Accidentally Clicked Don't Save Word Mac? Recover Unsaved Word
Problem - Accidentally Clicked Don't Save Word on Mac
I accidentally clicked "Don't Save" while closing an MS Word document on my Mac. So I lost 10+ pages of work! Please help me recover unsaved Word documents.
In case you are one of the users who accidentally pressed don't save Word on Mac, read this tutorial carefully and try the following three solutions.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Fix 1. Use Recovery Software | Run Qiling Mac recovery software > Scan device > Filter Unsaved Word file...Full steps |
| Fix 2. Use AutoRecovery | Go to Finder > "Go" > "Go to Folder" > Type "~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft..." ...Full steps |
| Fix 3. Use Temp Folder | Go to "Applications" > "Utilities" > "Terminal" > Enter open $TMPDIR > Open TMP folder...Full steps |
Dos and Don'ts when you closed Word without saving the file:
- Dos: Reopen your Word application, see if the closed file was showing up in the Recently closed area. You can directly restore the recently closed item back.
- Don'ts: Never try to start a new round of editing in Word, which will usually result in data overwriting and reduce the chance of full recovery.
Related Post: Recover unsaved PowerPoint on Mac
Solution 1. Accidentally Clicked Don't Save Word on Mac, Try Recovery Software
Generally speaking, an unsaved document will not appear in the Trash folder, and it's also difficult to recover it from elsewhere. Here, we'd like to recommend a handy tool - Deep Data Recovery for Mac.
It is specially used to recover deleted and lost files on Mac. Whether your files are unsaved or lost, this Mac data recovery software will help you. Especially for unsaved files, it can retrieve the unsaved files from the previous version folder. It can not only retrieve lost Word documents, but also Office Excel/PowerPoint files and all other types of files.
Download Deep Data Recovery for Mac now, let it find the unsaved Word file that you accidentally clicked "Don't Save".
Step 1. Launch Deep Data Recovery. Choose file types and click "Next" to start.
Step 2. Hover the mouse over the device where you lost unsaved file, and click "Scan".
Step 3. After the scan, click "Type", and expand "Unsaved Documents". Click the exact file type - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Keynote, Pages, Numbers you lost without saving.
Step 4. Double-click to preview your unsaved file, select the right version and click "Recover" to save the file to another secure location on Mac.
For Windows users, please refer to this page: How to Recover Unsaved/Deleted Word Document in Windows 10 >
Solution 2. Recover Unsaved Word Document from AutoRecovery
AutoRecovery is a built-in feature enabled in the Microsoft Office application by default. It will automatically save changes in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. document files every 5 or 10 minutes.
In most cases when you accidentally closed a Word file before clicking Save (Ctrl+S), there is a chance to find the autosaved copy in the AutoRecovery folder on your Mac computer.
Here are the steps that you can try to recover lost Word document without saving from AutoRcovery folder manually:
Step 1. Go to Finder, then click "Go", select "Go to Folder".
Step 2. Type ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery and click "Go".
Step 3. Check the AutoRecovery Folder.
Step 4. Find the file named as AutoRecovery*** in other extensions, open it with Word.
Step 5. View the content of the unsaved Word document, then re-save it on Mac Desktop.
Solution 3. Recover Word Document Not Saved from Temporary Folder
Temporary Folder is a local folder on Mac that works to save temporary files that is currently under editing or modifying. If you accidentally clicked "Don't save" on a Word file, try to look for it in the temporary files.
The folder is named as TemporaryItems and you may find all temporary files of the unsaved Word in a TMP format. Follow recover Word document that was not saved from this folder now:
Step 1. Go to Applications> Utilities > Terminal.
Step 2. Enter open $TMPDIR in Terminal and press "Return".
Step 3. Find and open the folder named as TemporaryItems.
Step 4. Locate and save the unsaved Word document to the desktop.
Step 5. Then change the file extension from ".tmp" to ".doc" or ".docx".
After this, open it in your Word application and you check the content in the lost Word document that was not saved again. If everything is there, hit the Save button this time.
Also, don't worry if you see nothing in the Temporary folder. Qiling Mac file recovery software as recommended in Solution 1 can help.
Tips to Avoid Losing Word Files Before Saving
When you accidentally pressed "Don't save' on Word in Mac, don't worry. The above 3 mentioned methods can recover unsaved Word documents on Mac.
To minimize the chance of losing your hard work in Word, keep those tips in mind when you edit Word the next time:
- Click "Save" or press the "Ctrl+S" keys once you've made changes in Word.
- Disable problematic programs that freeze your Mac or Word.
- Set the AutoSave to a higher frequency (10-minute intervals by default), such as 5 or 3 minutes.
Sum Up: Your Lost Word by Clicking "Don't Save" Is Recoverable
On this page, we collected 3 ways that can help when you accidentally pressed "Don't save" in Word on mac. For an instant and effective way, Deep Data Recovery for Mac with its unsaved file recovery feature worths a try.
If you don't want to use software, AutoRecovery and Temporary Folder are the last locations that you can go and find the lost and unsaved Word document on your Mac. Your lost Word file that was closed by "Don't save" is recoverable. Go and follow to bring back your hard works now.
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