How to Retrieve Deleted Word Documents for Free

It is a very frustrating situation when you spend days working on a document and suddenly realize that you are no longer able to find it. It’s a very pathetic moment. But, no need to worry. Nothing has been deleted from your system forever. Microsoft Word has some advanced data recovery options using which you can recover your Word documents for free even after they’ve been deleted from the PC.

There may be any reason due to which you can lose your Word document. Some are stated below:

• Usage of Shift+ Delete Command
• Accidental formatting of the Hard Drive
• Use of Command Prompt for Erasing Files
• Bypassing Recycle Bin
• Empty Recycle Bin

Free Methods to Recover Permanently Deleted Word Files

There are several methods using which you can easily retrieve deleted Word documents for free. Let’s have a discussion about them.

Tip 1: Search for the Document in the Recycle Bin

One simple solution is to check the Recycle Bin to recover deleted word documents. If you are lucky enough, you’ll find your Word document there. You can do this by going through these steps.

1. Go to the desktop icon “Recycle Bin”.
2. Double-click this icon to open it.
3. Search your document in the recycle bin.
4. If you find your document there, right-click and select “Restore”. You will get your Word file in its original location.

Tip 2: Search for the Word Backup Files

If you don’t find your Word document in the recycle bin, you need to turn to Word itself. In case you have backups enabled on Word and know the location of your document, you may be able to restore your deleted Word document.

1. Open the Microsoft Word.
2. Go to the File tab in the left-hand corner of the screen. Click on it and then choose “Open”.
3. Under the Word Options, select “Save”.
4. Now, under the option “AutoRecover” file location, select browse and choose the location your document was saved last time

If you don’t remember the location of the Word document to retrieve deleted Word documents, search your entire system for Word backup files. You can do so by searching *.wbk files.

Tip 3: Try the Auto Recover Tool to Retrieve Deleted Word Documents

Still unlucky? The next method to retrieve deleted Word documents would be to try Word’s Auto Recovery tool. If let’s say, your computer crashes and you haven’t saved your file, next time, when you open the Word, the file should appear on the left side of the Word Windows.

If not, search manually for the AutoRecover files. Run Microsoft Word (2010), click on the File tab and select Recent. At the bottom of the menu, choose the Recover Unsaved Documents. You can browse your file there.

If you don’t have this option in your Word version, simply search for *.asd files on the computer using Windows search.  

Tip 4: Search for the Temporary Files

Sometimes, we can find the Word documents that we want to recover in temporary folders.

1. Open My Computer, press the F10 button and be sure that you are able to view hidden files and folders.
2. Open the Windows Search and search for .tmp files.
3. Go through the files until you find the Word document that you are looking for.

Tip 5: Use the SysInfo Word Recovery Tool

If using all the above options, you are not able to recover permanently deleted Word documents, still, there is hope. You can take the help of a professional Word Repair Tool to retrieve word files. The SysInfo Doc Recovery software is designed with such an algorithm that it can deeply scan your computer and restore your lost or deleted word files. In the end, it won’t disappoint you and you’ll be able to recover your Word document. Sometimes people also face This is a Secured Document Editing is not Permitted problem. So you can resolve this problem with the help of this software.

Wrapping Up

I have explained all the possible methods to retrieve deleted word documents for free. You can try these methods one by one if you’re not able to restore your Word document from one or two methods. However, manual methods are good to go, there is no guarantee that these methods will work. Hence, I will recommend you to use a professional approach. It will definitely be helpful and won’t disappoint the users. Hope this article helps.

About The Author:

Deep Shikha

Deep Shikha Pandey is a Tech Writing Expert having deep knowledge about Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, SQL, and other databases and email clients. She will guide you the best about email migration and SQL Database recovery using her expertise and making all the processes a cakewalk for the readers. Make your technical journey easy with simple layman’s blogs and accurate technical information.