To recover Numbers files using AutoSave: Navigate to root hard drive Users user’s directory Library Containers com.apple.iWork.Numbers. Right-click on the filecom.apple.iWork.Numbers and click on “ShowPackageContents.” Go to Data Library AutoSave information. There is a possibility of finding your unsaved Numbers file here. There are more ways than ever to get the most out of your community library: In-Building, Contact-Free, and Online. Summer Reading Read (or be read to) for 10 hours this summer to earn a free book!

© Maskot/Getty Images There are a handful of methods you can try to recover a lost Word document. Maskot/Getty Images
  • You may be able to recover an unsaved Microsoft Word document if the document is closed in some fashion without being saved.
  • There are multiple methods for recovering an unsaved Word document, but no one method is guaranteed to work in every situation.
  • To prevent losing your work, you can enable auto-saving in Microsoft Word's settings.
  • Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

If you've ever lost all of your work because you didn't save your Microsoft Word document, you understand how palpable the pain can be.

Fortunately, Word has come a long way since the dark ages of backing up files on floppy disks. Nowadays, if you lose an unsaved Word document, there might still be a way to recover it. The process isn't guaranteed, and you'll likely have to try multiple methods before you find success, but it's better than just giving up.

Here's how to recover an unsaved Word document, as well as enable Word's AutoSave feature to ensure it doesn't happen again.

How to recover an unsaved Word document

As computers and software are complex, there are various ways to recover an unsaved Word document, though not all methods will work in all situations. We recommend testing one method, then moving on to the next method in the list if the first one doesn't work.

Search for the original document in your computer's file list

While you may not be able to recover your most recent additions, you might still be able to access the original version of your document. On a PC, Open the Search bar by pressing the Windows key and type the name of your document. On a Mac, click the spotlight icon in the upper right corner of your desktop. If your document appears in the File list, you can open it by double-clicking it.

© Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider Search in your computer's file list for your missing document. Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider

Check for Word backup files

Sometimes, Microsoft Word will save a backup version of a file without your prompting. Open the folder in which your document was most recently saved and look for a file ending in .wbk or WBK. This is the file type associated with Word backup files.

Look in your computer's Recycle Bin

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The Recycle Bin is where deleted files go before they are removed from your computer's memory. You can find the Recycle Bin on your desktop on a PC, or on your dock on a Mac. Double-click on it to open it and check the contents for your missing document.

Use the Task Manager to trigger auto-recovery


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On a PC, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and click 'Task Manager' to open the Task Manager. Scroll through the Processes tab. When you see Microsoft Word or Winword.exe in the list, click on that process and then click 'End Task.' Do this until you've removed all Word and Winword.exe processes from the list.

On a Mac, click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your desktop, and go to 'Force Quit..' Select Microsoft Word and then click 'Force Quit.'

Then, re-open Microsoft Word. On the left side of the screen, you'll see a tab called 'Document Recovery' - look for your missing document in there. If you find it, click the document to open it and immediately 'Save As,' choosing .docx as the file type.

© Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider On a PC, locate Microsoft Word and Winword.exe in the Task Manager and click 'End Process' for each. Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider

Search for temporary files in your computer's file list

Similar to our first suggestion, type '.tmp' in the Search bar and click on the 'Documents' tab. Compare the dates of the temporary files to your memory of most recently editing your document - .tmp files are not as predictable as regular Word documents, though, so be careful when opening them.

© Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider You can view a temporary file's information to get an idea of whether or not it might be your unsaved document. Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider

Search for files with ~ in the file name

This is essentially the same as the previous method, except you'll be searching '~' instead of '.tmp.'

How to enable AutoSave on a Word document

For future reference, make sure you turn on Microsoft Word's AutoSave function to avoid losing your work. Here's how to do so.

1. With Microsoft Word open, click on the 'File' tab.

2. Click 'Options,' located toward the bottom of the menu.

3. In the window that appears, click 'Save' on the left side menu.

4. From here, you can set specific settings regarding saving your documents, including enabling the AutoSave option. Click 'OK' when you're done.

© Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider Set your AutoSave preferences and click 'OK.' Chrissy Montelli/Business Insider

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

Library Autosave Information Clearinghouse

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This topic applies to Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (on-premises). For the Power Apps version of this topic, see:Disable auto-save in a model-driven app

Auto-save helps people focus on their work without having to manage saving data in the form. Most people will appreciate not having to explicitly save data each time they update a record, but some organizations may have customizations that were designed expecting an explicit save. For these organizations there are options to manage how auto-save is applied.

