Why did't my file save? My whole essay got wiped with no reason.

It sounds like you may have experienced a loss of your document due to several potential reasons, such as an unexpected shutdown, a crash, or issues with the AutoSave or AutoRecover features in Word. Here are some steps you can take to try to recover your lost essay:

1. Check for AutoRecover files: Word automatically saves versions of your documents at intervals. You can look for these files by going to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
2. Search for temporary files: Sometimes, temporary files can be found. You can search for files with the .tmp extension or look for files that start with a tilde (~). Use the search function in Windows to find these files.
3. Check the Recycle Bin: If the document was deleted, it might still be in the Recycle Bin. Open the Recycle Bin on your desktop and look for your document there.
4. Look for backup files: If you had the backup copy option enabled in Word, you might find a backup file with a .wbk extension. Check the following locations:
   • C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word
   • C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles Replace <UserName> with your actual username.
5. Restart Word: Sometimes, simply restarting Word can trigger the recovery of unsaved documents. When you reopen Word, check if the Document Recovery pane appears.

If these steps do not help, it may be worth considering enabling AutoSave and adjusting the AutoRecover settings to minimize future risks of losing work.

References:

• How to recover unsaved Word documents

Hi @Julissa Perez (Student),

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you for reaching out and explaining what happened. I understand how difficult it can be to lose your work unexpectedly, especially after investing so much effort.

To assist you better, could you please confirm a few details:

1. Are you using the Word desktop app or Word on the web?
2. Is this your own file or one shared by someone else?
3. Was the file saved locally or synced to OneDrive/SharePoint?
4. Have you noticed this issue with other files or just this one?

In the meantime, you can try these suggestions to troubleshoot:

1. Check AutoRecover Files

• Open Word and go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents.
• Look for your recent file in the list and save it immediately if found.

2. Check Word’s version history (for cloud-saved documents)

If you're working on a file saved in OneDrive, SharePoint, or Microsoft 365 cloud storage, you can access version history:

• In Word, go to File > Info > Version History.
• You will see a list of previous versions. If your document was saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, you should be able to recover an earlier version of your essay.

3. Check OneDrive or iCloud (if synced)

If your document was saved to OneDrive or iCloud, it might have synced incorrectly, or there might be a version issue. Here's how you can check:

For OneDrive:

• Go to the OneDrive website onedrive.live.com and sign in with your Microsoft account.
• Check the OneDrive Recycle Bin. Sometimes, documents get accidentally deleted and end up there.
• Look for the file, and if you find it, restore it.

For iCloud (if you’re saving to iCloud Drive):

• Go to iCloud Drive on your Mac or visit iCloud.com to check if your file was saved there.
• You may also check the iCloud Drive’s "Recently Deleted" folder.

4. Contact IT admin

• If the problem persists, I recommend contacting your IT administrator for further assistance. If needed, they can submit a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 admin center for further investigation. 

Note: For future work, I recommend enabling AutoSave as Charles Kenyon mentioned above . If you’re using Microsoft 365, simply turn on AutoSave in the top-left corner of Word when working on files stored in the cloud. This ensures your changes are saved continuously and helps prevent data loss.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.    

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you. 

I look forward to your thoughts on this. 

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Julissa Perez (Student),

What happened to you is not at all uncommon. Don't depend solely on the cloud. Always backup your documents on your local device. If you are fortunate, you can log into OneDrive and see if your document can be found under Version History.