mac
Scenario: Closing a working document without saving the recent changes.
Observed behavior: The file was closed without being saved, and upon reopening, the recently typed content is entirely missing.

Before you start

Before attempting recovery, do not create, save, or edit any new Microsoft Word documents, as doing so might overwrite the temporary recovery files stored on your Mac's hard drive.

Solution 1Recommended

Locate the Hidden AutoRecovery Folder on Mac

Use the Finder to access Word's hidden AutoRecovery folder, which temporarily saves your work in progress at regular intervals.

Microsoft Word for Mac has a built-in AutoRecover feature that periodically saves a copy of your document in the background. If the application or window was closed unexpectedly, you can often find a temporary backup here.

Open the Go to Folder menu

Click on the Finder icon in your Dock. In the top Apple menu bar, click on 'Go' and select 'Go to Folder' from the dropdown menu (or press Shift + Command + G).

Enter the AutoRecovery path

Type or paste the following path exactly: ~/Library/Containers/Microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery and hit Return. (The '~' symbol automatically routes to your Mac username).

Locate and open your file

Look for files that begin with 'AutoRecovery save of' followed by your document name. Double-click the file to open it in Microsoft Word.

Save the recovered document

If this is the missing file, immediately go to 'File' > 'Save As' in the top menu bar to save it to a safe location like your Desktop or Documents folder.

Locate the Hidden AutoRecovery Folder on Mac

Missing AutoRecovery Files: If the AutoRecovery folder is empty, Word may not have had enough time to trigger an automatic save before the file was closed, or you may have clicked 'Don't Save', which deletes the temporary file.

Solution 2

Check Recent Files and OneDrive Backups

If you had AutoSave enabled and were working from a cloud location, you can retrieve the latest synchronized version.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Never Lose Your Work Again with WPS Office for Mac

Tired of dealing with lost progress and complex recovery paths? WPS Office is a highly compatible, free, and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office that offers intuitive auto-backup features to keep your documents safe.

1. Download and Install: Get the free WPS Office for Mac installer from the official website and move it to your Applications folder.
2. Open Your Word Files: Launch WPS Office and simply drag and drop your existing .docx files into the workspace to continue editing seamlessly.
3. Enable Local Auto-Backup: Go to the WPS Settings menu and enable Auto-Backup to ensure your work is always safely backed up on your local drive.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) formats.Smart Auto-Backup feature runs locally to prevent unexpected data loss.Lightweight design that opens large documents instantly on Mac devices.Free to use with a familiar user interface for a seamless transition.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn't AutoRecover save my Word document on my Mac?

AutoRecover only saves your file at specific timed intervals (typically every 10 minutes). If you created a new document and accidentally closed it before that first 10-minute interval was reached, no temporary file was generated.

Can I recover a Word document if I clicked 'Don't Save'?

Clicking 'Don't Save' actively instructs your Mac and Microsoft Word to delete any temporary AutoRecover files associated with that specific session. Because of this, recovering unsaved changes after clicking 'Don't Save' is usually impossible unless you have a third-party time machine backup running continuously.

Where do I turn on AutoSave to prevent this in the future?

In Microsoft Word for Mac, the 'AutoSave' toggle is located in the top-left corner of the window. However, this switch can only be turned on if you save the document to a Microsoft cloud service like OneDrive or SharePoint first.

Document & File Issues