How auto-save works

By default all main forms for Updated entities and classic entities will have auto-save enabled. After a record is created (initially saved), any changes made to a form will automatically be saved thirty seconds after the change is made. If no changes are made in the form, the automatic save won’t occur while the form is open. After a change is made the 30-second period before an auto-save begins again. The field that someone is currently editing isn’t included in an auto-save. If someone else has updated the same record while you’re editing it, those changes will be retrieved and displayed in the form when auto-save occurs.

With auto-save enabled, the save button only appears for the initial save of the record. After the record is created, the save button in the command bar isn’t shown, but you can see a button in the lower right corner that will show if there are any unsaved changes. This control is also displayed if auto-save is disabled.

You can click this button to save the record and refresh data in the form immediately. When auto-save is enabled the record will be saved whenever you navigate away from a record or close a separate window displaying a record. There is no need for the Save & Close button that appears in forms for entities that aren’t updated.

Important

In the Unified Interface, the auto-save interval for a page will increase if there is an error during auto-save. Also, if an attribute value is changed or there is a successful save, the interval will reset to 30 seconds.

Should you disable auto-save?

If you have plug-ins, workflows, or form scripts that execute when a record is saved, they’ll run each time auto-save occurs. This might lead to undesirable behaviors if these extensions weren’t designed to work with auto-save. Whether auto-save is enabled or not, plug-ins, workflows, and form scripts should be designed to look for specific changes, and shouldn’t execute indiscriminately for each save event.

If you have auditing configured for an entity, each save is treated like a separate update. If someone lingers on a form with unsaved changes for more than thirty seconds, you’ll see an additional entry only if they add more data after the auto-save is performed. If you have reports that depend on auditing data and treat each save as an individual “touch” of a record, you might see an increase in the frequency of touches. If you are using this approach, you should consider that individual user behaviors make it an unreliable metric with or without auto-save enabled.

Disable auto-save for the organization

If you determine that auto-save will cause problems with any extensions you are using, you can disable it for your organization. There is no setting to disable auto-save for individual entities or forms.

  1. Go to Settings > Administration.

  2. Choose System Settings.

  3. For the Enable auto-save for all forms option, select No.

Disable auto-save for a form

If you want to disable auto-save for specific entity forms, you can add code to the OnSave event in an entity.

Note

Auto-save will be disabled for the form, but data will still be saved whenyou click the button in the lower-right corner. If you attempt to navigate away from a form or close a form where data has been changed they will get prompt to save their changes before they are allowed to navigate away or close the form.

Library Autosave Information Clearwater

  1. On the nav bar, choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 > Settings.

    Settings appears on the nav bar.

  2. Go to Settings > Customizations.

  3. Choose Customize the System.

  4. Under Components, expand Entities and locate the entity for the form.

  5. Expand the entity node and choose Forms.

  6. Open the form you want to edit.

  7. Create a JavaScript web resource and add it to the form:

    1. In the form editor, in the Form group, choose Form Properties. Soundtrack spiderman spider verse torrent.

    2. On the Events tab, below Form Libraries choose Add.

    3. In the Look Up Record dialog box, choose New.

    4. Enter the following information in the web resource form:

      NamepreventAutoSave
      Display NamePrevent Auto Save
      TypeScript (JScript)
    5. Next to the Type field, choose Text Editor.

    6. In the Source field, paste the following code:

    7. Choose OK to close the text editor.

    8. Choose Save to save the web resource and then close the web resource window.

    9. In the Look Up Record dialog the new web resource you created will be selected. Choose Add to close the dialog.

  8. Configure the OnSave event:

    1. In the Form Properties window, in the Event Handlers section, set Event to OnSave.

    2. Click Add.

    3. In the Handler Properties window, set Library to the web resource you added in the previous step.

    4. Type ‘preventAutoSave’ in the Function field. This is case sensitive. Do not include quotation marks.

    5. Make sure that Enabled is checked.

    6. Check Pass execution context as first parameter.

      Important

      If you do not do this the script will not work.

      The Handler Properties dialog should look like this. The customization prefix: “new_” may vary based on the customization prefix set for the default publisher for your organization.

    1. Click OK to close the Handler Properties dialog.

    2. If there are any other event handlers for the OnSave event, use the green arrows to move this one to the top.

  9. Click OK to close the Form Properties dialog.

  10. Click Save and Close to close the form.

  11. In the solution explorer, click Publish All Customizations.

    After you apply this script to the OnSave event, when people edit a record using this form the message unsaved changes will appear in the bottom right corner of the form just as it would if auto-save was not disabled. But this message will not go away until people click the button next to it.

See also

Create and design forms
Design considerations for main forms
How main forms appear in different clients
Optimize form performance