Applies ToWord for Microsoft 365 Word 2024 Word 2021 Word 2019 Word 2016

If the AutoRecover option is turned on, you can automatically save versions of your file while you’re working on it. How you recover something depends on when you saved it.

If you’ve saved the file

  1. Open the file you were working on.

  2. Select File > Info.

  3. Under Manage Documents, select the file labeled (when I closed without saving).

    Office 2016 Manage Documents

  4. In the bar at the top of the file, select Restore to overwrite any previously saved versions.

    Office 2016 Restore Documents

    Tip: You can also compare versions by selecting Compare instead of Restore.

If you haven’t saved the file

  1. Go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.

    Office 2016 Recover Unsaved Documents

  2. Select the file, and then select Open.

  3. In the bar at the top of the file, select Save As to save the file.

    Office 2016 Save Recovered File

See Also

View historical versions of Office files

View the version history of an item or file in a SharePoint list or library

How does versioning work in a SharePoint list or library

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