How to Restore Microsoft Office Files

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Sometimes Microsoft Office crashes and you lose everything. Or do you? Office saves temporary versions of whatever you're working on just in case, and you can access lost files for a limited time after it's gone. It may not be exactly as you left it, but it will certainly be better than not having your document, presentation or spreadsheet at all.

Here's how to restore lost files in Microsoft Office:

1. Open Word, Excel or PowerPoint to a blank document and click File.

2. Click Info on the left rail.

3. Click  Manage Document.

In Excel and Powerpoint, "Workbook" and "Presentation" are used instead of "Document" in this step or the next step.

4. Click "Recover Unsaved Documents."

5. Select a file and click Open. If your file isn't listed, continue to step 6.

6. If  your file wasn't on the list, try looking in the folder C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel (or Word or PowerPoint). You may see a file there with the correct file name and a dash after it, followed by a long string of numbers (ex: quarterlyreport-04121200630512349068373463). Open that file.

Your document will re-appear.

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Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew is a contributing writer at Laptop Mag. His main focus lies in helpful how-to guides and laptop reviews, including Asus, Microsoft Surface, Samsung Chromebook, and Dell. He has also dabbled in peripherals, including webcams and docking stations. His work has also appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, PCMag, Kotaku, and Complex. He fondly remembers his first computer: a Gateway that still lives in a spare room in his parents' home, albeit without an internet connection. When he’s not writing about tech, you can find him playing video games, checking social media and waiting for the next Marvel movie.