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First reopen the editor and check its recovery prompt or pane. If it offers a usable copy, open it and save it under a new name before making more changes. Then choose the next route based on what happened: crash recovery for unsaved recent work, version history for changed or overwritten text, and cloud Trash or a device backup for a deleted file. Recovery is not guaranteed; these tools can restore only work that was captured or backed up.
Identify what was lost before you try to restore it
Work out whether the draft was never saved, only recent edits disappeared, text was overwritten in a saved document, or the entire file was deleted. The right recovery route also depends on the editor, operating system, storage location, account, and approximate time of loss.
- Never saved or open during a crash: check the editor’s crash-recovery or unsaved-document feature.
- Saved document with missing or overwritten text: inspect its version history and compare an earlier version.
- Whole file deleted: check the cloud service’s Trash or Recycle Bin, then any device backup.
- Shared or cloud-stored file: confirm you are signed into the correct account and still have access to the file.
If the editor presents several recovered copies, compare their timestamps and preserve the most useful candidate as a separate file. Do not continue editing the only recovered copy until it is saved elsewhere, and do not choose a close-without-saving option while you still need its contents.
Recover a Word document after a crash or accidental loss
After Word closes unexpectedly
- Reopen Word and look for the Document Recovery pane or prompt.
- Open the candidate with the most promising save or recovery time; Microsoft says those times can help distinguish recovered versions.
- Save the candidate promptly under a new name so the recovery copy is preserved separately.
Microsoft describes the feature this way: “When Office app closes unexpectedly before you save your most recent changes, Document Recovery automatically opens the next time you open the Office app to help you get your file back.” Microsoft’s recovery instructions also warn that choosing “Don’t Save” when closing a file deletes its AutoRecover file.
#1 Best Overall
- Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
If the document was never saved
In supported Word versions, try File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents. Open a candidate and use Save As to create a separate saved file. Menu availability can vary by Word version and platform; Microsoft’s Word recovery guide covers the supported recovery route.
If a saved document lost earlier content
For an eligible Microsoft 365 file saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, use Version History to inspect and, if appropriate, restore an earlier version. Microsoft’s instructions for recovering an earlier version explain the version-history route. AutoSave and Version History depend on the app, subscription or eligibility, cloud storage, and feature settings; they do not ensure every edit made before a crash was retained. See Microsoft’s save, backup, and recovery guidance for the conditions and deleted-file options.
Rank #2
- Easily store and access 5TB of content on the go with the Seagate portable drive, a USB external hard Drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Recover changed or deleted Google Docs and Drive files
Restore text removed or overwritten in a Google document
Open the document’s version history, review an earlier version, and either restore it or copy the missing text into the current document. Google distinguishes the version history for Docs, Sheets, and Slides from file versions for other types of files stored in Drive. The Drive Help rule that some file versions may be removed after 30 days or 100 newer versions unless kept applies to those file versions; do not treat it as a retention rule for Google Docs document history. See Google’s activity and file-version guidance.
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Restore a document deleted from Google Drive
- In Drive, open Trash and look for the document.
- If it is there, select it and choose Restore while it remains available.
- If it is not there, check that the correct Google account is active, review Drive activity and sharing access, and search for files that may have been moved or become unorganized.
Google says files remain in Trash for 30 days before automatic permanent deletion, unless Trash is emptied sooner. The retention period is stated in Google’s deleted-file recovery help and lost-file guidance. Google notes that some permanently deleted files may qualify for recovery, but eligibility depends on the account and circumstances; follow the account-specific instructions rather than assuming recovery is possible.
Rank #3
- Easily store and access 1TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Use LibreOffice Writer’s crash recovery
- Reopen LibreOffice after the crash and follow any Document Recovery prompt.
- Open the recovered document and save it to a new file before resuming your work.
- If recovery is not offered, check whether you previously enabled backup copies or preserved versions for the document.
The Document Foundation says LibreOffice tries to save AutoRecovery information for open documents in a crash “if possible,” which is not a guarantee. Its help also describes an option to create backup copies when saving and a Versions feature that can preserve versions under specified edit, save, and close conditions. See LibreOffice’s automatic-saving help and its Versions documentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to do if none of the recovery routes works
A prior saved version may restore earlier content without the latest edits. AutoSave and AutoRecover are periodic or conditional, so their existence does not prove that the final draft state was captured. A deleted cloud file may be recoverable only while it remains within the service’s retention window or through an eligible account-specific recovery route.
Rank #4
- High capacity in a small enclosure – The small, lightweight design offers up to 6TB* capacity, making WD Elements portable hard drives the ideal companion for consumers on the go.
- Plug-and-play expandability
- Vast capacities up to 6TB[1] to store your photos, videos, music, important documents and more
- SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)
If the editor has no recovery copy, version history has no suitable version, Trash has no file, and no device backup contains it, there is no universal method to reconstruct the missing writing. The available recovery mechanisms restore captured copies; they cannot recreate text that was never saved or otherwise preserved.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Plug-and-play expandability
- SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)
After recovery, protect the draft you got back
- Keep the recovered copy under a new name until you have checked that it contains the material you need.
- For future drafts, save regularly to a location with a backup or version-history option that you can access, and verify the relevant feature is enabled for your editor and account.
- Do not treat a backup drive or cloud copy as a way to retrieve text already lost; it helps only if a copy was made before the loss.
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