Q. How do I recover an unsaved MS Word document?

Save your work often! However, sometimes Microsoft Word will freeze up before you've had a chance to save your document. If this happens, there's a good chance that a recovery document is available.

To view available recovery documents (Word 2010, 2013, & 2016):

1. Click the File tab found towards the top left corner
2. Make sure you've selected Info, found at the top of the blue column on the left
3. Click the Manage Document button
4. From the drop down menu, select Recover Unsaved Documents
5. This will open the folder that stores unsaved recovery documents. If you see the file you're trying to recover, highlight it and press open.
6. Now that the file is open, make sure to save the file.

If you don't see any files, check your recovery settings.

1. From the document view, open the File tab.
2. Select Options.
3. In the MS Word Options menu, select Save. 
4. Confirm that the box next to Save AutoRecover information every __ minutes is checked and set the autosave interval to whatever you prefer.
5. Confirm that the box next to Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving is checked.
6. Confirm that you've specified the AutoRecover file location
7. Click OK. Your recovery settings will be saved for future sessions.

If you'd like further assistance, please contact the MCC Library Reference Desk.