What to do right now
- Restart Word and open any document listed in the Document Recovery pane.
- Otherwise use File › Info › Manage Document › Recover Unsaved Documents.
- Still nothing? Search for .asd and ~WR*.tmp files, and save whatever you open with Save As.
Step by step
Start Word again
After a crash, Word usually shows the Document Recovery pane. Open each version, compare them and save the best one with File › Save As under a new name.
Open Recover Unsaved Documents
Choose File › Info › Manage Document › Recover Unsaved Documents. You can also choose File › Open and click Recover Unsaved Documents below the recent list. Word opens the UnsavedFiles folder.
Search for .asd files
Check %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Word and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles. In File Explorer, search the C: drive for *.asd as well. Copy each file elsewhere, then open it from Word with File › Open and the All Files filter.
Look for temporary copies
Word also creates temporary files such as ~WRL0001.tmp or ~WRD0002.tmp, often in the document's folder or in %TEMP%. Sort by date, copy recent ones and try opening them in Word. Files that begin with ~$ only hold the owner name, not the text.
Check OneDrive version history
For documents on OneDrive or SharePoint, open the file and choose File › Info › Version History. With AutoSave on, earlier versions are kept online.
Let FileFix Ultimate search
Run the unsaved and auto-recovery file finder. It checks Word's AutoRecover and UnsavedFiles locations, temporary files and Recent entries whose file has disappeared, then copies results to a folder you pick.
How Word AutoRecover works
While a document is open, Word saves AutoRecover information at a set interval, ten minutes by default. The .asd file is not your document; it is a recovery snapshot. If Word closes normally and you save, the snapshot is removed. If Word crashes, it is offered on the next start. If you close without saving, Word may keep the last snapshot as an unsaved document for a few days.
File › Options › Save shows whether AutoRecover is on, the interval and the AutoRecover file location. Note that location before you need it, because it can differ between Office versions and PCs.
Opening a recovered file that looks broken
An .asd or .tmp file sometimes opens with odd characters or not at all. Open it from inside Word rather than by double-clicking, and if Word reports a problem, choose File › Open, select the file, click the arrow next to Open and pick Open and Repair. Recover Text from Any File in the file type list can pull plain text out of a badly damaged copy.
If the recovered file is a DOCX that will not open, FileFix Ultimate's Damaged file repair can rebuild the package or salvage the text into a new .docx or .txt file. Formatting and images may be lost in that case.
When the copies were deleted
Temporary and AutoRecover files are deleted automatically. On a hard drive, a deleted file scan can often find them again, especially soon after the loss. On an SSD with TRIM, deleted temporary files are usually erased within minutes.
When it won't work
- AutoRecover was disabled, or the document was closed before the first AutoRecover save.
- Text typed after the last AutoRecover snapshot is not in any file.
- The copies were cleaned up and overwritten, or TRIM erased them on an SSD.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Finds Word .asd AutoRecover files, UnsavedFiles copies and document-like temporary files in one search.
- Shows Recent documents whose file is now missing and can scan the drive for that deleted file with one click.
- Reads the source without writing to it and copies results to a folder you choose.
- Salvages text from damaged DOCX and legacy DOC files into a new document when repair is not possible.
FileFix Ultimate is free, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Word AutoRecover .asd files saved?
Usually in %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Word, and unsaved documents in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles. File › Options › Save shows the location on your PC.
Can I open an .asd file directly?
Open it from Word with File › Open, choose All Files and select the .asd file. Double-clicking it often does nothing. Save the result as a normal .docx right away.
Can I recover a Word document I never saved even once?
Sometimes. If AutoRecover ran at least once, Recover Unsaved Documents may list it. If the document was open for only a minute or two, there may be no copy.
Do ~$ files contain my text?
No. Files that start with ~$ are small lock files holding the owner name. The text, if any survived, is in .asd or ~WR*.tmp files.