File Corruption & Recovery

How to Recover Unsaved Word and Excel Work After a Mac Shutdown

Emma Brown Oct 10, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user lost up to two days of unsaved work in Word and Excel following an unexpected Mac shutdown, and neither built-in recovery features nor third-party disk recovery software could locate the files.

How to Recover Unsaved Word and Excel Work After a Mac Shutdown

Product: Microsoft Word and Excel
Device & OS: macOS
Scenario: Attempting to retrieve document progress that disappeared after a sudden system shutdown or crash.
Observed behavior: Despite AutoSave being enabled, no recovery files appeared upon reopening the applications, and disk recovery tools failed to find the missing data.

Before you start

Determine whether your original document was saved locally on your Mac or in a cloud service like OneDrive or SharePoint, as this dictates which recovery method to use.

Solution 1Recommended

Check the AutoRecover Folder for Locally Saved Files

If you initially saved your document to your Mac's local hard drive, you can use the AutoRecover feature to find temporary backups.

AutoRecover is a built-in feature for locally saved files. It periodically saves a copy of your open document in a hidden system folder. If your file remained completely unsaved (never named or saved once) for two days, an AutoRecover file might not exist, but it is always worth checking.

Open Finder and navigate to the Go menu

Click on your desktop to activate Finder, then click 'Go' in the top Mac menu bar and select 'Go to Folder'.

Access the Word or Excel AutoRecovery folder

Type '~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery' and press Return. For Excel, use 'com.microsoft.Excel' in place of 'com.microsoft.Word'.

Locate and restore your file

Look for files starting with 'AutoRecovery save of...'. If you find your missing document, drag it to your desktop, open it in Word or Excel, and immediately save it via 'File' > 'Save As'.

Check the AutoRecover Folder for Locally Saved Files

Hidden Library Folder: The Library folder is hidden by default on macOS. Using the 'Go to Folder' shortcut is the most direct way to access it without unhiding system files.

Solution 2

Check OneDrive or SharePoint Version History (AutoSave)

If AutoSave was enabled, your file was likely stored in Microsoft's cloud services, and you can recover it online.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Prevent Data Loss with WPS Office for Mac

Worried about losing unsaved work in Microsoft Office? Switch to WPS Office. It is a highly compatible, free, and lightweight Office alternative that features intelligent local Auto-Backup to keep your work safe during unexpected Mac shutdowns.

1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website, download the Mac installer, and drag the app into your Applications folder.
2. Open Your Existing Files: Launch WPS Office and open your existing Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents directly without losing formatting.
3. Enable Local Backup Features: Navigate to WPS Office settings and configure the Auto-Backup interval to automatically save your progress locally as you work.

Seamless compatibility with Microsoft Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) formatsBuilt-in, easy-to-configure local Auto-Backup to prevent data lossLightweight architecture that runs smoothly on macOS without draining system resourcesFree to use with a familiar, user-friendly tabbed interface

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between AutoSave and AutoRecover in Microsoft Office?

AutoSave is a cloud-based feature that continuously saves your work in real-time to OneDrive or SharePoint. AutoRecover is a local safety feature that periodically creates a temporary backup file on your Mac's hard drive in case the application crashes.

Why didn't my disk recovery software find the missing Word or Excel file?

Disk recovery software searches your hard drive for remnants of deleted files. If the document was never manually saved to your disk in the first place, or if it was stored in the cloud via AutoSave, there is no physical file data on the local drive for the software to recover.

Can I recover a file if I left it open for two days without saving?

If a document is never saved initially, AutoRecover may fail to create a reliable permanent backup. After an unexpected shutdown, if the temporary application cache is cleared or overwritten upon restart, the unsaved progress over those two days is typically permanently lost.

How can I change the AutoRecover save interval in Office for Mac?

Open Word or Excel, click on the application name in the top Mac menu bar, and select 'Preferences'. Under 'Output and Sharing', click 'Save' and adjust the 'Save AutoRecover info every X minutes' setting to a shorter time frame (e.g., every 5 minutes).

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