After almost a decade, I might just transition back to Microsoft Word after learning about this cool trick that helps retrieve unsaved files manually

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I can't believe I'm just learning about this!

Microsoft Office
(Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Losing unsaved files in Microsoft Word can be a pain, especially if you hadn't enabled the autosave option or synced Office 365 to the cloud as backup.
  • There's a cool trick that can help you retrieve lost and unsaved Word documents by searching for .asd in the File Explorer under My/This PC.
  • It's a great alternative if you fail to retrieve the unsaved Word file via Word's in-built the Document Recovery or Recover Unsaved Documents methods.

Throughout my school-going years, losing assignments was one of my biggest phobias. I know I'm not the only one who's lost important and time-sensitive work while using Microsoft Word. 

There are several ways that you can use to retrieve unsaved Word documents, including Word's Document Recovery feature or its Recover Unsaved Documents option. 9 out of 10 times, both of these methods usually work (even if you lose a bit of progress at times). But sometimes, these efforts might be rendered futile. It's especially worse if you've not enabled the autosave feature.

Interestingly, while scrolling through X(formerly Twitter) I stumbled on a cool tip from the @cooltechtipz page to help out with this specific issue:

"If you accidentally close a Word file without saving, no autosave either. Just search .asd into the File Explorer under My/This PC. The document will be there, Windows has your back!"

While this trick isn't new, it seems to have caught many users (including me) by surprise going by the reactions on the post. To retrieve unsaved Word documents, click on the Start icon on your Windows 11 taskbar and enter .asd in the search bar. Voila! You'll now have access to the lost and unsaved Word document, saving you time and resources that would've been spent doing the project all over again.

Once you find any Word file with the .asd extension, head back to Microsoft Word and click on the File option at the top and select the Open and Browse tabs. Next, select the All files option in the drop-down menu to find the unsaved .asd file.

Kevin Okemwa
Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Geoff-37
    Windows Central said:
    Losing unsaved files in Microsoft Word can be a pain. However, there's a cool trick that can help you retrieve lost and unsaved Word documents by searching for .asd in the File Explorer under My/This PC.

    After almost a decade, I might just transition back to Microsoft Word after learning about this cool trick that helps retrieve unsaved files manually : Read more
    I've got no problem with the tip. That's all good, even if it has been there for years (and Autosave works fine, too).

    The big story is in the headline!
    10 years!

    You're telling me you've lasted 10 years without using Word?
    And you're a . . . writer?
    And you write for Windows Central?

    What on Earth were you thinking? And how did you hide it from your employer(s)?
    Is it even possible.
    Reply
  • bradavon
    You don't need to search for them.

    It's these ASD files Word's "Recover Unsaved Documents" allows you to access. In Word click File -> Info -> Manage Document -> Recover Unsaved Documents and it takes you to the folder Word stores ASD files in, from here it will even change it to show *.asd. Agreed it is hidden.

    It's a surprise to most people because most people just don't read errors/prompts. It says "documents will be stored for a period of time if you don't save" or words to that affect next to the Save/Don't Save buttons.

    AutoSave requires documents to be in OneDrive/SharePoint, then it's always On by default. You can't just enable it no mater where the document is stored unfortunately.

    There's another feature AutoRecover that you can enable but this only saves your docuemnt every XX minute IF you've previously saved it. It did used to be called AutoSave hence the confusion I think the author has with the terminology.
    Reply